News Corp tipped for new games acquisitions

News Corporation is expected to significantly increase its gaming investments through major acquisitions over the next few years.

That’s according to new research from Screen Digest, which looks at how Rupert Murdoch’s company and other media conglomerates– including Disney, Warner Bros, Viacom and NBC – are growing their presence in the games industry.

News Corporation was noted as highly conspicuous amongst its major rivals for its almost complete absence from the boxed product or online games markets”.

Writing for MCV, the research firm’s head of games Piers Harding-Rolls said: We believe that a re-entry into the boxed product sector is highly likely the next few years and that News Corp will achieve this via a major acquisition rather than through organic growth.”

The company has previously acquired two games-centric businesses over the last decade, purchasing IGN Entertainment for $650m in 2005 and mobile entertainment firm Jamba for $387.5m over two transactions in 2006 and 2008.

Click here for the full analysis.