Microsoft & SEGA announce strategic partnership to develop “large-scale global” games built with Azure cloud services

Microsoft and SEGA have announced a strategic partnership to develop “large-scale global” games built with the Azure cloud platform. With the widespread deployment of 5G and cloud based services, the companies are working together to produce those games in a “next-generation development environment” thanks to Azure implementation. Here’s what SEGA had to say in their official press release:

SEGA Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “SEGA”) and Microsoft Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “Microsoft”) have agreed in principal, a strategic alliance that explores ways for SEGA to produce large-scale, global games in a next-generation development environment built on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. The alliance would form a key part of SEGA’s mid to long-term strategy, allowing the business to move forward with “Super Game”, a new initiative for developing new and innovative titles where the key focuses are “Global”, “Online”, “Community” and “IP utilization”.

With the world now more connected than ever following the widespread deployment of 5G and cloud services in recent years, consumers can more easily enjoy high-quality entertainment content at any time. Within this highly connected environment, the ecosystem surrounding the games industry continues to evolve and expand as more sophisticated tools and technologies become available. As such, video games continue to grow as a major medium for gamers globally, with access to a vast range of gaming experiences and communities becoming more diverse and attainable. This proposed alliance represents SEGA looking ahead, and by working with Microsoft to anticipate such trends as they accelerate further in future, the goal is to optimise development processes and continue to bring high-quality experiences to players using Azure cloud technologies.

Microsoft and SEGA have agreed upon the foundation for this alliance and through mutual cooperation, will look to build futher technological evolutions with areas such as the network infrastructure and communication tools required for global online services being a key priority. Additionally, by shifting to a next-generation development platform, SEGA can effectively adapt to diversfying work styles and potential infrastructural changes.

Comments from Yukio Sugino, President and COO, SEGA Corporation

We are very pleased to announce today that we are considering a strategic alliance with Microsoft to help develop SEGA’s new “Super Game” initiative as well as build a next-generation game development environment. By considering a strategic partnership with Microsoft, we seek to further advance our game development so that our titles can be enjoyed by fans all over the world; in this regard, we aim to build an alliance that utilizes both SEGA’s powerful game development capabilities and Microsoft’s cutting-edge technology and development environment.

Comments from Sarah Bond, CVP, Microsoft Corporation

Previously, Microsoft and SEGA brought Phantasy Star Online 2 to the west by utilizing Azure servers. Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis would follow soon after and this partnership could bolster that game and new games going forward. It’s worth noting again that there’s a heavy emphasis on cloud-based development instead of traditional game development.

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