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Microsoft is reportedly approaching a number of "small to big" development studios in Japan with a view to adding to its roster of first-party developers.
As reported by Bloomberg (thanks, VGC), Microsoft is looking to take on Sony on its home turf by strengthening its position in Japan. Whilst Nintendo reigns supreme and is unlikely to lose much ground to the Xbox Series X, Microsoft is reportedly trying to reposition itself ahead of rival Sony by bolstering its portfolio of studios.
While Bloomberg's sources wouldn't expand on what the discussions had been about, nor the outcomes of them, it's thought that one of the studios approached was Koei Tecmo. Bloomberg states that the company's President, Hisashi Koinuma, stated that "if the U.S. company shows continued interest in Japan", he was open to releasing more Koei Tecmo games on the Xbox family of consoles.
"The 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," commented Tokyo-based Ace Research Institute analyst, Hideki Yasuda. "Sony's attention is drifting away and fans have started to notice that.
"Microsoft won't be able to take Sony's position as No. 2 [after Nintendo] in Japan anytime soon, but at least it has started to make changes. A big tide always starts with a small change."
Jeremy Hinton, head of Xbox operations in Asia, wouldn't comment on any prospective acquisitions but said Microsoft was "always open to discussions with creators that are a good fit".
In case you missed it, we recently unveiled out hardware review of the Xbox Series X.
"The Xbox Series X is an unconventional next-generation console," Josh wrote in his detailed review of the Xbox Series X. "It's arriving with thousands of playable games from day one, each of which appears to play better than they ever have on console, but the broad appeal of that offering will likely depend on where your allegiances have been for the last generation."
Here are all the upcoming Xbox Series X games that we know of.
