Early this Thursday, Microsoft is scheduled to present something as a part of the Tokyo Game Show. The Xbox team has previously already made an effort to make sure that the fans’ expectations don’t get out of hand for the showcase.
As we all know, the Xbox Series X and Series S are fast approaching. The gaming community is brimming with excitement, so it’s not unusual to hear rumors and speculation going around.
Now, Microsoft has had to add another disclaimer to its Tokyo Game Show presentation: the showcase won’t have any acquisition-related news or announcements.
…and btw, there won’t be any new acquisition news at the show ⛔
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 23, 2020
The reason why the Xbox team had to clarify this is possibly because of a rumor that’s spreading like wildfire, which is the hearsay that Microsoft has gone and acquired SEGA, a Japanese studio and publisher.
More than anything, this can be considered a conspiracy theory rather than a rumor, as fans have been trying to pry conclusions out of any Xbox-related media. In other words, this gossip has no valid source whatsoever, yet it still spread out of control.
If you’re curious about the theory behind the rumor, though, we’d still be more than happy to relay a few things. For one thing, an official SEGA Twitter account previously tweeted a photo of an employee making the shape of an “X” right next to the box.
Although, this action is more known as saying no or marking something as wrong in Japan. Still, inquisitive fans didn’t let that slide. Not only that, but Xbox recently announced an all-new Xbox Wireless Controller color called Shock Blue.
For this one, some fans believe that the color looks a little bit too similar to Sonic’s color. There is various other information linked to the rumor, although those ones aren’t as reliable.
Now, let’s go all the way back to April when there was an interesting picture being spread around. Mind you, this took place before the Microsoft-SEGA acquisition rumor started. The image was described as a leak, but it was never confirmed whether that was true or not.
The supposed “leak” was a photo showing both the Microsoft and SEGA logos tied to a presentation that was meant to take place in June. The fine print at the bottom of the image read: “Tune in for exclusive world premieres and more from our newest creators at Xbox Game Studios.”
もともとE3で共同発表しようとしてたやつかな pic.twitter.com/nz6VvM8ojN
— 今日から俺はジャムおじさん (@TASHIA360) May 29, 2020
The event had to be canceled, but we believe that this started the rumors. Recently, Microsoft acquired Zenimax Media, which caused the SEGA acquisition rumors to emerge once more.
Both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Xbox boss Phil Spencer have recently given interviews where they have mentioned that Xbox will keep on pursuing other acquisitions. It’s just perfect timing that the Tokyo Game Show is the focus of the gossip.
Despite all the hubbub, the Xbox Tokyo Game Show Showcase 2020 will still continue as planned at 5:00 am PT on Thursday morning.
Here’s what we know so far about the event: the showcase will only be in Japanese, Minecraft and Microsoft Flight Simulator will be featured, and it will “celebrate” Japanese games and their creators. They deserve it, after all.