Rumour has just emerged that Rare wasn"t the only target when Microsoft sat down with a shed-load of cash and a hunting rifle.
According to senior gossipers in the UK today, Microsoft has been in discussions with Capcom in Japan with the intention of buying the company. The talk arrives on the back of a set of shaky financials for Capcom, where the Japanese giant wrote off approximately £70 million in the past year on scaling down company assets.
Capcom is the latest company rumoured to be targeted by Microsoft in recent weeks, after the American behemoth finally admitted it had bought Rare for the "bargain" price of £240 million.
Current talk is also pinning Sega as a possible buyout opportunity for Microsoft, although chatter on the subject has slowed in the last week.
The talk of Capcom going under the hammer has yet to be substantiated by any sources involved in possible talks. According to Japanese insiders, only two other Xbox games from Capcom have yet to be announced, one of which is a driving title.
The main focus for the Capcom, despite the shifting of Resident Evil to Nintendo hardware, firmly remains PlayStation 2.
More on this in the coming weeks. Feel the power of Microsoft"s cash.