Some fans are joking that Sonic The Hedgehog publisher Sega might be the next gaming company to be acquired by Microsoft, and others seem to think that it might actually happen. In the run-up to the Series X’s launch on November 10th, Xbox has been working to expand its already impressive repertoire of video game talent and franchises, landing some big names under its umbrella in the process.
Earlier this week, Microsoft sent shockwaves through the industry with its purchase of Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax Media, which has granted the Xbox brand exclusive access to such franchises as Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, and Wolfenstein. Back in July, it was hinted that Xbox could similarly acquire Warner Bros. Interactive, but this rumor turned out to be false when WB parent company AT&T took the studio off of the market. Now, some of the more playful parts of the internet are speculating that Sega might be speeding its way into Microsoft's gaming ranks in the near future.
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This theory started to manifest when Let’s Talk Games co-host Jamie started sharing several Sonic-related images on Twitter in response to YouTube streamer and fellow game news enthusiast Gothalion speculating that Sega would be a good choice of acquisition for Xbox. Many of these images, such as one showing a new Xbox Series X color option being the same shade of blue as Sonic and another of a nameless Sega employee making an X with her arms in front of a small cardboard box, are merely humorous coincidences, but that hasn't stopped commenters from wondering what would happen if Microsoft did gain the rights to such franchises as Sonic, Persona, and Virtua Fighter - at least when they aren’t adding their own tongue-in-cheek pictures like Sonic plushies sitting next to green beverages. Check out the thread that started it all below:
Sega has had a very busy and chaotic 2020 so far, starting with the unexpected box office success of February’s Sonic The Hedgehog movie and continuing as the company celebrated its 60th anniversary with the debut of a new mascot, Sega Shiro. Things hit a rocky patch in August when Sega president Kenji Matsubara suddenly resigned for personal reasons, even as the company announced that it was expanding its partnership with Steam in light of Persona 4 Golden's success on the platform.
Xbox probably isn’t interested in buying Sega, as the company has recently stated that it isn’t going to be announcing any other big acquisitions like Bethesda anytime soon. Still, Microsoft could benefit from the rights to the many highly popular titles Sega has under its belt like Yakuza: Like A Dragon (which, coincidentally, was shown off during the May Xbox Games Showcase) and adding a huge gaming icon like Sonic The Hedgehog to its brand would certainly bring in the cash. Plus, even if nothing comes of it, it’s still funny it to see just how far gamers are willing to take a wild theory based on little else than a few random pictures on the internet.
Source: jamieNER0/Twitter