28 September 2023 , 17:00
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Capcom COO, Haruhiro Tsujimoto, commented on the recent slate of acquisitions from the likes of Microsoft and Sony, including whether the company would accept a buyout from the Xbox owner.
One of the biggest trends in gaming recently has been a culture of acquisitions. Over the last few years, Sony has acquired the likes of Bungie, Bluepoint Games, and Housemarque; Embracer has been steadily acquiring studios like Volition, and Crystal Dynamics (only to either shut them down or lay off staff); and biggest of all, Microsoft bought Bethesda and a number of smaller studios like Ninja Theory and Double Fine, and can add Activision Blizzard to the list if the Microsoft Activision deal goes through.
One company that constantly comes up in acquisition rumours is Capcom. Despite the company being on an incredible run since Resident Evil 7 released – with its major IPs like Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, and Devil May Cry's latest entries being considered among the best games the company has ever produced – rumours of a buyout persist. So when Bloomberg spoke with Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto, the outlet of course asked if he would entertain a buyout offer from Microsoft; and Tsujimoto stated that he would "gracefully decline" feeling it would be better if the two companies were equal partners.
Bloomberg also inquired about his thoughts on mergers and acquisitions, and if there were any plans of this nature on the horizon for Capcom. Tsujimoto responded saying that rather than acquiring an outside company, Capcom prefers organic growth, saying that it's "important to train and develop human resources in-house in order to carry out growth strategies". While he notes that he isn't against working with external companies, Capcom has no plans to start buying them up. Which is the polar opposite of Microsoft's strategy over the last few years.
Keeping it stylish
After hearing this, I have to admit that I was relieved. While I'm not inherently against acquisitions, the idea of Capcom being snapped up and added to Microsoft's stable – or anyone else's – terrifies me. The company has strong foundations with series that have cultivated huge followings; and since 2017 Capcom has been on a roll when it comes to the incredible quality of its games, their critical reception, and the overwhelmingly positive response from the fans. The proof is in the pudding, which in this case is the record-breaking sales the company has been enjoying in recent years. So it's good to know that it'll stay out on it's own.
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I could easily see a world where Capcom's titles are changed up to fill the PlayStation AAA game mould if Sony acquired it, or half-baked releases unceremoniously plopped out like Bethesda titles have under the Xbox banner.
What Capcom is doing right now is clearly working out well, so it's good to hear that things will continue on that course. Although a new Devil May Cry would be nice please.