"While they do share a common heritage, the two creative teams at Obsidian and inXile are very different," Microsoft said in a statement. "They will continue to operate autonomously and bring their unique talents, IP, and expertise to Microsoft Studios as they build new RPG experiences for our players and fans."

Microsoft Studios is already home to 11 video game companies across the United States, Canada and Europe, including Halo shepherd 343 Industries, Hellblade developer Ninja Theory, Minecraft maker Mojang and We Happy Few house Compulsion Games. Microsoft Studios announced in June that it had picked up five new companies, including State of Decay developer Undead Labs and Forza Horizon studio Playground Games.

Since the Xbox One landed in 2013, Microsoft has faced criticism for not having enough exclusive games on the platform, a factor that may have helped the PlayStation 4 claim an early sales victory this console generation. However, the next round of video game hardware is due to hit the market in 2020, and Xbox is rumored to have two consoles in the works, one of which is built for streaming. Microsoft Studios is stockpiling developers actively and publicly, priming the next Xbox for plenty of exclusive experiences (or at least more than last time).