Xbox Game Studios Head Matt Booty said Microsoft could 'spend Sony out of business' in 2019 email

Matt Booty expressed fears of another competitor becoming the 'Disney of games.'

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The Microsoft and FTC trial has brought a plethora of information to light regarding the Xbox maker, Sony, and the inner workings of the video game industry. As more documents get published and shared online, we continue to learn more about the motivations behind the biggest acquisitions and business moves in recent memories. Most recently, a newly-released 2019 email from Xbox Game Studios Head Matt Booty shows him stating that Microsoft could spend enough money on acquisitions to put Sony out of business.

The email from Matt Booty was sent to Xbox CFO Tim Stuart on December 17, 2019, and was officially published online yesterday as a result of the ongoing FTC trial. In the email, Booty provides his perspective on Xbox’s place in the gaming industry and its relation to its competitors. “We (Microsoft) are in a very unique position to be able to go spend Sony out of business.” He goes on to explain that it would be completely worth it to spend billions of dollars in acquisitions to avoid a future where a company like Google, Amazon, or even Sony becomes the “Disney of games.”

The email from Matt Booty to Tim Stuart, described in the above paragraph.

Source: Microsoft

The email also touches on the merit of Game Pass, which was roughly two years old at the time. Interestingly enough, Booty states in the email that Microsoft has a 10 million subscription lead on Sony, revealing the Xbox Game Pass sub-count at the time. Microsoft has famously neglected to publicly disclose the number of people subscribed to the subscription service.

It’s no secret that the major players in the video game industry are constantly trying to gain the upper-hand on each other, but it’s pretty damning to see a member of Xbox’s leadership team deliberately express a desire to put a rival out of business. It’s just the latest piece of fascinating info to come out of the Microsoft/FTC trial, which we’ll continue to cover here on Shacknews.

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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