As much as they love playing—and creating—games, we’re sure these tech giants mean business when it comes to their status in the video game console industry. Meet the four key players in the video game industry that are shaping your gameplay, with or without your knowledge. 

Tencent 

 

In terms of revenue, China-based company Tencent is the biggest player in terms of video game stores. Founded in 1998, Tencent is incredibly huge in the Asian market but also continues to invest in game studios around the world. In fact, they have stakes in familiar game stars such as Ubisoft and Activision. In 2016, they acquired the Finnish studio, Supercell, which owns “Clash of Clans”, “Clash Royale”, and “Brawl Stars”. The deal was record-breaking at the time, and was sealed for a total of USD8.6 billion dollars. 

 

Tencent also owns Riot Games, which developed the ever-popular “League of Legends”.

Sony 

 

A familiar name for many, Sony is the famous Japanese electronics company behind the video game console PlayStation. Since 1994, they’ve sold more than 500 million copies and now include a family of products such as Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Playstation VR, and PlayStation Plus. 

 

This may shock some users, but a subsidiary of Sony also controls a host of other studios that have developed exclusive titles such as the “Spider-Man” saga. It recently acquired Bungie, which is the maker of “Destiny”, for an impressive USD3.6 billion. They also have a stake in the company behind “Fortnite”, Epic Games. 

 

 

Microsoft

 

Known as the company behind the popular Xbox consoles, Microsoft has control over giant game titles found in video game stores, such as “Minecraft”, “Fallout”, and “Elder Scrolls”. They continue to innovate the world of gaming, setting its sights on a unique model with its Game Pass online platform that allows users to download games or play them via the Cloud. 

 

Due to their success, it comes as no surprise that they’ve also pitched the biggest acquisition in the history of the video game industry. In January, they offered to buy Activision Blizzard for a whopping USD 69 billion. Though the merger seems to be in hot water—with pending acquisition cases in Europe—the offer itself is impressive, and would give Microsoft ownership of titles such as “Call of Duty”, “World of Warcraft”, and “Diablo”. 

Nintendo

 

Unlike Microsoft, Nintendo isn’t one to seek out jaw-dropping acquisition deals. In fact, they’ve steered clear of much of that and instead rely on self-made games and characters that include “Mario”, “Zelda”, and “Pokemon”. Beloved and nostalgic, Nintendo is an easy and comfortable favorite for many gamers. Their recent 2020 release, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”, was a mega-hit as well.

What are your favorite video games? Stock up on them along with gaming accessories and more when you shop at SM Cyberzone. #FeelTheCyberThrill this holiday season and see you there!