Microsoft and Sega have reached a new agreement "in principal" to form a strategic alliance to use Microsoft's Azure servers to power "large-scale, global" games. Sega is just the latest gaming giant to use Microsoft's Azure network, joining Bungie (Destiny), Krafton (PUBG), and more.
Sega said the deal will help it create a "super game," which is a type of large-scale, online title that it's been seeking to create and spending lots of money on.
"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," Sega said. "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."
The deal with Microsoft, which isn't final yet and is only "proposed," helps set Sega up for success down the road, the company said.
"By working with Microsoft to anticipate such trends as they accelerate further in future, the goal is to optimize development processes and continue to bring high-quality experiences to players using Azure cloud technologies," it explained.
Sega COO Yukio Sugino said in a statement, "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."
Microsoft's Sarah Bond added, "Sega has played such an iconic role in the gaming industry and has been a tremendous partner over the years. We look forward to working together as they explore new ways to create unique gaming experiences for the future using Microsoft cloud technologies. Together we will reimagine how games get built, hosted, and operated, with a goal of adding more value to players and Sega alike."
It appears one of the Super Game titles that Sega is creating is a new "large-scale global" FPS game from a European studio. Sega's Creative Assembly studio in Europe is working on a new sci-fi shooter in the FPS genre. The studio says the "ambitious" multiplayer game offers a "fresh taker on the FPS genre that will allow players to embrace a variety of creative playstyles."
Whether or not this is Sega's planned Super Game, however, remains to be seen.