Sega isn't open to acquisition talks but is "very close" with Xbox

Despite having a "great relationship" with Microsoft and its management team, Sega says it's not open to acquisition talks.

Earlier this week, evidence shown during Microsoft's FTC trial revealed that the company was interested in acquiring Sonic the Hedgehog owner Sega in 2019, along with a number of other studios. Sega has now said it's not open to acquisition talks, although its answer of "no, not now" doesn't sound overly definitive.

Sega confirms that it has a "great relationship" with Microsoft

sega denies acquisition talks microsoft xbox

When speaking with Bloomberg, Sega co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi said "No, not now" when asked if the company was open to acquisition talks. Utsumi also refused to answer if Microsoft had approached Sega formally about an acquisition.

Microsoft has had a good relationship with Sega for a long time now, and in 2021 the companies announced that they were considering a partnership to support Sega in pursuing the development of big-budget games. Despite the strong relationship between the two firms, it doesn't look like an acquisition will be going ahead any time soon, especially while Microsoft continues to nail down its Activision Blizzard deal.

“We are very close with Microsoft and have a great relationship with its management team,” Utsumi said. “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.”

Many of Sega's titles are available alongside some of the best games on Game Pass, such as many of the Yakuza and Persona games, Football Manager 2023, Two Point Campus, and more.

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Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.