Fun idea (though I have no clue about a name, division head or mission statement)
- IO Interactive - Copenhaguen, Denmark -
- Playdead - Copenhaguen, Denmark -
- Moon Studios - Vienne, Austria -
- Asobo Studio - Bordeaux, France (strengthens their French hub with Arkane Lyon + they proved they were a talented developer and they have a close relationship with MS thanks to Flight Simulator)
- Studio Wildcard - Kirkland, Washington, US - (casual games and for the Ark IP that is popular + strenghtens their big hub in the Seattle / Vancouver area with MS’ headquarters, 343, The Coalition, Undead Labs, Turn 10, World’s Edge and XGSP)
- Turtle Rock Studios - Lake Forest, California, US - (casual games + strenghtens their Californian hub
- Mistwalker - Tokyo, Japan - (strenghtens their Japan hub with Tango Gameworks + Fantasian was rather well received and I would like the Lost Odyssey franchise to be expanded)
- Supermassive Games - Guildford, UK - (I think that their choice-driven horror games are perfect for Game Pass + strenghtens their British hub)
Some studios I hesitated to put in that list :
- GSG Game World (for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. IP that is very popular in eastern Europe + I think that not buying 4A Games was a missed opportunity. But it remains to be seen if they can make S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 good since the history of this studio is unusual)
- Red Barrels (Outlast games developer)
2 new studios:
- Vault Studios - a new studio solely dedicated tot he Fallout franchise. I put it here but it would make more sense for this studio to be with other Bethesda’s studios though. First game would be Fallout: Return to New Vegas (full remake with next-gen graphics, the cut content + additional content (locations, quests, weapons, radio songs…), FO4’s gunplay and sprint, Photo Mode, new radio songs, etc.)
- Penitent Tangent (a new studio dedicated to tap into Halo’s universe and expand the franchise in new genres. First game would take place during the war against the Covenant or the Banished and be a Halo RPG in the style of Mass Effect, or even a co-op tactical 3rd-person shooter (that’s how I imagined a potential Halo: ODST 2)
Acquisitions of IPs:
- The Mandalorian (though a licensing agreement with Disney)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (same)
- Eternal Darkness (and the Sanity Meter’s patent) from Nintendo (give it to Ninja Theory or Supermassive), or just make a spiritual successor (like I imagined here) as I doubt Nintendo would sell the IP even if it’s obvious they will never use it again