Embracer goes on a buying spree, Sony might be in the market for more corporate acquisitions, and xQc opens up about some personal problems.
I hope that you had a nice May Day. I don’t know about you, but I like to spend mine with friends around a barbecue and a few drinks. In any case, we’re back into another week. Since you’ve probably been at work all day, I can’t blame you for getting behind on everything that’s been going on in the world of gaming, but what I can do is get you back up to speed. Today, we heard that Square Enix agreed to sell several of its studios to Embracer, Sony might be planning some big buyouts in the very near future, and the streamer xQc seems to have a problem with gambling. There’s more where this came from, so read on for the rest.
Embracer has been on what can only be described as a buying spree. The conglomerate has been acquiring companies left, right, and center over the course of this past year, but Embracer has now taken things further than anyone would have expected by gobbling up Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal in a landmark deal. "We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group," Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Embracer Lars Wingefors announced. "We recognize the fantastic intellectual property, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades. It has been a great pleasure meeting the leadership teams and discussing future plans for how they can realize their ambitions and become a great part of Embracer.”
Square Enix made the news today for more than just selling Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal to Embracer. The company is apparently planning to double down on blockchain technology with its newly acquired cash. "The transaction will assist the company in adapting to the changes underway in the global business environment by establishing a more efficient allocation of resources which will enhance corporate value by accelerating growth in the company's core businesses in the digital entertainment domain," Square Enix announced. "In addition, the transaction enables the launch of new businesses by moving forward with investments in fields including blockchain, AI, and the cloud.” Sounds like a thrilling prospect.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet could be coming out any day now. Nintendo hasn’t given a firm release date, but the game should be shipping at some point later this year. In any case, fans of the franchise have been speculating about what they’ll see and where they’ll go in the game. They’ve also been discussing what it would take for the game to flop. "The main series formula is so simple yet effective that just following it to the ‘T’ is a guaranteed success. Therefore, the only way for a main series game to hit Sonic (2006) levels of bad is for it to be so glitchy that it's literally unplayable,” one user said. "I think that's part of Pokemon's problem,” another shot back. “The formula means that any Pokemon game that comes out and follows that will always be good enough. But nine generations in, if they just follow that formula they'll only ever be good enough." You might want to join the conversation.
The popular streamer and content creator xQc claims to have lost almost $2 million to online casinos during this past month alone. That’s a hefty bit of cash. According to his own admission, xQc has developed something of a gambling problem, but the streamer seems to be either unwilling or unable to change his ways. “Every game I play, all I do is gamble,” xQc said. “GTA, I gamble. Gambling Simulator, I do the whole game gambling. Everywhere I go, I just gamble. I have one of the biggest, most insanely addictive personalities you’ll ever find. I’m addicted to everything I do.” The content creator went on to say that “I’m just easily addicted, so I just shouldn’t gamble” before noting that “I still do it. Is that good? No, that’s terrible. That’s an illness. That’s ill. I’m ill. But you know what, I can afford to be ill. I’m lucky.” I’m sure that we’d all be happy to have a million or two bucks to burn.
Xbox began looking for someone to handle its planned corporate acquisitions a couple of weeks ago. Sony has now gone and followed suit. The company is apparently trying to fill a brand new position aimed at “identifying inorganic growth opportunities through acquisitions, investments, or joint ventures.” Whoever gets the job will be responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and completing “transactions that are aligned with Sony Interactive Entertainment’s strategic priorities.” The duties include working with “senior executives and other internal partners to continuously refine the major strategic themes” at PlayStation, being a “thought leader” within the company, driving “proactive deal sourcing,” and driving the “deal execution process including due diligence, valuation, and approvals.” I might just know the perfect person.
Justin is a news editor at TheGamer. He specializes in labor relations, intellectual property law, and game development. You can find his work in EGM, Vice, Unwinnable, Heterotopias, and more.
We will be happy to hear your thoughts
