SEGA Uninterested in Being Acquired by Sony, Microsoft
SEGA isn't interested in being acquired by the likes of Sony or Microsoft at the moment according to co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi. When asked if the Japanese company is open to the idea of being bought out by another company, Utsumi responded to Bloomberg saying simply: "No, not now." SEGA holds the rights to game franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Yakuza, Persona, and Football Manager.
Of course, the question comes after court documentation revealed Xbox manufacturer Microsoft considered buying the firm back in 2020. Such an acquisition never came to fruition, and Utsumi refused to say whether Microsoft had made a formal approach in the past. An email sent by Xbox boss Phil Spencer to fellow executives read: "I'm writing to request Strategy Approval to approach SEGA Sammy regarding a potential acquisition of their SEGA game studios." At the time, Microsoft was looking to "accelerate" its Xbox Game Pass subscription numbers.
While SEGA remains independent, it's done a number of deals with Microsoft to bring its titles to Xbox Game Pass. The likes of Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal all launched straight into the subscription service, and the same will go for Persona 3 Reload next year. Furthermore, the entire Yakuza series and Yakuza: Like a Dragon have been made available to members, and next year's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth debuted at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase.
Despite the support, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan argues publishers don't actually like subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass. "I talked to all publishers, and they unanimously do not like Game Pass because it’s value destructive. I talk to publishers all the time, and this is a very commonly held view over many years by the publishers."
Source: Push Square
