Shack Chat: What do you want Sega and Microsoft's first 'Super Game' to be?

It was fairly recently that Sega and Microsoft announced they’d enter into a strategic alliance to produce some kind of “Super Game.” No strangers to collaboration in the past, the two are coming together to make something that sounds like it going one of Sega’s biggest projects yet and Microsoft is going to help bring it to life by offering Sega the utilization of its Microsoft Azure cloud technology and network.

With that in mind, the Shacknews team found itself wondering about what that game could be. What are Microsoft and Sega coming up with? What idea could be grand enough to be a “super game” between such major companies? Moreover, we talk about what we would want it to be. Check out our answers below.

Question: What do you want Sega and Microsoft's first "Super Game" to be?

Sonic x Ori - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Super Editor

If you look at one of the main components of a Sonic the Hedgehog game, it's that he loves saving tiny, adorable creatures. Ori actually is a tiny, adorable creature. If Microsoft doesn't have any ideas for a third Ori game, I think there's some real potential in hiring Moon Studios to take Sonic… and put him in an Ori game.

Granted, I don't know how you take a super-fast hedgehog and have him thrive in a Metroidvania genre, but the heavy outdoor environment fits Sonic to a tee. I might be the only one, but I'd love to see what Moon could do with this idea. One thing's for sure, it'd be a whole new way to experience a Sonic adventure.

Jet Set Radio 3 - Donovan Erskine, Roller skater boi

Jet Set Radio Future is still one of the first games that come to mind when I think about the original Xbox. It was one of my most played games on that platform, and like everybody else, I’ve been dying for a sequel for well over a decade. I’m sure that a new Jet Set will happen one day, but how cool would it be if it was a collaboration between Microsoft and Sega? Day 1 Game Pass entry and optimization for the Xbox Series X. Give it to me.

Super Gunstar Heroes - Blake Morse, Doing what Nintendon’t

Look, I just want a new Gunstar Heroes game and I don’t care how I get it. If it’s going to exist in a cloud or what have you, maybe it could be the type of thing where you match up with other online players to take on some classic side-scrolling shooter levels. Perhaps give it a Genshin Impact twist and turn it into a 3D-MMO? Make it into a match-three mobile? Sure! Just give me more Gunstar Heroes already! I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft got into this deal just to bring this specific franchise back.

Dreamcast Library- David L. Craddock, Long Reads Editor

Look closely at a Sega Dreamcast, and you’ll see a “Powered by Windows CE” on the chassis. Windows CE was a slimmer version of the company’s OS intended for handheld devices, and Sega and Microsoft spent two years tailoring a version for the Dreamcast. Sega went another direction by baking an operating system into each Dreamcast disc. Because of that, third-party developers opted to follow Sega’s lead rather than use Windows CE, leaving the potential of this partnership untapped.

It’s far too late for that original partnership to bear fruit, but now that Sega and Microsoft are teaming up again, why not call back to the Dreamcast by working to bring as much of the console’s library to Game Pass as possible? Dreamcast games have seen scattershot releases over the years; Microsoft’s resources and Sega’s influence could give us the most complete--not 100% complete, probably, but mostly complete--selection of Dreamcast games to date, all on Game Pass.

Open-world JSRF - Sam Chandler, Understands the concept of love

Jet Set Radio Future might be the greatest extreme sports game ever made. It’s got slick visuals, slicker music, and the slickest of characters. JSRF managed to be both approachable and a rich and challenging experience for the original Xbox, which is the only platform it released on. Now that Sega and Microsoft are shaking hands and forming an alliance, it would be phenomenal to see the two bring back the iconic franchise. I’d love a new, open-world Jet Set Radio title, maybe even one with some online potential so I can skate and create some graffiti with mates. At this point, I’d even settle for a remake. Okay, how about just adding it to the backwards-compatible library? Please.

Virtua Tennis - Chris Jarrard, Has the best opinions on staff

I can’t really think of any Sega-produced properties that I want to see dragged back up from the grave again, but if there was a gun to my head, I’d be willing to accept a modern remaster/remake of Sega’s arcade hit Virtua Tennis. Give it all the fancy graphics and ray tracing, but keep the simple gameplay that made the original special. Then use that Microsoft money to license all the greats of pro tennis, plus a wad of random celebrities like Danny DeVito and Lorenzo Lamas. A full-featured character creator would be nice too. The final piece that would make this a killer app would be using the power of the Series X to drive Grunt-Tech, a new breakthrough sound technology that generates unique, guttural grunts for every single volley during matches. Hell yeah, man.

Next Alien Isolation - Bill Lavoy, Doesn’t Play Scary Games

I’ve watched someone play Alien: Isolation. I’ve even played quite a bit of it myself. I really liked it, but that game scared the business out of me. I’d love to see the next Alien: Isolation game, in whatever narrative space that requires, but there’s almost no chance I would play it myself. I just think that Sega and Microsoft teaming up to produce a successor to Alien: Isolation would be a big win for everyone. I’ll be watching on YouTube with the lights turned on the entire time.

Phantasy Star Online 3 - TJ Denzer, is pretty sure he’s right

There are a few things I would want Sega and Microsoft with their collaboration, but I have a pretty good idea of what I expect it to be, and it would be quite hype if it happened. See, the Phantasy Star Online series is a pretty beloved online MMO worldwide, but western launches have lagged far behind the release of PSO1 and PSO2 content in Japan. When Xbox helped bring Phantasy Star Online 2 to the west in 2020, it was years behind what had already come out in Japan. Nonetheless, the MMO pulled in its players, boasting 9 million players worldwide in August 2021.

Now, given that Xbox helped bring PSO2 to western audiences with Sega, and given that there has been talk of utilizing Microsoft's Azure cloud tech in this upcoming “Super Game,” I’d bet a hefty sum that the game is going to be Phantasy Star Online 3. Imagine how amazing that would be, too. No staggered or limited release - the whole world gets to start a new Phantasy Star Online MMO on the same page at the same time. I think it’s probably the smartest thing Sega and Microsoft could do, utilizing all of the tools at their disposal. I’ll go ahead and say mark my words. Phantasy Star Online 3 is what Microsoft and Sega are putting together and it will be mind-blowing when we get to see the reveal.

Yakuza Open World MMO - Dennis White, Social Media/Community Manager

A card-based mobile MMO game already exists but I am ready to see Sega go bigger and bolder with a new Yakuza project. I would love to play in a massive city with friends where you can work your way up the ranks as nobodies to eventually become the next big Yakuza boss. With a dope character creation mode that includes an option for character backstory paths that branch out in different ways depending on which choices you make, there’s a ton you could do with this game. Add in different cities with rival gangs and turf wars to keep things dynamic with some familiar faces from previous games and it sounds like a recipe for fun.

I’d like to see them go wild with all the fun mini-games and fighting game elements from the franchise to add some depth to what you can do in game. Maybe they could take an approach to some of the day-to-day tasks like Shenmue to add some different forms of slice-of-life-style gameplay to the game as well. I want to customize my apartment suite and eventual secluded mansion, ride around on motorcycles while fighting folks with swords like John Wick, and eat amazingly rendered food I don’t have the money to try at the moment. Let’s make it happen Sega!

That covers our guesses at Sega and Microsoft’s curious new “Super Game,” but what about you? What do you think it will be? What would you like it to be? Sound off in the Shacknews Chatty section below!

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.