List of Microsoft Gaming studios

Blizzard Irvine and Mojang Stockholm are examples of Microsoft Gaming studios.

This is a list of Microsoft Gaming video game studios, including development studios, support studios, satellite studios and offices. Microsoft Gaming is an American video game company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, US, founded on January 18, 2022. After several acquisitions, Microsoft Gaming has become one of the largest video game companies, and it has one of the largest in-house development team, with more than 20,100 employees working in over 40 studios in 17 countries as of February 2024. ^{[1] [2]} The three subsidiaries consist of: Xbox Game Studios, ZeniMax Media, and Activision Blizzard. It owns 5 video game publishers labels, including Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King.

Microsoft Gaming opened and acquired studios in 17 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, France, Spain, Mexico, China, Japan, Ireland, Malta, Australia, Hungary, Taiwan, South Korea and Poland.

North America

Canada

• Activision Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Beenox in Quebec City, Quebec; acquired in 2023. ^[4]
  • Beenox Montreal in Montreal, Quebec; acquired in 2023. ^[5]
• Bethesda Game Studios Montreal in Montreal, Quebec; acquired in 2021. ^[6]
• The Coalition in Vancouver, British Columbia; founded in 2010. ^[7]
• Compulsion Games in Montreal, Quebec; acquired in 2018. ^[8]
• Demonware Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia; acquired in 2023.
• Sledgehammer Games Toronto in Toronto, Ontario; acquired in 2023. ^[9]
• Treyarch Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia; acquired in 2023. ^[9]

Mexico

• Infinity Ward Mexico in Mexico City; acquired in 2023. ^[10]

United States

• Activision Eden Prairie in Eden Prairie, Minnesota; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Activision El Segundo in El Segundo, California; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Activision HQ in Santa Monica, California; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Activision Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Activision Portland in Portland, Maine; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Activision Redmond in Redmond, Washington; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Activision Sherman Oaks in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Bethesda Game Studios in Rockville, Maryland; acquired in 2021. ^[11]
  • Bethesda Game Studios Austin in Austin, Texas; acquired in 2021. ^[12]
  • Bethesda Game Studios Dallas in Dallas, Texas; acquired in 2021. ^[13]
• Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, California; acquired in 2023. ^[14]
  • Blizzard Albany in Albany, New York; acquired in 2023. ^[14]
  • Blizzard Austin in Austin, Texas; acquired in 2023. ^[14]
  • Blizzard Boston in Boston, Massachusetts; acquired in 2023. ^[15]
• Demonware Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California; acquired in 2023.
• Double Fine in San Francisco, California; acquired in 2019. ^[16]
• Halo Studios in Redmond, Washington; founded in 2007. ^[17]
• High Moon Studios in Carlsbad, California; acquired in 2023. ^[18]
• id Software in Richardson, Texas; acquired in 2021. ^[13]
• Infinity Ward in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California; acquired in 2023.
  • Infinity Ward Austin in Austin, Texas; acquired in 2023. ^[19]
• The Initiative in Santa Monica, California; founded in 2018. ^[20]
• inXile Entertainment in Tustin, California; acquired in 2018. ^[21]
  • inXile New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana; acquired in 2018. ^[22]
• King Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California; acquired in 2023. ^[23]
• King New York in New York City, New York; acquired in 2023. ^[24]
• King San Francisco in San Francisco, California; acquired in 2023. ^[24]
• Microsoft Casual Games Studio in Redmond, Washington; founded in 2012. ^[25]
• Mojang Redmond in Redmond, Washington; acquired in 2014.
• Obsidian Entertainment in Irvine, California; acquired in 2018. ^[21]
• Raven Software in Middleton, Wisconsin; acquired in 2023. ^[26]
• Sledgehammer Games in Foster City, California; acquired in 2023. ^[1]
• Solid State Studios in Santa Monica, California; acquired in 2023. ^[27]
• Treyarch in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California; acquired in 2023. ^[1]
  • Treyarch Austin in Austin, Texas; acquired in 2023. ^[1]
• Turn 10 Studios in Redmond, Washington; founded in 2001.
• Undead Labs in Seattle, Washington; acquired in 2018. ^[28]
  • Undead Labs Orlando in Orlando, Florida; founded in 2022. ^[29]
  • Undead Labs Champaign in Champaign, Illinois; founded in 2024.
• World's Edge in Redmond, Washington; founded in 2019.
• ZeniMax Online Studios in Hunt Valley, Maryland; acquired in 2021. ^[13]
  • ZeniMax Online Studios Austin in Austin, Texas; acquired in 2021. ^[30]
  • ZeniMax Online Studios San Diego in San Diego, California; acquired in 2021. ^[30]
  • ZeniMax Online Studios Seattle in Seattle, Washington; acquired in 2021. ^[30]
  • ZeniMax Online Studios Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin; acquired in 2021. ^[30]

Europe

France

• Arkane Studios in Lyon; acquired in 2021.

Germany

• Activision Burglengenfeld in Burglengenfeld; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• id Software Frankfurt in Frankfurt; acquired in 2021. ^[31]
• King Berlin in Berlin; acquired in 2023. ^[24]

Hungary

• ZeniMax Online Studios Hungary in Budapest; acquired in 2023. ^[32]

Ireland

• Activision Dublin in Dublin; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Demonware in Dublin; acquired in 2023.
• King Dublin in Dublin; acquired in 2023. ^[24]

Malta

• King Malta in Saint Paul's Bay; acquired in 2023. ^[24]

Poland

• Elsewhere Entertainment in Warsaw; founded in 2024. ^[33]
• Infinity Ward Poland in Kraków; acquired in 2023. ^[34]

Spain

• Digital Legends Entertainment in Barcelona; acquired in 2023. ^[35]
• Infinity Ward Barcelona in Barcelona; acquired in 2023. ^[36]
• King Barcelona in Barcelona; acquired in 2023. ^[24]

Sweden

• Elsewhere Malmö in Malmö; founded in 2024. ^[37]
• King Malmö in Malmö; acquired in 2023. ^[24]
• King Stockholm in Stockholm; acquired in 2023. ^[24]
• MachineGames in Uppsala; acquired in 2021. ^[13]
  • MachineGames Sundsvall in Sundsvall; founded in 2023. ^[38]
• Mojang Studios in Stockholm; acquired in 2014.

United Kingdom

• Activision London in London, England; acquired in 2023. ^[24]
• Activision Manchester in Manchester, England; acquired in 2023. ^[24]
• King London in London, England; acquired in 2023. ^[24]
• Mojang London in London, England; acquired in 2023.
• Ninja Theory in Cambridge, England; acquired in 2018. ^[39]
  • Senua Studio in Cambridge, England; acquired in 2018. ^[40]
• Playground Games in Leamington Spa, England; acquired in 2018. ^[41]
  • Playground Games studio 2 in Leamington Spa, England; acquired in 2018. ^[42]
  • Playground Games studio 3 in Leamington Spa, England; founded in 2024. ^[43]
• Rare in Twycross, England; acquired in 2002. ^[44]
• Sledgehammer Games Guildford in Guildford, England; acquired in 2023. ^[45]

Asia

China

• Activision Shanghai Studio in Shanghai; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Demonware Shanghai in Shanghai; acquired in 2023.
• Mojang Shanghai in Shanghai; acquired in 2014. ^[46]

Japan

• Mojang Tokyo in Tokyo; acquired in 2014. ^[46]

South Korea

• Blizzard Seoul in Seoul; acquired in 2023. ^[14]

Taiwan

• Blizzard Taipei in Taipei; acquired in 2023. ^[14]

Oceania

Australia

• Activision Sydney in Sydney, New South Wales; acquired in 2023. ^[3]
• Blizzard Sydney in Sydney, New South Wales; acquired in 2023. ^[14]
• Sledgehammer Games Melbourne in Melbourne, Victoria; acquired in 2023. ^[47]

Former studios

• Alpha Dog Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia - closed in May 2024. ^{[48] [49]}
• Arkane Austin in Austin, Texas - closed in May 2024. ^{[50] [49]}
• Roundhouse Studios in Madison, Wisconsin - merged with Zenimax Online Studios in May 2024. ^[49]
• Tango Gameworks in Shibaura, Tokyo - closed in June 2024 ^[51] and sold to Krafton in August 2024. ^{[52] [13]}
• Toys for Bob in Novato, California - spun off from Activision in February 2024. ^[53]

See also

• List of mergers and acquisitions by Microsoft

References

1. Obedkov, Evgeny (2023-10-20). "40 studios to rule them all: inside Microsoft Gaming divisions post-Activision Blizzard deal". Game World Observer. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
2. Webster, Andrew (2024-01-25). "Blizzard cancels survival game following layoffs". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
3. "Activision STUDIOS & LOCATIONS".
4. "Activision Establishes Development Foothold in Quebec With Acquisition of Beenox". Activision Blizzard. May 25, 2005. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
5. Partis, Danielle (2022-03-29). "Beenox to open new studio in Montreal". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
6. Kato, Matthew. "Bethesda Opens New Studio In Montreal". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
7. Makuch, Eddie (2014-01-27). "Microsoft buys Gears of War from Epic". GameSpot. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
8. Grubb, Jeff (2018-06-10). "Microsoft Game Studios just added five new studios including Ninja Theory". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
9. "Sledgehammer Games expands studio to new location in Toronto". Charlie Intel. 4 May 2021.
10. "Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward expands with new Austin studio". Venture Beat. October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
11. "Legal information about Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios subsidiaries under ZeniMax Media Inc". ZeniMax Media. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
12. "Legal information about Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios subsidiaries under ZeniMax Media Inc". ZeniMax Media. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
13. "Legal information about Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios subsidiaries under ZeniMax Media Inc". ZeniMax Media. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
14. "Location". careers.blizzard.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
15. Takahashi, Dean (2022-06-29). "Blizzard plans to acquire Spellbreak studio Proletariat to bolster World of Warcraft". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
16. Minotti, Mike (2019-06-09). "Microsoft adds Double Fine to its Xbox Game Studios stable". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
17. McCaffrey, Ryan (2019-02-26). "How Bonnie Ross Is Shaping the Future of Halo – IGN Unfiltered #39". IGN. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
18. "Vivendi Universal Games Acquires High Moon Studios" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2006.
19. "Modern Warfare Dev Infinity Ward Opens New Studio In Austin, Texas". GameSpot. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
20. Takahashi, Dean (2018-06-16). "How Darrell Gallagher plans to build Microsoft's The Initiative studio in Santa Monica". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
21. "Microsoft Studios buys 'Fallout: New Vegas' house Obsidian". Engadget. 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
22. "Wasteland 2 Dev Opening New Orleans Office, Will Pay $75,000 Salaries". GameSpot. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
23. "King.com". www.king.com. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
24. Careers, King. "Locations". King Careers. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
25. "Microsoft Casual Games". microsoftcasualgames.com. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
26. Obedkov, Evgeny (2023-10-20). "40 studios to rule them all: inside Microsoft Gaming divisions post-Activision Blizzard deal". Game World Observer. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
27. "Activision has acquired a studio to work on its new Call of Duty mobile game". VGC. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
28. Minotti, Mike (2018-06-10). "Microsoft acquires State of Decay 2 studio Undead Labs". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
29. "Undead Labs to Open up a New Studio in Orlando, State of Decay 3 to Use Unreal Engine 5". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
30. Samuel Tolbert (2020-12-07). "ZeniMax Online Studios is expanding with a satellite studio in San Diego, working on a new AAA IP". Windows Central. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
31. "Id Software opens German studio". August 5, 2015. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
32. "Bethesda Quietly Acquired Nemesys Games Last Year, Now ZeniMax Online Studios Hungary". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
33. Jez Corden (2024-05-16). "Microsoft's Activision team is opening a new game studio in Poland 'Elsewhere Entertainment' to build new AAA IP". Windows Central. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
34. Taylor, Ivy (2017-12-18). "Infinity Ward to open Polish studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
35. "Activision has acquired a studio to work on its new Call of Duty mobile game". VGC. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
36. "Infinity Ward opens new art-focused office in Spain". www.gamedeveloper.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
37. Jez Corden (2024-09-09). "The new and mysterious Xbox and Activision studio 'Elsewhere Entertainment' has expanded hiring across into Sweden "to craft a franchise with an enduring legacy"". Windows Central. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
38. Samuel Tolbert (2023-11-03). "Xbox and Bethesda's Wolfenstein developer MachineGames is expanding with a second studio in Sweden". Windows Central. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
39. Grant, Christopher (2018-06-10). "Ninja Theory joined Microsoft 'to be free from the AAA machine'". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
40. Pearson, Dan (2016-09-02). "Ninja Theory launches Senua Studio division". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
41. Field, Matthew (2018-06-11). "Microsoft buys UK game studio behind Forza Horizon". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2024-02-18.
42. Batchelor, James (2017-02-07). "Playground Games opening second studio for open world game". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
43. Bonelli, John (2024-07-30). "New Fable Game Now Has 3 Studios Working On It". Game Rant. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
44. "Microsoft Acquires Video Game Powerhouse Rare Ltd". Stories. 2002-09-24. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
45. Takahashi, Dean (2021-10-15). "Sledgehammer Games invades the UK with new Call of Duty studio". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
46. Phillips, Tom (2020-05-18). "Minecraft maker Mojang has a new name, kind of". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
47. Prescott, Shaun (2019-09-06). "Call of Duty studio Sledgehammer Games has opened an Australian branch". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
48. Sinclair, Brendan (2019-10-24). "Bethesda acquires Alpha Dog". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
49. Yin-Poole, Wesley. "Microsoft Closes Redfall Developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush Developer Tango Gameworks, and More in Devastating Cuts at Bethesda". IGN.
50. "Legal information about Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios subsidiaries under ZeniMax Media Inc". ZeniMax Media. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
51. Kerr, Chris (14 June 2024). "The Hi-Fi Rush and Ghostwire Tokyo developer has been shut down by Microsoft". Game Developer . Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
52. Corden, Jez (11 August 2024). "Former Xbox studio Tango Gameworks and 'Hi-Fi Rush' have been acquired by PUBG's Krafton Inc, saving it from closure". Windows Central . Future plc . Retrieved 2024-08-11.
53. "Crash Bandicoot 4 developer Toys for Bob is going independent". Digital Trends. 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-02-29.