2021 was an enormous 12 months for the gaming {industry}, as unprecedented development, new applied sciences, and the primary 12 months of next-gen consoles have been all headline-grabbing developments. The 12 months was additionally dominated by a few of the deepest pockets within the {industry} scooping up a few of the greatest studios, publishers, and mental properties underneath their manufacturers.Those acquisitions have resulted in seismic shifts within the gaming industry–ones the place it is not past the realm of risk to listen to of a brand new mega-deal that sees billions of {dollars} paid out to personal a big-name studio. All all through 2021–and within the first month of 2022 alone–gigantic offers have gone down, making it an enchanting time to be a fan of the gaming {industry}. If you are in search of a recap on simply how a lot has modified lately, we have created a fast timeline on the main occasions which have gone down over the past year-plus.Microsoft goes on a shopping for spreeJust over twenty years in the past, the concept of Microsoft venturing into the gaming house was extraordinary. These days, nonetheless, the Xbox division is a core a part of Microsoft’s identification, and one which the corporate has invested closely in over time. No stranger to studio acquisitions, Microsoft had already added the likes of Double Fine, Minecraft maker Mojang, and a number of other different studios to its portfolio in a serious push to develop Xbox-exclusive video games.In 2020, Microsoft got here out weapons blazing with its subsequent spherical of acquisitions, because it purchased ZeniMax Media, the father or mother firm of famed online game writer powerhouse Bethesda Softworks. By March 2021, that $7.5 billion deal was formally full, and Microsoft now had a few of the most interesting IPs working underneath the Xbox Game Studios model. While Bethesda’s varied video games and studios have been little doubt worthwhile belongings, ZeniMax’s cloud gaming expertise should not be missed.Originally revealed at E3 2019, Bethesda mentioned on the time that the patented cloud streaming SDK referred to as Orion would permit video games to run at “max settings” with minimal bandwidth utilization. Combine that expertise with Microsoft’s push to make Xbox an expertise that is playable on cellular units via its personal cloud gaming initiative, and the ZeniMax buy made that rather more sense. Microsoft did not simply acquire a wealthy library of IPs so as to add to its console and in style Xbox Game Pass service; it acquired the expertise to sooner or later make these titles accessible on extra than simply consoles and PC.Fast ahead to January 2022, and in its greatest flex but, Microsoft introduced plans for a $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard have been underway. While that deal could solely be concluded subsequent year–provided that it is permitted by regulatory bodies–it’s one other instance of Microsoft being greater than ready to speculate closely in its future by securing a few of the greatest IPs at present in existence, and the gifted workers to go together with them.Sony’s DestinyThe final era of gaming is one the place Sony operated in peak type due to its first-party studios. A number of years into the life-cycle of the PS4, a PlayStation Studios-branded recreation carried an air of high quality and status that elevated it above its competitors. That ethos has remained regular within the first 12 months of the PS5 period, however it’s now part of a extra formidable technique by an organization that has largely centered on high quality single-player experiences.Throughout 2021, Sony obtained the ball rolling with acquisitions of PC port developer Nixxes Software, Returnal studio Housemarque, The Playroom’s Firesprite Studios, God of War assist studio Valkyrie Entertainment, and Bluepoint Games, the studio chargeable for its well-received remakes of basic video games corresponding to Demon’s Souls. In January 2022, Sony opened up its pockets as soon as extra and introduced that an acquisition of Destiny 2 developer Bungie was underway. Despite the conspicuous timing, coming shortly after the Activision Blizzard information, Sony’s Bungie deal had already been months within the making.Sony’s not performed shopping for studios but, and it has particularly signaled an intent to dive closely into live-service video games like Destiny. The firm is provided with a few of the greatest individuals and sources to deal with a digital technique that revolves round its trademark single-player video games, high quality remakes, digital actuality video games for its upcoming PSVR 2 {hardware}, and an aggressive push into live-service territory with a number of new video games in that house.Embracer makes a couple of strikes of its ownOver in Europe, Embracer Group has been on an acquisition tear as of late. The Swedish online game holding firm operated by Lars Wingefors has dozens of inside studios and eight teams chargeable for a number of subsidiaries, making it a power to be reckoned with within the gaming {industry}. Each group has its personal operations, subsidiaries, and growth studios. One of its most notable acquisitions was Gearbox Software in early 2021, the studio well-known for the Borderlands collection and a number of different in style collection.Since then, Embracer’s acquisitions have been modest however frequent, all organized underneath the likes of sub-parent firms corresponding to THQ Nordic, Koch Media, and extra. Aspyr, 3D Realms, and Asmodee all joined Embracer Group all through 2021, and Dark Horse Entertainment added some powerhouse comedian ebook IPs to the corporate in December 2021. While it has a serious world presence and studios everywhere in the world, Embracer Group has established itself as one of many greatest names within the European gaming market.Here come new challengersElectronic Arts is synonymous with a number of genres of video games, however racing is one space the place the corporate was arguably in want of a refresh. Need for Speed as a franchise was being constantly lapped by its rivals, so EA’s transfer was to easily purchase out a few of its competitors. With Codemasters formally acquired in 2021, EA now has entry to not solely a few of the greatest expertise within the racing recreation style, but additionally a few of the greatest properties. F1 and Dirt are very completely different when it comes to racing sub-genres, however they’re nonetheless wildly entertaining franchises that repeatedly fireplace on all cylinders.Codemasters additionally has different IPs to supply, and this is hoping that EA acknowledges {that a} new iteration of Brian Lara Cricket can be most welcome proper now.As for everybody else, you may’t low cost Facebook father or mother firm Meta grabbing various VR studios for its Quest headsets, Tencent making various smaller however important purchases, and NetEase slicing to the chase by attracting a few of Sega’s greatest abilities to type a wholly new studio underneath it. If you may’t purchase the studio, you may actually purchase the precise individuals to make video games for you.As for the long run, something’s doable in an {industry} the place even Wordle–everyone’s favourite vocabulary-themed brain-teaser–was lately bought. Sony remains to be planning to bolster its first-party stock with extra studio purchases, Microsoft has turn out to be an professional in shock offers, and different huge tech firms could be trying to seize a slice of the motion earlier than it is too late.