Sega is uninterested in being acquired by Sony or Microsoft

Sega’s chief operating officer (COO), Shuji Utsumi, has confirmed that the iconic company has no intentions of agreeing to acquisition from the industry’s biggest players following reports of Microsoft’s interest in purchasing the company earlier this week.

The details:

• In an interview with Bloomberg, Utsumi was asked about the possibility of Sega being purchased by Microsoft or its competitor Sony, to which he responded, "No, not now." He added that despite being uninterested in the offer, Sega is still "very close" with Microsoft and that it has a "great relationship" with the company’s management. "Microsoft particularly has a high regard for us. Xbox’s Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are really serious about values that video game fans emphasize," Utsumi said.
• Internal Microsoft emails revealed earlier this week that the company was looking to acquire Sega in 2020 to use its "well-balanced portfolio of games" to "accelerate Xbox Game Pass both on and off-console," particularly in Asia where the Xbox brand is not as strong. Utsumi was also asked if Microsoft had ever approached Sega with a formal offer, which he declined to answer.
• Sega's latest and upcoming releases, Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Superstars, and even new Persona titles from its subsidiary Atlus, are causing a resurgence. It also appears that the company will be revisiting its older, "forgotten" franchises such as Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, and Nights in the future, which might increase Microsoft and Sony's interest in pursuing a full takeover and adding its IPs to their lineups.

More gaming news:

• According to court documents revealing Microsoft's acquisition strategy, DayZ 2 is in development. Little is known about the project, but according to the documents, Bohemia Interactive's recent projects have underperformed commercially, potentially prompting development on the sequel to its hit title to become a priority.
• Sony has revealed that Call of Duty generated approximately $800 million in 2021 on PlayStation platforms alone, with worldwide revenue exceeding $1.5 billion. According to the company, the possibility of Microsoft making Activision's titles exclusives would have a significant impact on Sony's revenue in years to come.