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The video-game-to-big-screen hype is picking up, and Sega wants to continue being a part of it. Following the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog film adaptations, the Japanese giant is looking to grow the reach of its other franchises, namely Yakuza / Like a Dragon and Persona.
Speaking to CNBC, chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi highlighted the two major IPs specifically when discussing potential future plans for other franchises, and expressed a keen interest in branching out beyond the world of video games.
“We just revived Sonic in a big way, not only through games but also movies and TV shows, and actually Sonic is in Roblox too,” he said. “And we’re working closely now with Lego. So now Sonic is reviving.
“We have other major IPs and, I cannot say too much about it but we are thinking of reviving other classical Sega IPs too. Right now there are two big IPs other than Sonic. One is Persona,” added Utsumi. “And also our Yakuza titles. Yakuza is really unique. But that big one is also coming next year too.
“But also, as I say, we are trying to be in a lot of different kinds of business areas, like Roblox, movies. All these IPs can be somewhere else other than games soon.”
Naturally, there are no further details on how these adaptations will pan out, but the picks certainly make a lot of sense. After all, there’s already the 2007 Like a Dragon movie by Takashi Miike that grew into a chaotic, entertaining spectacle (despite the bizarre ending), landing a spot in our list of noteworthy video game adaptations. Persona, meanwhile, saw an anime series that ran from April 2018 to March 2019, and was also mentioned as part of developer Atlus’ plan to expand further into film and TV.
In the meantime, both franchises are going full steam ahead in the gaming space. Following the recent release of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Persona 5 Tactica is set to grace all major consoles and PC on 17 November. Once 2024 rolls around, fans can also expect Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth on 26 January, and Persona 3: Reload — the remake of the third Persona title — on 2 February.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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