SEGA and Microsoft to form strategic alliance to make 'Super Game'
Microsoft, the largest company in the world, is at it again. This time partnering with SEGA on an Azure cloud technology strategic alliance 'allowing the business to move forward with Super Game.'
Microsoft and SEGA have announced a strategic alliance that will leverage the Azure cloud platform. SEGA says 'the alliance would form a key part of SEGA’s mid to long-term strategy, allowing the business to move forward with 'Super Game', a new initiative for developing new and innovative titles where the key focuses are 'Global', 'Online', 'Community' and 'IP utilization'."
Here are some highlights from the SEGA press release:
With the world now more connected than ever following the widespread deployment of 5G and cloud services in recent years, consumers can more easily enjoy high-quality entertainment content at any time. Within this highly connected environment, the ecosystem surrounding the games industry continues to evolve and expand as more sophisticated tools and technologies become available. As such, video games continue to grow as a major medium for gamers globally, with access to a vast range of gaming experiences and communities becoming more diverse and attainable. This proposed alliance represents SEGA looking ahead, and by working with Microsoft to anticipate such trends as they accelerate further in future, the goal is to optimize development processes and continue to bring high-quality experiences to players using Azure cloud technologies.
Microsoft and SEGA have agreed upon the foundation for this alliance and through mutual cooperation, will look to build further technological evolutions with areas such as the network infrastructure and communication tools required for global online services being a key priority. Additionally, by shifting to a next-generation development platform, SEGA can effectively adapt to diversifying work styles and potential infrastructural changes.
SEGA President and COO Yukio Sugino included this message in the announcement:
We are very pleased to announce today that we are considering a strategic alliance with Microsoft to help develop SEGA's new “Super Game” initiative as well as build a next-generation game development environment. By considering a strategic partnership with Microsoft, we seek to further advance our game development so that our titles can be enjoyed by fans all over the world; in this regard, we aim to build an alliance that utilizes both SEGA's powerful game development capabilities and Microsoft's cutting-edge technology and development environment.
Microsoft CVP Sarah Bond added these comments:
SEGA has played such an iconic role in the gaming industry and has been a tremendous partner over the years. We look forward to working together as they explore new ways to create unique gaming experiences for the future using Microsoft cloud technologies. Together we will reimagine how games get built, hosted, and operated, with a goal of adding more value to players and SEGA alike.
This strategic alliance has been agreed to in principal, and both parties seem pretty jazzed about the news. It remains to be seen how this will impact both companies financially, but at the very least it is a strong signal on the part of SEGA that they are moving towards online gaming. There are some questions about just how this will affect new games forged out of this deal. Will we still be able to play newly-developed SEGA titles on Switch or PS5? Only time will tell. We are now just sitting here waiting for Super Game to come out folks.
What exactly is Super Game? It is worse than Mega Game, right? When does Ultra Game come out? These are the type of questions that really need to be asked following today's news. What we do know about Super Game is that it will be powered by the cloud. I am sure Sonic fans or even SEGA fans won't be thinking about this until it comes out. Nope, totally rational group of fans that won't spam Super Game everywhere until it is released.
It's probably going to be a new Seaman game that really harnesses the power of the Azure cloud platform to take SEGA development to levels never before seen. Seaman as a service will probably be Game of the Year whenever it launches.
Anyway, let's get to speculating. What do you think SEGA's first Super Game will be? Let us know in the Shacknews Chatty comments thread below. Please and thank you.
Header image in this article courtesy of JerryWest on YouTube. Check out his videos!
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replyCaptain Business posted a new article, SEGA and Microsoft to form strategic alliance to make 'Super Game'
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Sega and Microsoft teaming up for some projects
https://www.sega.co.jp/en/release/211101_1.html-
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Multiple rumors in-fact. I believe this is why Sega started to downsize their non-video game business lines. I assume those assets will be sold off to help the buyout go smoother. Sega is sitting on a pretty rich trove of legacy arcade IP. They just need capital and a hard kick to do some remasters and reboot a few of the series. The recent resurgence of beat 'em games would make for good timing for a new Golden Axe or Altered Beast reboot, and other IP.
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The more I think about this, the more I find it odd that the two are working together. Xbox has been a very non-Japanese console since the beginning; whereas Playstation has been. MS has had a long road to try to establish itself in Japan. If it wasn't for the fact that the US overtook Japan in total sales, things would be very different. Now, we have Sega, a very Japanese business and game developer working with MS. Yes, Sega has been struggling for a long, long time, but it's odd that they would partner with the gaijin for this long strategy. I mean, yes, the world is flattening more and more, but Japan has been more closed off to bringing in so much of the West. Remember in the 80s it looked like Japan was going to own the world? They pulled back focusing on internal interests. Maybe that's shifting back some, or some sectors. Just...interesting that a very western company is doing this level of collaboration with a very eastern company. But, the bites form the press info feels like it could align with my thinking, although there's more about cloud that I expected, so maybe this is a bigger licensing play for xCloud Sega titles? Maybe in the future. I think they'd make a tidy sum just doing reboots of some classic IP.
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I remember news from last month that Xbox Series X/S has sold tons better in Japan than previous Xbox consoles (and that's considering supply issues). Which I still agree is odd because of the mainstream Xbox titles, few seem to be the type that would apply to most Japanese players (why the OG Xbox failed). Maybe its perhaps of shifting game desires, younger Japanese players weening off hours-long RPGs for more western-ized experiences? It is odd there.
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That or maybe they will buy Creative Assembly and Relic studios.
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CA and Relic would be massive "gets" for MS for sure.
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