Microsoft has been making some big moves within the gaming industry, purchasing some big-name developers in an effort to improve the portfolio of first-party games the company produces. Earlier this year, the tech company made some big waves by picking up ZeniMax and Bethesda Softworks, and it looks like Microsoft is currently looking beyond as well. New reports have indicated the company is now looking to acquire some Japanese developers to help gain a better foothold within the East Asian market.

For years, Sony and Nintendo have dominated the Japanese marketplace in terms of consoles, while Microsoft, on the other hand, has not been able to keep up with the two in the world’s third-largest video game market. A new report explains Sony has begun to pull out of Japan in favor of focusing on its North American market. With this in mind, Microsoft is said to have a chance to gain popularity, possibly even turning Japan into Microsoft’s “second-largest market,” as Ace Research Institute analyst Hideki Yasuda mentioned. “Sony’s attention is drifting away and fans have started to notice that.”

Microsoft won’t be able to take Sony’s position as No. 2 in Japan anytime soon, but at least it has started to make changes. A big tide always starts with a small change.”

No specific developers were mentioned in the article, but the report does state that multiple Japanese developers (“small to big”) have been approached by Microsoft about games appearing on the Xbox platform as well as potential studio acquisitions. However, there is currently no word as to which developers were contacted or whether they might be revealed as part of a potential acquisition sometime soon.

Microsoft’s Xbox Seris X and Xbox Series S consoles are set to arrive on November 10th this year. It may be some time before Microsoft is able to really see some significant growth in Japan, but the company has plenty of tools to attempt with the upcoming next-gen platform as well as the Xbox game Pass and xCloud streaming services. Only time will tell how Microsoft fares in the future. Have you pre-ordered one of the shiny new consoles? Let us know your thoughts on Microsoft’s presence in the Japanese gaming market and more in the comments section below. As always, don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of all things gaming and entertainment.

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