According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft is seeking to purchase several Japanese game studios. Microsoft, which recently purchased Zenimax Media and acquired the game studios under the vast portfolio, seems to be taking an aggressive approach by leaping into Sony’s backyard.
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“Several Japan-based game developers, from small to big, said it [Microsoft] had approached them about buying their businesses,” the report reads. “They asked not to be identified as the talks were private, and declined to give details on how the discussions went.” Sony, which moved its PlayStation business headquarters from Japan to California in 2016, has been losing steam with the Japanese fan base, and now the U.S. is its number one market. In Japan, Nintendo remains the king of game brands followed by Sony, however, it appears Xbox is trying to become a larger player in the world’s third-largest gaming market. According to Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute in Tokyo, “Xbox has a chance to make Japan its second-largest market after the U.S. if it takes the right steps for years to come.” He continued, “Sony’s attention is drifting away and fans have started to notice that.” Morningstar Research analyst, Kazunori Ito, said, “It’s analyst consensus that PlayStation no longer sees the Japan market as important. If you want to know their take on the Japanese market, you need to ask about it because otherwise, Sony wouldn’t talk about it.” It looks like the game console battles are going to be very interesting not just in the U.S., but around the world.
