Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
The Microsoft and FTC trial has brought a plethora of information to light regarding the Xbox maker, Sony, and the inner workings of the video game industry. As more documents get published and shared online, we continue to learn more about the motivations behind the biggest acquisitions and business moves in recent memories. Most recently, a newly-released 2019 email from Xbox Game Studios Head Matt Booty shows him stating that Microsoft could spend enough money on acquisitions to put Sony out of business.
The email from Matt Booty was sent to Xbox CFO Tim Stuart on December 17, 2019, and was officially published online yesterday as a result of the ongoing FTC trial. In the email, Booty provides his perspective on Xbox’s place in the gaming industry and its relation to its competitors. “We (Microsoft) are in a very unique position to be able to go spend Sony out of business.” He goes on to explain that it would be completely worth it to spend billions of dollars in acquisitions to avoid a future where a company like Google, Amazon, or even Sony becomes the “Disney of games.”
The email also touches on the merit of Game Pass, which was roughly two years old at the time. Interestingly enough, Booty states in the email that Microsoft has a 10 million subscription lead on Sony, revealing the Xbox Game Pass sub-count at the time. Microsoft has famously neglected to publicly disclose the number of people subscribed to the subscription service.
It’s no secret that the major players in the video game industry are constantly trying to gain the upper-hand on each other, but it’s pretty damning to see a member of Xbox’s leadership team deliberately express a desire to put a rival out of business. It’s just the latest piece of fascinating info to come out of the Microsoft/FTC trial, which we’ll continue to cover here on Shacknews.