Recently appointed president and CEO of Sega America and Europe Shuji Utsumi is set on reviving the prestigious game company. But unlike some who may think SEGA’s success lies predominantly in its established franchises, Utsumi is working towards balancing both the old and the new.
In an interview with The Game Business, Utsumi spoke at length about his plans for Sega. Among these plans – which include a balanced focus towards the Japanese and global markets, simultaneous platform releases, as well as a push for live-service and transmedia projects – is a desire to take more risks with Sega’s IPs.
“Looking at Sega’s IPs is like looking at a portfolio. We have some solid business lines that are less risky. While the production base for Sonic games is getting bigger, you can still count on a solid return. But some other IPs… we are trying to be wild. It is higher risk, but potentially higher return.”
To this end, Utsumi wants Sega to be known for creating high-quality games. Games that, given their success, will create stable revenue for the company. On top of game sales, he hopes that Sega IPs will translate well into transmedia projects. He cites the Sonic the Hedgehog films as one such successful venture, barring the infamous “Ugly Sonic” design in the first movie’s trailer.
Utsumi routinely talks to developers to prevent Sega from becoming a “legacy” company that focuses on old IPs and nostalgic titles. He says that while there should always be respect and love for the lore of an existing IP, Sega games should strive to be innovative.
The game industry is on a bit of a nostalgic run lately, with remasters, remakes, reboots, and sequels of classic games drawing new players into established franchises. Utsumi considers Sega lucky that it can enjoy such an era (the company is currently working on new games for older properties like Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi), but he also wants developers to use these opportunities to show something new and exciting to players.
One such example would be Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut which, despite being an enhanced version of the 2015 title, includes new cutscenes, a new online Red Light Raid multiplayer mode, English and Chinese voiceover dubs, several localization options, and licensed tracks from the Japanese version of the original game. These additions, according to Sega, make the director’s cut feel like a complete experience that newcomers and veterans will appreciate. Should Sega legacy IP titles like these resonate well with players, they might be more inclined to check out the company’s more niche games.
Regarding Sega’s new and lesser-known projects, Utsumi is happy that Sega has a hefty lineup of games that target specific audiences. Published titles like the upcoming Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. are highly anticipated by hack-and-slash and fighting game fans respectively, allowing Sega to foster strong connections with a smaller audience.
“We are targeting some specific audiences more deeply. You might think a particular game is very specific, but if it goes deep… then sometimes you have a chance to go bigger. So rather than having a huge target audience, we would rather target a narrow group, go deep and expand from there.”
With over 30 years of experience working in the video games industry, Utsumi seems to have all the angles covered when it comes to leading Sega. Time will tell if he is successful but as of now, Sega fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming years.
