Is this the same same SONY that closed down their VR studios in the UK? . Also I thought SONY fans made out that Multiplayer was bad and If your games appeared on the PC there is no.need to buy console
The one that closed one single VR focused studio because that studio wasn't capable of releasing a single VR game in 5 years.
So it was logical to shut it down. The studios who actually released VR specific games for them like London, Team Asobi (formerly known as Japan Studio, now their Japanese XDEV part is under XDEV instead of under them), Firesprite or From Software are still there.
Oh they most definitely are in an arms race, but Sony is buying 9s and .22s while MS is buying AKs and ARs.
Yes I know Sony doesn't have the wherewithal to compete head to head with MS, but they likely have the wherewithal to compete with the XBox division. Playstation is a bigger deal to Sony than XBox is to Microsoft at this point (this could change if Gamepass becomes huge).
Sony could and should do better with these acquisitions IMO.
MS had to made bold acquisitions because they had a small army.
Sony doesn't need them, they already have the most powerful and complete army, so they only get need to buy smaller things to support weaker areas where they want to improve, secure or where simply they want to add more variety to grow: Nixxes for PC ports, FireSprite for futuristic arcade racing/Wipeout and VR, Housemarque for smaller quality arcadey games with a twist, EVO for eSports/fighting games...
Some similar acquisitions that would make sense:
-Bluepoint for remakes
-ARC System Works to make anime games, to be more appealing to the Asian market with the Dungeon Fighter fighting game plus to have their own fighting games
-Some PC+mobile F2P studio that is huge in Asia to grow in these 3 markets
-(If not too expensive) Kadokawa to get many anime IPs plus From Software and many smaller Japanese studios and publishers
If you look at the games that each one published every year you'll see that the ones who needs/needed to make important acquisitions is MS and not Sony. Sony publishes way more games, and specially GOTY winner/candidate level ones.