In the last few years, Microsoft acquired Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Ninja Theory (DMC: Devil May Cry), The Initiative, 343 Industries (Halo 4), Rare (Sea of Thieves), Turn 10 Studios (Forza Motorsport), The Coalition (Gears of War 4), Undead Labs (State of Decay), and Compulsion Games (We Happy Few). With the potential acquisition of Obsidian, Microsoft has united one killer team.
While this generation of consoles belongs to Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Switch, Microsoft has the ambition to change the old status quo in the near future. The Initiative, revealed at E3 2018, is shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with. This brand new studio that had been built from scratch, with Darrell Gallagher, former head of Crystal Dynamics, in charge, recently hired Tom Shepherd.
If you're unfamiliar with this gentleman, Shepherd was previously the Technical Director at Rockstar Games. He worked there for 11 years (between 2003 and 2014) and helped the developer launch titles such as Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne 3, and Midnight Club 3. Christian Cantamessa, who co-wrote Red Dead Redemption, has also joined The Initiative, so be sure to keep an eye on that talented team.