Major deals like Xbox's huge push to acquire Activision Blizzard make regular headlines, of course, but Xbox is keen to expand its development portfolio in different ways as well.
Speaking to UK outlet The Guardian, Xbox's Sarah Bond spoke about Microsoft's attempts to find developers who aren't based in your typical "western European and east Asian" markets, insisting that there's lots of talent out there in different, lesser-known locations.
"The games industry is very western European and east Asian focused [...] We have focused on trying to get more global with it, because there’s more happening in places like India and Africa. We want to make sure we’re on the ground as we start to see more development there, as traditionally there hasn’t been much."
This doesn't necessarily mean that such teams would be 'acquired' by Xbox, but that option is always there if Microsoft deems such a move worthwhile. However, the ID@Xbox program has done a great job an unearthing some gems from small, unique teams - and we could definitely see this sort of push help Xbox's indie efforts in the future.
"What’s important is getting creators from geographies that are underserved [...] Console gaming is really concentrated in a set of markets: 200 million people play on a console today, but 3 billion people play games. As soon as someone gets access to high-speed connectivity, they play games. So what appeals to the next 1 billion gamers that are gonna come online?"
This sort of messaging goes hand-in-hand with Xbox's cloud gaming initiatives, which are largely focused on getting more people into playing Xbox games, including those in different locations where buying hardware might not be so easy. Getting new developers on board to match Xbox's expansion into new markets can only be a good thing, right?