A drama-filled Friday saw the huge news of a major acquisition… followed by a debunking and walkback that we'll be talking about for some time. Also: Sony jacks the price of PS5, Chinese giants make investments in Quantic Dream and FromSoftware, and a discussion on how M&A is impacting smaller publishers.

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TIME STAMPS

• [00:01:16] - PS5 Price Increase
• [00:07:43] - Investment Interlude
• [00:29:43] - Quick Hits
• [00:40:37] - Labor Report (GameStop, Rogue Games)
• [00:44:30] - Amazon, EA, and the importance of care when reporting on business

SOURCES

• PS5 price to increase in select markets due to global economic environment, including high inflation rates | Sony
• Warner Bros. gaming division is on a well-timed hot streak | Axios
• GameStop Increasing Store Staff Wages | Stephen Totilo (@StephenTotilo) on Twitter
• Rumor: Amazon set to buy Electronic Arts | USA Today
• CNBC Debunks Amazon / EA Acquisition Rumor | CNBC (@CNBCNow) on Twitter

INVESTMENT INTERLUDE

• EMBRACER GROUP COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CRYSTAL DYNAMICS, EIDOS-MONTRÉAL, SQUARE ENIX MONTRÉAL AMONGST OTHER ASSETS | Embracer Group
• Saudi Arabia voices "no objection" to Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition | GameDeveloper
• Welcoming Savage Game Studios + Expanding Our Community | PlayStation Blog
• Notice Concerning Consolidated Subsidiary's Capital Increase through Third-party Allotment of Shares | Kadokawa
• NetEase Acquires Leading French Game Developer & Publisher Quantic Dream | PR Newswire
• Bandai Namco: M&As are "affecting some of the smaller publishers in their capacity to access the best studios" | GamesIndustry