Sega and Microsoft have announced that they have agreed to a “strategic alliance” that will see Sega produce games built on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.
Announced in a press release, Sega explained that the agreement is part of the company’s “Super Game” initiative, which aims to create “new and innovative” games with a focus on global online communities.
“This proposed alliance represents SEGA looking ahead, and by working with Microsoft to anticipate such trends as they accelerate further in future, the goal is to optimise development processes and continue to bring high-quality experiences to players using Azure cloud technologies,” said Sega’s statement.
A similar agreement was made between Microsoft and Sony back in 2019, which also focused on the use of the Azure cloud system.
Azure is Microsoft’s cloud computing service. It should be noted that Azure offers a variety of software, platform, and infrastructure services, and so Sega’s use of Azure does not necessarily point to Sega working on games played in the cloud, or a cloud gaming service. The cloud is being used for many aspects of game development, including AI, and so Sega and Microsoft’s partnership has many potential outcomes.
In other news from Sega, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi recently confirmed his departure from the company, and historic Sega games have arrived on Nintendo Switch as part of the Online Expansion Pack.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.