Shuji Utsumi, the COO of SEGA, has confirmed that the company is not open to any talks of a potential acquisition, according to Bloomberg. Even in spite of the speculation that Microsoft was interested in buying, SEGA is not for sale, at least for the moment.
Many of these rumors came up due to a trend of consolidation in the general gaming industry. Microsoft has been on a crusade in the past several years, attempting to swallow up as many developers and publishers as possible. Furthermore, it’s been quite some time since SEGA sat on the top of the throne, despite retaining its reputation and audience.
- Read more: Microsoft’s Strategy to Win Back Gaming
After the recent attempt by Microsoft to merge with Activision Blizzard led to an antitrust lawsuit by the FTC, SEGA was revealed as one of the companies on its wish list.
Utusmi has yet to reveal whether Microsoft actually approached SEGA with an offer, but expressed that the companies have a “great relationship” with one another. This has been on full display in recent times, with former executives from the Persona and Yakuza series appearing on Xbox consoles. Even Yakuza: Like a Dragon was a timed next-gen exclusive on Xbox Series X|S for several months.
This alliance is critical to Microsoft due to the popularity of SEGA titles in Japan. However, it’s also the reason that rumors of an acquisition spread so fast. For the time being, SEGA will continue to stand on its own two feet as SEGA Sammy Holdings.