Summary
SegaCOO and recently appointed president Shuji Utsumi has said that the publisher is considering a Netflix-esque gaming subscription service for its games. The gaming industry has been transitioning to a more streaming-esque service, andSegaappears to be considering the same thing. Many gaming companies have also transitioned to providing games via a subscription service, as seen with Microsoft and Sony’s own services.
In a statement provided toBBC.com, Shuji Utsumi said that subscription productions like Netflix were interesting and that Sega is evaluating some opportunities that this would provide. This move to a Sega-basedstreaming gaming serviceis still very early, so it’s likely this idea is only in the planning stages. “We’re thinking something - and discussing something - we cannot disclose right now,” said Utsumi.
Sega’s Possible Subscription Service and Recent Delistings
Sega recently delisted several classic gamesacross various platforms, including PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. Some of these delisted games include theSega Genesis Classicscollection,Sonic the Fighters,Virtua Fighter 2, and many more. It’s possible that Sega is delisting all of these games across various services so it can consolidate its library under a single service. As such, it’s not implausible that Sega wants to put its games under one service and make a more direct profit from it.
While it could be a beneficial service for those who are bigfans of Sega, there are already a lot of different subscription services available that gamers will have to pay for in order to keep up with the library. Various insiders who spoke with BBC.com voiced similar concerns, saying Sega considering its own rival subscription service will lead to its games being removed from other services.
Shuji Utsumi also spoke to BBC.com about his own confidence in revivingSegawith not only theSonicfranchise, but several other legacy IPs, as seen with upcoming reboots of properties likeCrazy TaxiandJet Set Radio. As such, it seems like the publisher is transitioning to a more modern global strategy, such as opening its own gaming subscription service.
