Xbox insiders claim Microsoft looking to acquire another Bethesda-level publisher

An Xbox insider who originally leaked the fact that Microsoft was looking to acquire Bethesda is now claiming that the gaming juggernaut isn’t finished and is looking for another publisher.

Microsoft shocked the gaming landscape back in September, 2020 when they announced they had acquired Bethesda – the creators of Fallout and Skyrim for a whopping $7.5B.

While the addition of Bethesda may seem like enough to tide Microsoft and its fans over, especially with the company so committed to Game Pass as the future of the industry, it turns out they’re not done with their pursuit of publishers.

According to one insider on a forum, the number of acquisitions inbound are plentiful with a number of deals in the works.

Fellow leaker, XboxRangar, replied to a screenshot of this thread with his own thoughts. “I don’t know who this guy is, but I’ve been hearing the same thing for months,” he said. “Microsoft wants to acquire another publisher.”

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He then pointed out that Microsoft negotiated with Bethesda for three years until a deal was struck, so while a follow-up may not be imminent, something is in the works.

“I believe the announcement will be at the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022,” he concluded.

https://twitter.com/XboxRagnar/status/1354803879397875713

XboxRagnar does have a good track record. In August 2020 he claimed that “Microsoft has been negotiating the purchase of some studios” and that something “very big is happening.”

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A few weeks later, the Bethesda deal was announced, so it’s clear he has some sources or is just a very lucky guesser.

It’s unclear, however, what this new studio could be. One would think that Microsoft would want to diversify itself a bit and opt for a company that is less of an RPG/FPS specialist.

In any case, it doesn’t seem like a deal is expected to be announced soon, but as we start gearing up towards the end of the year, expect to hear some sort of big news from Microsoft as the console wars wage on.