Video game companies are busy buying games, and analysts warn that this level of corporate consolidation could lead to worse games at higher prices.

While only a handful of recent gaming acquisitions have made national news, such as Microsoft's $7.5 billion deal to buy Bethesda Softworks, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the video game industry reached a peak last year.

Venture capital firm Pitchbook tracked more than 1,500 deals in the field in 2020, with major companies like Nintendo, Electronic Arts and Tencent making significant purchases. That trend is likely to continue through the rest of 2021.

“I think gamers are going to have to make some really tough choices,” Anthony Palomba, a media researcher and assistant professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, said in a phone interview with Lifewire.