However there are some other ways to look at this, because from a messaging POV this acquisition kind of flies in the face of what Ryan & Hulst have been saying for a while. Or maybe better to say, what a "certain segment" of the fanbase have been insisting for a while when it comes to the nature of Sony's acquisitions. The main talking points they've been using are that Sony does acquisitions of companies that have "essentially" exclusively done work for Sony in the past anyway, and have a strong history of developing games for their platforms.
Nixxes fits neither of those.
Yes, they've done a lot of ports to PlayStation platforms over the years, but they've also done a ton for other platforms. In fact, if you check their wiki, most of their work has been with Microsoft platforms, either Windows or Xbox consoles...
Additionally, Nixxes hasn't really "developed" any games of their own, as they have handled ports throughout their history. This makes them similar to Bluepoint, with the differentiation being that Bluepoint has also done remakes of games, particularly recently like with Demons Souls... But the reason I bring all of this up is because for a "certain slice" of the fanbase/gaming community, they have essentially centered their idea on Sony's acquisitions targeting developers; even under the label of studios, the focus has seemingly been around developers, which implies they create their own games. At least so far, that isn't the case for Nixxes.
I get that it feels like there's a symmetry to make debate-club arguments easier here, but you're breaking it down from the perspective of
fans.
Fans don't know all the facts. Nixxes has relationships with all kinds of companies, but unless they get credited in public on the package or in the co-developer field, fans don't get the info. It'd be like if Factor 5 had announced way back on Wii that it was working with Nintendo, and everybody went, "Holy shit, Rogue is coming!", and then we found out it was them porting Netflix Instant Streaming services. There are things the fans get to know, and then there are things the fans can't handle being told because it makes it harder to get an understanding when they check the wiki.
You're also overstating Sony's messaging to fans on acquisitions. Maybe you can get from interviews that the purpose of their acquisitions is as a reward for fruitful relationships, and that is the nice part of it in public and is heartening for the companies involved, but the purpose of any acquisition is to grow business. Acquiring a technology studio helps grow business. The fact that this is a known technology studio by fans in the PC sector complicates the messaging (there are a lot of companies Sony could have acquired that could never have filled, like when
MS acquired Beam and most fans didn't notice until it became Mixer and pushed against Twitch,) but the purpose of Sony acquiring Nixxes is being made really clear in all the messaging of it joining the Technology Services Group. It's not supposed to make fans happy, it's supposed to make Sony's TCS Group stronger for the PlayStation business.
In general, that's your point, that business is business, and you're right about that.
However, acquiring a major publisher was a business-upheaving move on Microsoft's part, changing the dynamics of outlook at every other game IP holder, because now they're not just producing with the goal of growing their own business, they're shooting for visibility on the exchange market as their competition gets acquired to align with one of the major corporations' service businesses. Not
everybody can get bought, of course, but look at the film/tv entertainment market, where if you're not inside the fold of a major streaming service, you are at a disadvantage right now. Much like Disney absorbing Fox, Microsoft's Zenimax deal is an event that shakes the trajectory of the business.
...It's also a mind-fuck for fans, as now they have to choose the right box if they want to get their Elder Scrolls and Dooms and maybe Sonices and Guilty Gearses. But that's only the tip of the iceberg, or the chiseled chunk of the uncut gem if you prefer. (I don't know if it's a
good thing or a
bad thing ultimately if an arms war really does break out, I have personal feelings but that's just me, I do know that the gaming biz will be different after it, and gaming fans will be affected in some way.)
(*Also, agree with you in honoring to the PC fans who raised the profile of Nixxes by recognizing quality work, it's a shame for them that the company is taken off the table as a porting studio for 3rd Parties if you care for their potential work beyond the Sony products your platform might be getting.)