A series of recent acquisitions of game studios has left many to guess who will follow. Well, it probably won’t be Square Enix. The Japanese studio rejected the reports, claiming that it was surrounded by several potential buyers. In a statement released today, Square Enix categorically denied that it intended to sell or that it had been approached by interested parties.
“We do not consider selling the company or any part of its business, nor have we received any offers from any third party to acquire the company or any part of its business,” the company said.
It seems that the rumor came from CTFN – a news site with a subscription specialized in reporting mergers and acquisitions – which quoted two bankers and was repeated by Bloomberg Japan. Industry analyst David Gibson said it may have been a case of bankers trying to stimulate the Square Enix business afterwards Marvel Avengers recorded poor sales. Tokyo-based consultant Dr. Serkan Toto said rumors have raised the company’s shares by almost 14%.
At the same time, consolidation has been plentiful in the gambling industry as major players seek to increase their digital stores and growing subscription services with exclusive titles. Recent agreements include Microsoft’s $ 7.5 billion takeover of Bethesda owner ZeniMax, EA’s acquisition of Codemasters and Epic Games’ acquisition of Tonic Games Group (parent of All the boys Mediatonic study).
Although Square Enix was quick to talk about taking over the trash, it’s easy to see why it would be an attractive target. The company’s properties include durable franchises such as Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, and newer titles such as Outriders. But, it is also related to the existing licensing agreements for its future games, inclusive Forspoken for PS5 and PC.
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