Microsoft tried to buyBayonettadeveloped PlatinumGames last year, it has been revealed. The two companies have worked together before on Xbox exclusive gameScalebound, yet this game was cancelledmuch to the disappointment of fans.
After PlatinumGames teased a sequel to Nintendo Wii U exclusive gameThe Wonderful 101on Twitter, Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad reminded people that the developer has just secured an investment from Tencent. This prompted journalist Brad Sams to reveal that he is “pretty sure” that Microsoft was trying to buyPlatinumGameslast year. Sams guesses that “that deal fell apart or they decided to go another direction.” Ahmad responded to say that PlatinumGames had been talking to several companies and that Microsoft wasn’t the only one in the mix.
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The real reason why the PlatinumGames Microsoft deal didn’t happen wasn’t explained, but fans have more than a few ideas. Most are suggesting that it’s because of the cancellation ofScalebound. The cancellation of that game seemed to come out of nowhere, and while Microsoft has said thatScaleboundwas cancelled because of high expectations, not everyone believed that. Fans were so excited about the game that many were hopeful when there were rumors that PlatinumGames had kept developingScalebound,and it was coming to Nintendo Switch.
Microsoft may not have been able to secure PlatinumGames, but it could potentially purchase another Japanese developer. Earlier this month,Xbox boss Phil Spencer visited Japanto talk to Japanese studios about the Xbox Series X and services such as Xbox Game Pass. Some also wondered if Spencer talked to any Japanese developers about buying them, something which would greatly help Xbox in Japan, a region where it has had poor sales before.
The company has also purchased several developers in the United States and the United Kingdom, though. Microsoft purchasedThe Outer WorldsdeveloperObsidian Entertainment, which is now working on survival gameGrounded, whileHellbladedeveloper Ninja Theory is developing multiplayer gameBleeding EdgeandSenua’s Sacrifice: Hellblade 2. There is also The Initiative, a studio which Microsoft created, which has hired developers from Naughty Dog, BioWare, and Respawn Entertainment to work on a secret game. That isn’t to say that Microsoft wouldn’t have got a big win by buying PlatinumGames, but it seems that the company isn’t hurting without it.
