Sega’s Bold Leap into Subscription Gaming: A New Era Beyond Sonic, Persona, and Yakuza

Sega is contemplating the possibility of leveraging its major franchises—such as Persona and Sonic The Hedgehog—to power an online gaming subscription service.

Subscription models akin to Netflix have emerged from nearly every corner of the industry since Microsoft fully embraced its Xbox Game Pass initiative in 2018. Nowadays, services like PlayStation Plus, EA Play, Ubisoft+, and Nintendo Switch Online all provide access to a plethora of games for a monthly subscription fee.

Sega has become the latest developer to explore entering this already-crowded market as the company’s president, Shuji Utsumi, revealed to the BBC that he finds such services “very intriguing” and is “evaluating some possibilities” in this domain. “We’re brainstorming something—and discussing something—that we can’t reveal right now,” he stated.

Sonic is undoubtedly the company’s crown jewel—especially following the positive reception of Sonic The Hedgehog 3 and the recent remaster of Sonic X Shadow Generations. However, Sega has developed a hugely impressive lineup beyond just its Blue Blur, including titles like Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, Yakuza, Total War, Football Manager, and the recent game of the year contender, Metaphor: Refantazio.

Nonetheless, Sega may encounter the same challenge that many Hollywood companies faced when chasing Netflix’s success. At some point, the market becomes oversaturated, as consumers are unlikely to subscribe to six different monthly services just to access games.

Regardless, Utsumi is committed to making the company “truly shine again” by utilizing these heavyweight titles mentioned above. “Sega has a strong RPG team, amazing IPs, and is a very recognizable brand.”

For now, catch the details on the greatest cameos in Sonic The Hedgehog 3 featuring two iconic gaming characters—just not as you expect