While Xbox and Sony are joining the ongoing acquisition race in the gaming industry, Nintendo seems to be taking a different approach, focusing on its own identity instead of buying up a bunch of game studios.
Following recent big-budget acquisition deals like Microsoft purchasing Activision Blizzard, Take-Two buying out Zynga, and Sony acquiring Bungie, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about his thoughts on the trend in a recent investor meeting.
“Our brand was built upon products crafted with dedication by our employees, and having a large number of people who don’t possess Nintendo DNA in our group would not be a plus,” said Furukawa, according to Bloomberg and Reuters.
Furukawa added that Nintendo wasn’t entirely against the practice, as they have purchased game studios in the past, namely Monolith Soft, but stated that the company would only consider acquisition deals if they were deemed necessary.
He also commented on the idea of the metaverse, which is being driven by investments from the likes of Facebook’s parent Meta, saying that Nintendo could see the possibility of the metaverse becoming a thing, but would only consider joining it when the “surprise and fun” that the company offers could be fully delivered within the system.