In a new interview with Famitsu, SEGA Executive Vice President Shuji Utsumi talked about some interesting tidbits about SEGA’s future. As of April 2021, Utsumi was placed as the new Executive Vice President and General Manager at the company. Part of Utsumi’s role is to help steer SEGA in the right direction after restructuring took place. One of the efforts being brought forth is increased marketing and localization efforts for the upcoming Judgment sequel, Lost Judgment. Lost Judgment is bigger in scope than the previous game in almost every regard. More supported languages will be available with the release compared to the release of Judgment. In addition, SEGA is considering stronger marketing to appeal to the western audience. This is a response to Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s strong reception in the west.
“The volume, action, and storyline from the previous work (Judgment) have increased, so please check it out. This is also scheduled to be released worldwide simultaneously, and the number of supported languages has increased. In order to convey the appeal of the work clearly, we are also considering marketing measures that are conscious of the overseas audience.”
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is another big title according to Utsumi. This is a simultaneous worldwide release for the franchise with various supported platforms and languages. It’s quite an improvement from the 8 year long wait fans had to endure to get PSO 2 in the west. PSO 2: New Genesis and Lost Judgment are strong indicators of SEGA’s measures to expand their IPs with simultaneous launches worldwide. Established IPs are important to SEGA and Utsumi says he wants to cherish old IPs that are “suitable” for modern games and platforms. Here’s what he had to say:
“Even if you deal with past IP, the game must be suitable for the present era. It doesn’t mean that you only care about the old IP or the new IP. Sega’s major strength is that it has the development ability to create a wide range of titles, including home video game consoles and smartphones, and also has network know-how. I think we can work on AAA class games more, so we will adjust the allocation of human resources and funds according to the market.”
From this statement, it seems like Utsumi is willing to work on higher budget SEGA games with IPs both old and new. However, the IP being used remains to be seen. Many SEGA fans today want to see the return of more niche titles from throughout the company’s past. Utsumi states that SEGA is working on new games that are “under the surface” and unannounced. It’s assumed that one of SEGA’s upcoming games is a new Sonic title which has been hinted at over the past few years.
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