RUMOR: Microsoft Looking to Buy out Valve, EA, PUBG

Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is a hell of a rumor. So take it with a hell of a lot of salt.

Microsoft and Sony have a problem, and that problem is distinguishing themselves. Nintendo’s got it figured out, they have a host of unique IP that can only be played on their own weird devices. But oftentimes, there’s only a handful of differences between any given Xbox or Sony console: typically, in games. But while Microsoft has Halo and Sony has everything Naughty Dog has ever made, there’s simply not enough distinction in their library anymore. Which, of course, is a problem: the whole reason people buy consoles is for the games.

So according to some rumors, yanked out of Microsoft’s Software Portfolio by Polygon, suggests that Microsoft intends to solve this deadlock once and for all by buying out either EA, Valve, or PUBG Corp, and turning it into a generator for exclusive titles and content.

Needless to say, the options on the table are mind-boggling, and speaks to Microsoft’s confidence—and wallet—that they’re even worth considering. Of the three, PUBG Corp. seems the most likely, as right now it’s an Xbox Exclusive sort of by accident and if they bought it now they could avoid the Minecraft problem of having to support it across non-Microsoft owned platforms. Valve, on the other hand, is a privately owned company run by Gabe Newell, and while he could in theory sell it to Microsoft he has made no secret of his distaste for his former employer and Windows 10, so that seems extremely unlikely.

That said, an EA buy-out would be huge. Hate it or loathe it, EA is one of the biggest movers in the entire industry and publishes dozens of games. If Microsoft were to grab control of them and make them produce content exclusively for the Xbox One, Sony would be left grasping for straws. That said, the same thing that makes EA attractive for Microsoft is what makes it so hard to imagine this going through: it would cost an enormous amount of money and would easily be the biggest deal ever made in the gaming world. It would, without question, be one of the most important events to ever happen in our fledgling industry.

To reiterate, though, these are all rumors, and have absolutely not been confirmed. It’s kind of fun to think about, granted, but… I don’t think anyone really wants an EA owned by Microsoft.

For the console war, that would be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb.