PlatinumGames‘ new president and chief executive officer Atsushi Inaba has told Video Games Chronicle that he’d be open to the idea of being acquired as long as the studio is guaranteed freedom. Inaba made his comments after he was quizzed about the consolidation seen in the games industry recently, particularly Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Interestingly, he indicated back in 2020 that PlatinumGames isn’t interested in becoming a part of Microsoft despite the company expressing its desire to add a Japanese developer to its lineup of studios.
Why PlatinumGames wouldn’t turn acquisition offers down
“What I hear about the recent acquisitions, I don’t think Microsoft is going to start micromanaging Activision to where they take away all their freedom… I don’t think it’s going to be a relationship like that,” Inaba told VGC. “I think there’s going to be a lot of mutual respect there and I think Activision will be able to continue doing what they do best. That’s also what’s most important to us at the end of the day, whatever form that takes for us and our company. So I would not turn anything down, as long as our freedom was still respected.”
Opinion: PlatinumGames would be an asset to any publisher
Zarmena writes… I wonder if Phil Spencer is rubbing his hands after reading Inaba’s comments. PlatinumGames is a talented studio and an easy acquisition for a company that’s been eyeing the Japanese market for quite some time. But bearing in mind Sony’s standing in Japan, it’s hard to believe that the PlayStation maker will just watch PlatinumGames go to its rival. The race is on. Who will win?
In other news, PlatinumGames’ Babylon’s Fall is getting a demo on PS5 and PS4, and a Capcom countdown has fans wondering what the publisher is planning to announce.
[Source: VGC]