Head of Microsoft studios Matt Booty and head of Xbox Phil Spencer have recently shown some interest in purchasing studios in India, Africa, or South America in the near future. In an interview with The Guardian, both high-ranking executives share a common sentiment that they would be surprised if such a purchase doesn’t happen in the next 3-5 years.
All the aforementioned regions are not considered to be “traditional hubs” for game development, which is so for a multitude of reasons. With the industry as well as tools for development expanding and becoming more accessible, Xbox seemingly has enough reasons to invest in these regions. Ubisoft, for example, has a studio in Pune, India which is currently working on the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake.
“Just knowing the talent that’s available, and the tools [such as game engines Unity and Unreal] that are so much more accessible … I would be surprised if in the next three to five years, you don’t see numerous studios in places that aren’t the traditional hubs of video game development.”, says Phil Spencer.
Furthermore, Matt Booty iterates on not using these studios as support roles for bigger projects but treating them as individual entities that are in-charge of development their own games. It would certainly be great to see studios in such regions realize their creative ambitions to the fullest, particularly with Microsoft’s funds backing them up.
