Insider: Microsoft plans to buy at least one major Japanese game publisher

As part of a fresh edition of the Giant Bomb podcast, journalist Imran Khan - former Game Informer editor - revealed that Microsoft is planning to acquire at least one major Japanese game publisher.

Imran Khan argues that Microsoft wants to increase the number of internal studios and make as few deals with third-party developers as possible. It is also in Microsoft's interest to diversify the Game Pass service catalog as much as possible.

Khan said that the U.S. company is already in talks with potential Japanese partners. Some time ago, there were rumors about Microsoft's attempt to buy Sega Japan, but they were not confirmed.

Among the most likely contenders for the purchase are Square Enix and possibly Kojima Productions. The latter, by the way, has already begun a close cooperation with Microsoft. It is known that they are developing a joint project. A possible deal may hint at a recent visit of Phil Spencer to the studio's headquarters Hideo Kojima.

Hidetaka Miyazaki's FromSoftware would also be a valuable acquisition, but Sony and Tencent have already had their eyes on it, having recently bought a large stake.