Sega Shifts Focus from Japan to the World for Success

Sega’s stepping into a new era. They’re changing how they think about and plan game releases. It’s all about finding that sweet spot between fresh ideas and honoring their past, while also being brave enough to put out really fun games. Shuji Utsumi, Sega’s president, said his biggest win would be bringing Sega back to life, something he’s been working on for years. He recently told TheGameBusiness that for a long time, Sega’s hits mostly came from European studios. But now, they’ve finally hit global success with games made in Japan. When he came back to Sega, the Japanese studios were, for different reasons, really focused on just their home market – Japan – more than anywhere else. Even though Western players loved Sega, the company wasn’t really paying attention to them. So, they changed their tune and decided to target players everywhere, all around the globe. That meant releasing games worldwide at the same time, putting games on PC, and promoting titles globally, moving away from their past focus on just Japan. Because of this, studios started thinking globally right from the very beginning of making games, which has helped shape Sega’s new look. Utsumi, who even helped launch the first PlayStation, has a soft spot for consoles. But he knows companies can’t just ignore platforms like PC and mobile anymore. These platforms will be a big part of Sega’s plan to avoid repeating old mistakes – like just living off their past fame, no matter how amazing that history is.

“It’s something I always talk about with the studios and our team,” he said. “Even though we love all our products, we also need to innovate to bring in new fans.” He added, “Luckily, everything from the year 2000 seems cool again, which is great for us. But we still need new stuff in our games.” He mentioned that creators understand that this mix of nostalgia – the old and the new – is equally important. With game-making costs going up, being too bold can be super risky. It’s all about finding that balance. On another note, Sega is working on location-based entertainment (LBE) experiences with Sonic the Hedgehog in the U.S. for the first time ever. They’re also planning these new Sonic spots for Europe, Japan, and South America.