We all love console games, and I am sure everyone remembers the super games from Sega and Konami. Remember sonic and contra? That’s right; everyone played the super amazing games on their consoles. Let’s not forget about Super Mario. It seems that Microsoft is soon going to take over the Japanese gaming giants Sega and Konami.
When it comes to acquisitions to enhance its vital brand Xbox, Microsoft doesn’t beat around the bush as we have seen with its recent purchase of ZeniMax Media, the company that owns id Software Bethesda Softworks, for a whopping US$7.5 billion. It only clears the idea that Microsoft does not shy to aim high to increase the potential of its gaming brand, Xbox.
With this acquisition, Microsoft will gain access to the vast world of Sega and obtain Sega’s specialist knowledge and experience in the console area since the Tokyo-based company has struggled a lot in recent times and is nothing like its glorious days. Adding Konami to the mix will bring along valuable gaming IPs like Silent Hill and Metal Gear.
But, for now, this acquisition news is only rumors, and we still don’t know if Microsoft values the Japanese gaming market all so well. I mean, it is the home of Xbox’s biggest and only rival, Sony. The Redmond company’s recent sales figures are pretty dire: 1,508 units of the Xbox Series X and S and just 10 Xbox One consoles sold for the week ending February 27.
Whereas in that same week, 3,249 PS4 consoles were snapped up, Japanese gamers bought 33,792 PS5 machines, and 78,134 Nintendo Switch devices were purchased. It seems like Xbox has little to no value in the Japanese gaming market.
So, acquiring Konami and Sega would not only make Xbox a stronger brand in Japan, but it would also appeal to the millions of fans of the two companies in other areas of the world who happen to own an Xbox console.
