Sony reportedly looking to buy Square Enix

Sony could possibly be looking to acquire Square Enix. This is based on a recent interview with the founder of Eidos Montreal—a former Square Enix subsidiary.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Eidos Montreal founder Stephane D’Astous touched on the possibility of Sony buying out Square Enix. D’Astous then stated that he was aware of rumors that Sony was looking to buy Square Enix following the sale of three of the company’s biggest Western studios to Sweden’s Embracer Group.

“If I read between the lines, Square Enix Japan was not as committed as we hoped initially. And there are rumours, obviously, that with all these activities of mergers and acquisitions, that Sony would really like to have Square Enix within their wheelhouse,” he said.

D’Astous explained that the sale of his studio, alongside that of the former Square Enix Montreal and Crystal Dynamics, was due to pressure from Square Enix’s Japan headquarters on its foreign studios to produce better results commercially. Specifically, he described the situation as a “train that is slowing down” and that the company was in need of a “fresh injection of cash.”

According to D’Astous, Sony is likely only interested in acquiring Square Enix’s Tokyo studio rather than the entire company.

“I heard rumors that Sony said they’re really interested in Square Enix Tokyo, but not the rest,” D’Astous said. “So, I think [Square Enix CEO Yosuke] Matsuda-san put it like a garage sale.”

Having worked on numerous hit titles—including many associated with its PlayStation brand—it’s easy to see why Sony would be interested in acquiring Square Enix’s Tokyo studio. In addition, the studio’s games would fit in with Sony’s studio roster, many of which have been lauded by critics for producing some of the best triple-A single-player titles in recent years. (Read: PlayStation reveals GamePass competitor)

Should the rumors be true, this will be a major win for Sony, which has been slow to acquire studios compared to console rival Microsoft. The latter has been on a buying spree in recent years, picking up studios such as Bethesda, and more recently, Activision Blizzard. Doing so would also allow Sony to bolster its already impressive lineup of exclusive content against the library that Microsoft is building.

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