A rumor currently doing the rounds suggests that Microsoft has considered acquiring EA, Valve and PUBG Corp.

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"A reliable source close to Microsoft" told Polygon the news, with reports of "internal shifts" at Microsoft creating the necessary situation for an acquisition.SuperDataResearch analyst Joost Van Dreunen further told Polygon that he expects more news about an acquisition soon."Because of where we are in the lifecycle of all these things, I’m expecting to hear Microsoft announce something very, very shortly".This follows the promotion of Xbox head Phil Spencer to Microsoft's senior leadership team , which he deemed "a great show of commitment" to its gaming portfolio.A large acquisition of this nature, especially of publishing titan EA, would be a substantial step in bolstering Microsoft's gaming software division.This rumored development would not mark the first time Microsoft has acquired another company, previously paying $2.5 Billion for Minecraft developers Mojang in 2014 In regards to PUBG Corp, this move would certainly capitalize on the success of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds following its exclusive release through the Xbox Game Preview program. A separate rumor circulated in October suggests that the exclusivity deal could be extended even further IGN has reached out to representatives from EA, Valve, and PUBG Corp for comment.

Jordan Oloman is a Freelance Writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter