Sega of Japan Visited Microsoft's Offices

[Badnik Mechanic]

And.... nobody seems to know why. There's a series of tweets about going there but utterly no hints as to why. It appears to be their Seattle office so this looks like a significant trip for the Japanese social media arm to go too.

[A person, that exists]

Eh, whatever, really.

Either they want Vanquish 2 to be an XOne exclusive, or...

Sega is being sold to Microsoft?

Like, Sonic's been Nintendo's slave for what, 18 years, and now this? 

Eh, whatever. Who knows, maybe MS Sonic will take some new direction or at least look more graphically pleasing than whatever the fuck SLW and Forces were.

Either way, I am interested.

[Blue Wisp]

Rumor's going around the webz that Vanquish 2 might possibly happen as a Xbox One exclusive. Maybe even funded by Microsoft. But no official nor any hint of that happening yet, just hearsay. 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

33 minutes ago, A person, that exists said:

Sega is being sold to Microsoft?

Don't give them any ideas. :U

[blueblur98]

give me a sec. gonna get a rough translation of these.

[Dejimon11]

1 hour ago, Blue Wisp said:

Rumor's going around the webz that Vanquish 2 might possibly happen as a Xbox One exclusive. Maybe even funded by Microsoft. But no official nor any hint of that happening yet, just hearsay. 

That rumor is from a guy who keeps reporting "news" with nothing to back up with. I don't understand why people keep believing him. 

[blueblur98]

google translate was used but we should still be able to get an idea of what's happening regardless.

tweet 1: Shall we go! (Near)

tweet 2: (It is a gorgeous office... Hey this is Microsoft Office......)

tweet 3: Microsoft Office which is cozy like a dream. Microsoft Office is not enough.

[A person, that exists]

1 hour ago, Jovahexeon Ghost Trick said:

Don't give them any ideas. :U

Well, it WOULD be profitable for them.

Not to mention that Sonic is no Banjo-Kazooie and actually has SOME DEGREE of Importance, so I guess that MS would force Sega to make Sonic games every so often.

[Wittymations]

29 minutes ago, blueblur98 said:

Microsoft Office is not enough.

Personally, I'm a fan of Libre Office.

[Tornado]

2 hours ago, A person, that exists said:

Eh, whatever, really.

Either they want Vanquish 2 to be an XOne exclusive, or...

Sega is being sold to Microsoft?

Like, Sonic's been Nintendo's slave for what, 18 years, and now this? 

Eh, whatever. Who knows, maybe MS Sonic will take some new direction or at least look more graphically pleasing than whatever the fuck SLW and Forces were.

Either way, I am interested.

You definitely sound like it.

[Eurisko]

I'm hoping it's to do with bringing their virtual MegaDrive hub or even SEGA forever on to consoles.

[Teoskaven]

Wasn't Condemned a SEGA IP with most prominence on the Xbox 360? Maybe they're thinking of a third title.

[Meta77]

Buy them MS buy them! Give me aanarchy reigns 2

[DiamondX]

If someone was to but SEGA it'd like it to be either Nintendo or Sony. Microsoft...not so much.

 

Maybe it's them making a new IP, but the Sonic plushie may mean we might get a XBOX-only Sonic game.

[Meta77]

Microsoft would have to money to back a lot of sonic games. Nintendo already has a full catalog of games.

[Tracker_TD]

It was probably to discuss business in China.

If I recall Forces received a fair bit of promotion in China alongside the Xbox One X. While amusingly there ended up being a PS4 Pro Bundle with the game for China, either way the XBX was demoed in the region using Forces at events such as ChinaJoy. That and Forces happened to launch on the same day as the X - which is true of all regions, but perhaps notable since it was apparently the first Sonic game released in China. I believe DigitalFoundry also found the Xbox One X had some decent resolution advantages over PS4 Pro, which could arguably be part of that. 

Given SEGA currently has several PS-exclusive series (and Atlus) I think expectations that there's some kind of buyout going on a biiiiiit overkill. I can't really see an exclusivity deal happening either, as Microsoft getting a few Sonic titles wouldn't exactly be a tide-shifter (especially not in Japan). That and given how well the Switch and PS4 are doing, I'd like to think SEGA would be a bit wiser after the Wii U mess. 

[Meta77]

Thing is though people own xboxs maybe not many in Japan but it's a lot better off that the underpowered joke of a system the wiiu was

[Tracker_TD]

1 hour ago, Meta77 said:

Thing is though people own xboxs maybe not many in Japan but it's a lot better off that the underpowered joke of a system the wiiu was

It's also not as better off as the PS4 is - and at the pace the Switch is going, it's arguably not even holding much of a candle to that.

People may own Xboxs, but the main demographic that does... I'd struggle to say they'd be interested in Sonic particularly. Consider how much MS push more gritty, realistic titles like Halo, Forza, even Tomb Raider - when was the last time there was an exclusive Microsoft mascot platformer that people actually remember? What, Super Lucky's Tale? 

[McGroose]

I'm hoping that they sell themselves off fully to Microsoft so that I don't see anymore Sonic games except an eventual re-release of Sonic Adventure in a Sega Collection 15 years from now on the Xbox One Xbox One X Xbox 

Probably an exclusive sequel title. Must be an important title regardless to SOJ going to Microsoft's Seattle office of all places.

[blueblur98]

new tweet:

'I enjoyed playing with Microsoft high school girl AI "Rinno" with "Sonic Force" and "Sonic Mania" with fun, I had a good time. Rin, Thank you! Let's play again!'

they also posted a moment with the (roughly-translated title "Play school girls high school girl AI "Rin" and Sonic Force at XBOX ONE"

it says "Microsoft girls high school student AI was called out!"

still, no idea what's going on.

[Conando]

I'm more inclined to believe that Microsoft wants another exclusive deal like the early days of the OG Xbox. If I remember correctly, it worked out well for both SEGA and Microsoft at the time. They're REALLY hurting for exclusives, so why not bankroll some games like Nintendo has?

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

15 hours ago, Tracker_TD said:

It's also not as better off as the PS4 is - and at the pace the Switch is going, it's arguably not even holding much of a candle to that.

People may own Xboxs, but the main demographic that does... I'd struggle to say they'd be interested in Sonic particularly. Consider how much MS push more gritty, realistic titles like Halo, Forza, even Tomb Raider - when was the last time there was an exclusive Microsoft mascot platformer that people actually remember? What, Super Lucky's Tale? 

Not to mention,  the last Sonic Xbox exclusive was kind of a disaster to say the least .

[Tornado]

17 hours ago, Tracker_TD said:

People may own Xboxs, but the main demographic that does... I'd struggle to say they'd be interested in Sonic particularly. Consider how much MS push more gritty, realistic titles like Halo, Forza, even Tomb Raider - when was the last time there was an exclusive Microsoft mascot platformer that people actually remember? What, Super Lucky's Tale? 

That would be exactly why Microsoft would reach out to Sega; even if not just buy them out (which I agree seems a bit much).

 

Sony is just as overwhelmingly focused on the same demographic as Microsoft is, but they have the development manpower (even internally) that they can supplant it with side games with different appeal that don't cost as much as they sink into, say, The Last of Us or Gran Turismo. From there (and the special considerations they give to get multiplatform games to exclusively avoid the Xbone, and the large sales advantage they have) the perceived gap of console value increases.

Microsoft needs to battle that gap before it becomes insurmountable, and partnerships that get Microsoft access to more games that they can't make themselves is a step towards that. Look at the original Xbox, which had a pretty decent hunk of exclusive games and very few exclusives lost to the PS2 even though it was never even close to the PS2 sales wise as the Xbone is to the PS4; and trying to get those sorts of experiences is something Microsoft shied away from halfway through the 360s life (probably due to all of the losses the division had). No, it won't help them gain ground in Japan either way, but the Japanese market is irrelevant in comparison the the West and has been all generation.

[Biggs]

Only company I'd be happy SEGA being bought out by would by Ninty. Sony at a push. Though (historically, mind you) SEGA had a pretty good relationship with Microsoft so we'll see.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

22 hours ago, Meta77 said:

Thing is though people own xboxs maybe not many in Japan but it's a lot better off that the underpowered joke of a system the wiiu was

And yet which of the two was more popular in Japan at the time?

 Maybe Mirosoft might get a SEGA exclusive, but buying SEGA or getting a long Sonic exclusive deal. That's one hell of a check they'll have to cut.