Embracer Group announced new purchases, there were rumors of a deal between Square Enix and Sony, and Elon Musk criticized the App Store commission — we tell you what happened in the gaming industry this weekend.
▫️Former Game Informer editor Imran Khan reported that Warner Bros. Discovery plans to sell game studios and license IP. According to rumors, potential buyers include EA, Take-Two, Microsoft, Sony, Tencent, NetEase and PUBG Corporation.
The Berkshire Hathaway holding company owned by Warren Buffett has acquired another 7.5% stake in Activision Blizzard. Now she controls 9.5% of the publishing house worth $5.6 billion. As Buffett explained, if a deal with Microsoft takes place, it will help him “earn a little money.”
Bobby Kotick may receive over $520 million if he sells his stake in Activision Blizzard after a deal with Microsoft. Bloomberg journalists came to this conclusion by calculating the number of shares owned by the CEO of Activision Blizzard.
Embracer Group has agreed with Square Enix to purchase Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix Montréal studios, as well as several franchises, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain (+ over 50 games from the back catalog). The size of the transaction is $300 million.
Square Enix said that thanks to the deal with Embracer Group, it received funds for further business development. In particular, the Japanese company is going to invest in blockchain, AI and cloud technologies.
According to analyst David Gibson, Square Enix has lost about $200 million on the last two Marvel games — Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers. According to the expert, this could be one of the reasons for the sale of studios and franchises.
Insider Jeff Grubb shared rumors that Sony is eyeing the purchase of Square Enix. However, he clarified that he could not confirm the information.
Paradox Interactive reported for the first quarter of 2022 – it became the most profitable in its history. Operating profit increased by 125% to $21.09 million, and revenue increased by 31% to $48.15 million. The main drivers of growth were Cities: Skylines, Crusader Kings III, Europa Universalis IV, Hearts of Iron IV and Stellaris.
The Nikkei Asia edition reported that Nintendo plans to sell 10% fewer Switch consoles (20 million devices) this fiscal year. This is due to problems with semiconductors and logistics. However, the company hopes to compensate for the decline with the help of game sales.
Activision Blizzard has called on shareholders to vote against the company publishing an annual report on combating discrimination and harassment. In it, she must, among other things, tell how many complaints she received and how much she spent on their settlement. However, the publisher believes that preparing another report will only take time and resources.
Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that the 30% commission in the App Store is ten times higher than it should be. He compared it to an Internet tax and said it was “definitely not normal.” Mask’s statement was retweeted by the head of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney.
Activision Blizzard has officially announced the first mobile game in the Warcraft universe. It’s called Warcraft Arclight Rumble. Shortly before that, journalist Jason Schreier reported that the company was making two games, but one of them (in the spirit of Pokémon GO) had to be canceled.