• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Should Microsoft buy Sega?

Should Microsoft buy Sega from Sega Sammy Holdings?

  • Total voters
    171
Shenmue 2, Gunvalkyrie, Panzer Dragoon Orta and Crazy Taxi 3 coming to the XB1 via backwards compatibility!

Phantasy Star Online 2 for PC and XB1 coming to the west with cross play!
<dreaming>

Actually, I think something is going on between Sega and Microsoft, but it is probably more along the lines of above, than Microsoft buying out Sega.
 
Havoc2049 said:
Shenmue 2, Gunvalkyrie, Panzer Dragoon Orta and Crazy Taxi 3 coming to the XB1 via backwards compatibility!

Phantasy Star Online 2 for PC and XB1 coming to the west with cross play!
<dreaming>

Actually, I think something is going on between Sega and Microsoft, but it is probably more along the lines of above, than Microsoft buying out Sega.
Click to expand...
I believe the rumour is Sega and Microsoft Studios are teaming up for Vanquish 2 to be an Xbox One exclusive.
 
bufkus said:
I would only be okay with this if it guaranteed that every Sega property had a proper PC version/port. As opposed to being Xbox exclusive.
Click to expand...
I think Microsoft wants to bring Xbox Game Pass to Windows. Not sure where I heard that though.

Not necessarily. Minecraft is owned by Microsoft but is not exclusive to PC/Xbox.
Click to expand...
Probably part of Mojang's buy out terms. I sorta doubt new IPs from them are going to be non-Windows or non-Xbox.
 
They would be better to try and buy Bethesda which would give them more valuable IP( that is actually owned by the company unlike EA) and better development studios. Outside of creative assembly and relic Sega doesn't have much that is relevant. Atlus is way too slow to be worth the investment and Sega IP's have not in general caused much of a buzz when modernized.
Microsoft needs IP and output, buying Sega would be like microsoft buying Atari kinda cool but ultimately not very useful to anyone.
 
wipeout364 said:
They would be better to try and buy Bethesda which would give them more valuable IP( that is actually owned by the company unlike EA) and better development studios. Outside of creative assembly and relic Sega doesn't have much that is relevant. Atlus is way too slow to be worth the investment and Sega IP's have not in general caused much of a buzz when modernized.
Microsoft needs IP and output, buying Sega would be like microsoft buying Atari kinda cool but ultimately not very useful to anyone.
Click to expand...
Gross. UWP would kill The Elder Scrolls/Fallout's modding scene singlehandedly.
 
Tekkie said:
Nah. Microsoft is a company that forces their corporate culture onto whatever company they acquire and that's even worse for a company like Sega than it was for Rareware back in the day.

I say that because I've worked for em before, I've seen how they handle things. Sega would not be a good fit for them in any way, shape or form. Companies such as EA are far more in line with how Microsoft views gaming and would fit in far better in terms of corporate structure although I see Microsoft as a net deficit to EA as well still for various reasons. Besides, Sega's IP's are not worth much outside of Sonic or Hatsune Miku and frankly, even those don't get anywhere close to what MS wants to see. Streets of Rage, Shining Force, Daytona etc etc etc have absolutely no value to a company like MS and it's completely not in line with what they've been doing in the Xbone era.
Click to expand...
Reading this after reading your post in the sandwich thread threw me for a loop for a minute there.
 
Heaven forbid. What a terrible thought. It's even worse than the idea of buying Electronic Arts, which would have the one benefit of finally releasing the sports videogame market from two decades of purgatory.

I'm honestly not sure what Microsoft wants to do with videogames anymore. Their whole reason for creating the Xbox was to build the "set top box" for the living room that would converge all forms of digital media. And the Kinect was the keystone of that grand plan; when those plans stumbled and collapsed, well, exactly why are they here? The company isn't willing to lose billions just to make hardcore gamers happy with Halo sequels. Ah, well, that's just my own pet theory.

But Microsoft absolutely should not buy Sega. This industry needs to stop devouring itself.
 
Fuck no. There is only one company that deserves to buy sega and it's Nintendo. MS will turn Sega into a shit. MS isn't compatible with Japanese devs.
 
Havoc2049 said:
Shenmue 2, Gunvalkyrie, Panzer Dragoon Orta and Crazy Taxi 3 coming to the XB1 via backwards compatibility!

Phantasy Star Online 2 for PC and XB1 coming to the west with cross play!
<dreaming>

Actually, I think something is going on between Sega and Microsoft, but it is probably more along the lines of above, than Microsoft buying out Sega.
Click to expand...

Nailed it. I'd wager that we're going to see some of SEGA's OG Xbox titles coming to the Xbox One platform via BC next month.
 
Hell no. I think its been quite clear for years that Japan doesn't care about xbox, and if Sega was bought out by microsoft i highly doubt its going to help in anyway and would honestly cause more harm than good for both parties. Can you imagine the niche Yakuza games being exclusive to xbox and selling even worse than they already do. I feel that'd be a stupid investment. Remember when microsoft were trying to capture the JPRG market and failed miserably. That situation might've been different if those games were at the very least multiplatform. Maybe we would've seen Lost Odyssey 2. And correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't JSRF one of the worst selling games on the original xbox? It still blows my mind that game didn't come to PS2 and gamecube at some point. It might've stood a chance
 
Last edited:
The Giant said:
Fuck no. There is only one company that deserves to buy sega and it's Nintendo. MS will turn Sega into a shit. MS isn't compatible with Japanese devs.
Click to expand...
That's precisely why buying Sega and having them manage and grow the Japanese side of Xbox would be a smart move.
 
Croatoan said:
Why would they buy Sega when they can buy a relevant company like Pubg Corp. away from Bluehole?
Click to expand...
You consider Bluehole to be more relevant in the long term because of a flash in the pan game that is already dying and losing ground to Fortnite?

Bluehole does not stand up to Sega.
 
Dizagaox said:
That's precisely why buying Sega and having them manage and grow the Japanese side of Xbox would be a smart move.
Click to expand...

Ding ding ding. Someone gets it. Yes, the Japanese are not on board with the XBox as-is, but if Sega renames the XBO:X (or its successor) Dreamcast X (or something else) and properties like Yakuza, Phantasy Star Online 2, Sonic, etc. are now exclusive to it, you'd see their fortunes turn around in a hurry in Japan.

And c'mon, renaming systems for an audience isn't unheard of (e.g. Genesis/Mega Drive, SNES/Super Famicom), nor is having another company release your hardware under a different name (e.g. 3DO era hardware variants).

This would be a smart play--Microsoft gets a metric s***ton of beloved IPs overnight exclusive to the console and PC and access to the Japanese markets and developers again, Sega gets a new lease on life, and long-time gamers would be ecstatic to see a lot of these old IPs be renewed again.
 
Last edited:
VectorVictor said:
Ding ding ding. Someone gets it. Yes, the Japanese are not on board with the XBox as-is, but if Sega renames the XBO:X (or its successor) Dreamcast X (or something else) and properties like Yakuza, Phantasy Star Online 2, Sonic, etc. are now exclusive to it, you'd see their fortunes turn around in a hurry in Japan.

And c'mon, renaming systems for an audience isn't unheard of (e.g. Genesis/Mega Drive, SNES/Super Famicom), nor is having another company release your hardware under a different name (e.g. 3DO era hardware variants).

This would be a smart play--Microsoft gets a metric s***ton of beloved IPs overnight exclusive to the console and PC and access to the Japanese markets and developers again, Sega gets a new lease on life, and long-time gamers would be ecstatic to see a lot of these old IPs be renewed again.
Click to expand...
That's a pretty neat idea and it could definitely work.
 
Honestly, I'm not sure how Microsoft would ever see a return on that investment. Sure they'd get a huge stable of beloved IPs, but very little that fits into the games-as-a-service ecosystem that Microsoft (along with most of the industry) is building towards. Minecraft makes sense as a Microsoft acquisition. It's a hot, social-centric property with infinite potential for expansion and a voracious streaming audience. PUBG has a lot of the same features. On the other hand, games like Sonic/Crazy Taxi/Jet Set/Bayonetta/Shinobi/Monkay Ball/etc., have a very different appeal and seem like they would go the way of Banjo-Kazooie in Microsoft's portfolio. That's not a slight against Microsoft. They have their vision for gaming moving forward and they're slowly course-correcting to bring it about. Of course they have the money and the talent to do Sega franchises justice, but I just don't see them fitting into their corporate agenda/publishing strategy. If Microsoft was interested in those kinds of games, Nintendo wouldn't have scooped Bayonetta 2 as an exclusive and Scalebound would never have been cancelled.

It would probably be a very positive thing to for Sega as a company, but I doubt that longtime fans would see the resurgence of classic Sega IPs that they're hoping for. They could count on competent ports of all old games and a few solid remasters on Xbox and PC though, which would certainly be nice. Though, given Sega's Steam publishing push, I'm not sure that fans are actually lacking access to most beloved classics.

As for Sega IP giving Xbox a foothold in Japan, I wouldn't hold my breath. Microsoft made a valiant effort to entice Japanese gamers on the XBox 360 with all-star exclusive JRPGs like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey and getting big multiplats like FF13, but all that effort barely moved the needle.
 
I don't think buying Sega would be worth it buy working out a deal to get Dreamcast games on the Gamepass and maybe getting exclusives like Vanquish 2 and a Jet Set Radio 3 would be insane. I'd also love a Power Stone 3 but I believe Capcom owns that IP.
 
Last edited:
Zannegan said:
It would probably be a very positive thing to for Sega as a company, but I doubt that longtime fans would see the resurgence of classic Sega IPs that they're hoping for. They could count on competent ports of all old games and a few solid remasters on Xbox and PC though, which would certainly be nice. Though, given Sega's Steam publishing push, I'm not sure that fans are actually lacking access to most beloved classics.

As for Sega IP giving Xbox a foothold in Japan, I wouldn't hold my breath. Microsoft made a valiant effort to entice Japanese gamers on the XBox 360 with all-star exclusive JRPGs like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey and getting big multiplats like FF13, but all that effort barely moved the needle.
Click to expand...

Really? Because I don't see where Saturn titles or many of their Dreamcast titles are on Steam. And most Sega fans would love to have these IPs revisited in some sort of fashion, either through new entries or HD revisions/upconverts of older games.

As for Microsoft buying Sega to get a foothold in Japan, you have a Japanese company (Sega) running point on the hardware and changing the name. Add in a launch with a bunch of beloved Sega titles getting good outings and new leases on life, and the Japanese public will eat that up. Hell, did you even read what I wrote, or simply just dismiss it because it involves Microsoft?
 
Dizagaox said:
A spinoff of this thread, I ask NeoGAF-ers the question:

Should Microsoft buy Sega from Sega Sammy Holdings?

Some context for why Microsoft buying out companies has become a hot discussion: Microsoft is sitting on approximately $138B of cash (mostly overseas), and shareholders want it used up now because Trump has introduced a low one-time tax policy that won't last as it's not sustainable. That FOMO is why Microsoft might very well make so insanely huge acquisitions. Now throw in Microsoft wanting to push and grow its Xbox Game Pass service into the video game equivalent to Netflix, and the changes in leadership, the idea of Microsoft buying out Electronic Arts isn't absurd. They need to spend that $138B on companies that altogther bring an R.O.I. of at the very least 115.5%, in order for their balance sheet to stay, well, balanced. So buying a money maker like Valve or EA isn't crazy. It's a safe move for Microsoft that will also guarantee the thing that's missing from Xbox... Exclusive content!

Sega seems like a company that is more valuable for the IPs it owns than any of the games its actually releasing. Parent company Sega Sammy Holdings has a market capital valuation of $4.9B, but most of that will be down to the Sammy half of the company, which is honestly dragged down by the Sega half. However Sega does have strong, good IPs, it has great-to-competent developers including the masters of JRPGs Atlus, and its a brand that people trust the world over. Sorta. Well definitely in Japan.

Buying out Sega would give Microsoft actual clout in the Japanese market. Something like the "Sega Xbox" would get noticed, and with strong IPs, especially something like Game Pass if it included brilliantly insane exclusives from the Sega/Atlus library, it would sell systems. Internationally, the idea of all future Sega and Atlus games being Xbox exclusives also makes Game Pass more appealing.

There's more arguments for such a potential buy out, and there will be many against it too. So let's discuss!
Click to expand...

Oh God NO!
 
VectorVictor said:
Really? Because I don't see where Saturn titles or many of their Dreamcast titles are on Steam. And most Sega fans would love to have these IPs revisited in some sort of fashion, either through new entries or HD revisions/upconverts of older games.

As for Microsoft buying Sega to get a foothold in Japan, you have a Japanese company (Sega) running point on the hardware and changing the name. Add in a launch with a bunch of beloved Sega titles getting good outings and new leases on life, and the Japanese public will eat that up. Hell, did you even read what I wrote, or simply just dismiss it because it involves Microsoft?
Click to expand...

I hear what you're saying, I just don't think that strategy is the 1-2-punch you seem to think it is. Sega's brand power isn't exactly at an all-time high right now for either software or, obviously, hardware. All that aside, if you look at my post you'll see my main point was that most of the Sega IPs don't fit with Microsoft's publishing strategy. As such, I think that (with the possible exception of Sonic) most of those beloved IPs would languish in the same way that Rare's classic IPs have fallen by the wayside in favor of Sea of Thieves, which is a much better fit for Microsoft's vision for gaming: multiplayer, connected, "stream-able".

As for the "dismiss it because it involves Microsoft" jab, please be joking. That's a pretty large (and paranoid) logical leap to make just because I think MS would be better served looking at other publishers/studios.
 
Sonic The Fighters said:
No way.

SEGA is too legendary to get bought by M$.

SEGA is the king of arcade and has one of the best video game history.

I don't want Microsoft kill the true feeling and spirit of SEGA.

SEGA has made the most beautiful consoles ever, and still owns some iconic and mythical franchises.

They don't need Microsoft at all.
Click to expand...
Microsoft already killed SEGA once by making JSRF an xbox exclusive
 
No, but they should have a partnership just like they did in the days of the original Xbox.

Bring back Panzer Dragoon!
 
Buy em, get a bunch of quality IP and studios to push 1st party along with services like Gamepass.

Next Xbox in Japan wont be "Xbox X" instead it will be sold as a SEGA system like "SEGA Dreamcast 2" or whatever.
 
Cubamus Prime said:
The way Sega has abandoned their IP. I don't really care anymore. They are dead to me.
Click to expand...
Yeah it would be like buying Rare after Microsoft bought them. A bad deal from the start. Not to mention I doubt they would do anything to help them out. Just another studio to cancel any attempt made at a new game.





 
Soul of Cinder said:
Buy em, get a bunch of quality IP and studios to push 1st party along with services like Gamepass.

Next Xbox in Japan wont be "Xbox X" instead it will be sold as a SEGA system like "SEGA Dreamcast 2" or whatever.
Click to expand...
I kinda like the sound of a Microsoft-produced Sega Dreamcast. If a console was announced with new iterations of Sega classics like Streets of Rage, Revenge of Shinobi and Virtua Fighter it would be the best thing ever. Make Dreamcast games BC...I'm having a hard time seeing how it could be a bad thing.
 
To those who say that "SEGA has abandoned their IP"

Where were you when they released Virtua Tennis 4, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, Outrun Online Arcade, SEGA Rally Online Arcade, Daytona USA, Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed, Nights Journey of Dreams, After Burner Climax, ... last gen uh ???????

and they also did a lot (like "A LOT") of ports of their IP last gen !

Tell me you will buy the new Daytona USA, Shenmue 3, Bayonetta 2 & 3, Sonic Mania, Sonic Racing 3, Yakuza 0 6 Kiwami 1 & 2, Alien Isolation, House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn, Virtual-On, Puyo Puyo, Hokuto ga Gotoku ... this gen right ?

I hope we will have a new Virtua Fighter, a new Virtua Tennis, a new SEGA Rally, a new Outrun, a new Jet Set Radio !
 
Last edited:
I would not be that sure about japanese audiences adopting a rebranded Microsoft console as a Sega one so fast. They seem to be quite loyal to their national brands, namely Sony and Nintendo.
The console might have Sega on it, but it's still a Microsoft console.
I also think the "Dreamcast 2" thing as more of a fanboy fantasy. I don't see a succesor to a 20 year old console having much mainstream appeal. And that's what MS needs in Japan.
Besides that, the japanese market is not just Sega. They would also need to bring other japanese developers and publishers on board.
I never understood why Microsoft never put any effort into making the whole Xbox 360 Cave catologue backwards compatible. That's probably the only thing that made the Xbox 360 somewhat relevant in Japan.
 
Sonic The Fighters said:
To those who say that "SEGA has abandoned their IP"

Where were you when they released Virtua Tennis 4, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, Outrun Online Arcade, SEGA Rally Online Arcade, Daytona USA, Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed, Nights Journey of Dreams, After Burner Climax, ... last gen uh ???????

and they also did a lot (like "A LOT") of ports of their IP last gen !

Tell me you will buy the new Daytona USA, Shenmue 3, Bayonetta 2 & 3, Sonic Mania, Sonic Racing 3, Yakuza 0 6 Kiwami 1 & 2, Alien Isolation, House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn, Virtual-On, Puyo Puyo, Hokuto ga Gotoku ... this gen right ?

I hope we will have a new Virtua Fighter, a new Virtua Tennis, a new SEGA Rally, a new Outrun, a new Jet Set Radio !
Click to expand...

First of all, Sonic Mania and Shen Mue 3 weren't even developed by Sega. It's a huge issue that the best Sonic game in this millennium wasn't even made by Sega.

Secondly, we're not getting a real Virtual On game this gen anymore than we're getting a real Shining Force game. I don't care what these abominations are named, they aren't worthy of their titles.

Thirdly, is Sega even bringing the new Daytona game to consoles? This company has a habit of not really understanding what it is their customers want. Which is why I'm ok with Microsoft buying them out.
 
I am not sure an entire buy out would be happen. maybe collaboration for microsoft netfelix-ish project.

But I believe despite Atlus, Creative Assembly and Rare are also valuable for Microsoft strategy. Not only the studios due to Halo Wars and Age of Empires, but also IPs like Total War, Company of heroes and warhammer
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Should Sony and Microsoft stop releasing games on Steam?
2 3 4 5
235
3K
rebellio replied
Nintendo should buy Rare Studio back
2
66
1K
taizuke replied
I feel like the one company that should be a new challenger to Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft is Nvida
2
83
602
Xyphie replied
Should I buy Dead Stranding 2?
2
60
1K
EverydayBeast replied
The Verge: Microsoft brings Xbox back, scraps Microsoft Gaming
2
85
906
HerjansEagleFeeder replied
Top Bottom