‘In the end we’re all dead’: Amazon believes in bleak future for developers and publishers

Will we one day be dominated by corporations like Amazon, Microsoft or Google?

Sony buys Bungie and Insomniac, Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard and Bethesda, among others. Tencent and Embracer Group are also throwing money around. In the meantime, there was also speculation as to whether Amazon would buy EA. If things continue like this, everything will soon be owned by just two or three giant mega-corporations. Not only, but also in the gaming industry. Even the Amazon Games boss Christoph Hartmann sees it that way. But he puts it in his own unique way: “In the end we’re all dead” – apparently alluding to the possible negative consequences of market consolidation and monopolization.

Ironically, Amazon of all people says that every business eventually becomes a monopoly

That’s what it’s about: Apple, Google, Amazon or Microsoft – they all strive for a more or less monopolized division of the market. Where there is no competition, there is no reason to be cheaper. If you own everything yourself, you don’t have to worry about the competition. And so in capitalism everyone actually strives to achieve a monopoly.

Also in the video game industry: In the gaming sector we only see some individual monopolies such as Steam on the PC, but otherwise it is probably still a matter of what is known as market consolidation. This means that the biggest players are trying to buy up all the smaller developers and publishers in order to strengthen their own position.

It boils down to this, that in the end only a few, but all the larger companies are left who own everything – unless one party gets the short end of the stick and only one group remains. At least if nothing is done about it.

Amazon Games sees it this way too: In a GameSpot interview, Amazon Games boss Christoph Hartmann says that there are not many individual, independent gaming companies left. Except maybe Take-Two and EA.

However, everyone would keep their hands off Take-Two because GTA is “an invitation to trouble”, which he unfortunately does not elaborate on. As a real cash cow, GTA should actually be a popular takeover target. There are already many rumors at EA, as Hartmann says.

At the same time, Tencent is investing in Ubisoft

Ironically, while Amazon is complaining about monopoly, Tencent is pumping out a little more cash to invest in Ubisoft. Or Guillemot Bros, to be precise. This is a company run by Ubisoft co-founders and owns most of the publisher’s shares.

But Ubisoft itself says it won’t change anything. It is a small, passive part. The company would still be run by the Guillemot family and Ubisoft’s leadership would not be affected at all (via: Twitter).

What do you say to the fact that the big companies are increasingly dividing up the market among themselves?