Microsoft has been on an aggressive acquisition spree for the Xbox in recent years. Activision-Blizzard aside, it has acquired popular game studios like ZeniMax Media (Bethesda, id Software, Arkane) and Mojang in recent years. However, it seems that Resident Evil maker Capcom will “never” be one of those companies.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto commented on the company’s approach to mergers and acquisitions in the evolving game industry landscape.
When asked about mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, Tsujimoto stated that while Capcom was once a target for merger, the company now prefers organic growth over purchases by outside firms. He believes developing talent internally to execute long-term growth strategies is important.
I think there have been many M&A talks in the game industry. There was once a time we were a target, but rather than acquiring an outside company, we prefer organic growth. It is important to train and develop human resources in-house in order to carry out growth straegies. I also believe we can utilize external partners, but we have no intention of acquiring companies.
Bloomberg then directly asked Tsujimoto if Capcom would entertain an acquisition offer from Microsoft following its high-profile purchase of Activision-Blizzard. Tsujimoto respectfully declined, saying he believes Capcom should remain an equal partner rather than be acquired.
I would gracefully decline the offer, because I believe it would be better if we were equal partners.
The comments signal Capcom’s commitment to independence as consolidation accelerates in the industry. At the same time, Tsujimoto acknowledged the value of external partnerships to support the company’s goals.
This stance on partnerships over acquisition comes as Capcom expands its mobile games efforts. The publisher is bringing Resident Evil Village and the Resident Evil 4 remake to iPhone 15 Pro later this year via a partnership with Apple.
With development costs rising for Japanese developers, Tsujimoto hinted that Capcom may need to raise its standard $60 game price point for future titles like Dragon’s Dogma 2. This could see the company follow suit with price increases already implemented by other major publishers.
Source: Bloomberg and Nikkei