Xbox is very unlikely to be able to buy big Japanese studios, claims analyst
Xbox will find it very difficult to acquire major Japanese game development studios should doing so remain a focus for the company, an analyst has claimed.
On several previous occasions, Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer has expressed a desire to purchase an Asian game developer, “in particular a Japanese studio”.
“In some ways, Microsoft taking over a big Japanese publisher would be bigger news” than its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, according to Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based game industry consultancy Kantan Games.
While it’s not beyond the realms of possibility, Toto told Hit Points that Microsoft’s chances of acquiring the likes of Sega, Square Enix or Capcom were extremely slim for several reasons, mostly cultural.
Japanese companies are traditionally highly resistant to being acquired from overseas, with many insulated from takeover attempts by a Japanese system called ‘Keiretsu’.
Keirestu sees a business group formed by member companies from different industries, so that they can essentially look out for each other because they own small portions of the shares in each other’s businesses.
Toto also said any attempt at a hostile takeover “would be a suicide mission” because “everybody would leave instantly”, adding: “I would bet my house this will not happen, ever.”
And he highlighted cultural and language barriers, plus “the diversified business portfolio of key players”, such as Konami’s gym business and Sega’s resorts, as further barriers to entry for Microsoft.
“Nothing can be ruled out in this day and age,” said Toto. “But in some ways, Microsoft taking over a big Japanese publisher would be bigger news than the Activision deal. So far no foreign game company has been able to acquire a
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