It’s the time of year where rumors fly around almost constantly. Normally, we’d be gearing up for a myriad of different gaming conferences – notably E3 2020, which has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, gamers need something to fill the time with, and that means that rumors have been spreading like wildfire. One recent rumor to appear (which seems pretty reliable, actually) is that Microsoft and Sega are preparing a joint announcement together.
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Much of the fuel for this rumor comes from a leaked E3 2020 ad, which features the Xbox Game Studios and Sega logos side by side with the caption “Power Your Dreams” beneath. The ad has a set date for June 14th, 9:00AM PDT 12:00PM EST. It certainly looks official, but neither Microsoft nor Sega have commented on it.
This June 14th date, however, does match up the date for E3 where the announcement could have originally been scheduled for before the cancelations. Combined with other recent moves by Microsoft to make Xbox more popular in Japan, such as the release of their Xbox Game Pass subscription service launching in Japan tomorrow, a partnership with Sega is very far from out of the question.
Of course, E3 also stated that they wouldn’t be holding any sort of online replacement for their 2020 showcase, deciding instead to allow developers to “do their own thing.” Given that, it’s highly likely that if there was something that Microsoft and Sega intended to announce, they would certainly be preparing a joint statement now.
Many have been discarding this rumor, stating that it’s a fake statement being spread by 4chan users for the fun of it. Others have responded with great excitement, feeling that Sega needs another console to develop for and that they’re excited to see so much backing put behind the company. Still others have responded with great dismay, having seen what companies acquired by Microsoft tend to turn into (looking at you, Rare).
Of course, we won’t know anything until a joint statement is issued or not. Perhaps in the next few weeks, Sega or Microsoft will come out and clarify that there are no such intentions for either company to interact with each other any more than usual. Still, with E3 2020 canceled, both companies will likely be giving some sort of statement before much longer to make up for what they would’ve had at E3, so when June comes around we’re likely to hear whatever there is to hear.
