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- Following its reorganization and internal mergers, SEGA shifted its priorities towards game publishing.
- 2024 saw a renaissance of the game publisher with hits like Sonic X Shadow Generations, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Persona 3 being released.
- The publisher is only expected to pump up those numbers and will revive 10 classic IPs and work on newer ones.
Multiple other players were involved before the console war was made exclusive to Microsoft and Sony. One notable mention was SEGA, another Japanese video game company known for consoles like the SEGA Genesis and the Dreamcast.
However, since Microsoft’s debut, SEGA couldn’t keep up and was pushed aside. The company didn’t die; rather, it was sidetracked and diversified itself. They have operated mostly on the back end for the past decade, but in 2020, SEGA companies were reorganized into SEGA CORPORATION, a merged company.
Now, it is focused on being a publisher and reviving some of its iconic franchises rather than its main focus on consoles. It’s safe to say that SEGA succeeded in that, and 2024 was one of their biggest years in a long time, with many more to come in the future.
Why It Matters: With franchises like Crazy Taxi, Sonic, Persona, and more under its belt, a remaster and focus on revitalizing these games has been a push from fans for years now. SEGA finally listened to the audience and now focuses solely on game development.
2024 SEGA Releases Were Amazing
Intending to attract modern audiences rather than be the retro publisher they’re famous for, SEGA put out multiple great releases this year. Starting with Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which easily became one of my favorite releases of last year.
The action RPG is the best one the series has ever seen. It takes place in a beautiful recreation of the Hawaii Island State. The 50-hour story didn’t bore me once; there were tons of adrenaline-inducing combat sequences to keep me entertained.
Persona 3 Reloaded was another solid entry that was vastly improved from the original. The remake has revamped gameplay elements, including more battle sequences, story content, and side content. It builds upon Persona 5 Royal’s gameplay elements and includes everything that made the original Persona 3 special.
Sonic X Shadow Generations remasters 2011’s Sonic Generation and features Shadow as a playable character for the first time in the series, giving us the best 3D Sonic gameplay experience ever. Combined with Shadow’s hype in the Sonic movies, Sonic X Shadow Generations is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Also under SEGA’s belt last year was Metaphor: ReFantazio, a great addition to the stale genre that JRPG has become. Studio Atlus did a phenomenal job building a beautiful anime-inspired world with a great, engaging story and well-written characters.
Shin Megami Tensei 5, Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Unicorn Overlord are some of the other notable mentions SEGA published this year. Moreover, all of these titles were well-received by fans and critics alike, and SEGA might earn itself a Metacritic Publisher Crown for 2024.
What The Future Holds
2024 was just the start for SEGA as a leading publisher, as they plan to revive multiple other franchises and introduce newer ones. Virtua Fighter is finally getting a new mainline entry after almost 2 decades, which will introduce some needed competition within the fighting genre.
Moreover, we have an entirely new IP codenamed Project Century. Developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, known for developing the Yakuza game, Project Century seems to be another brawler-fighting RPG set in 1915 Japan. The game is set to release sometime in 2026.
Alien Isolation is also getting a sequel, which is confirmed to be in early development. Alien Isolation is one of the best horror survival games I’ve played, and I only hope that the sequel takes the stage to the next level.
Crazy Taxi is also getting a remake sometime in the future. For those unfamiliar with Crazy Taxi, it was an arcade game that was incredibly popular at the time due to its over-the-top action and bizarre scenarios. A remake would certainly do well since the racing genre is quite pale these days.
Beyond these titles, SEGA plans to revive 10 franchises. Five are officially confirmed: Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, and Golden Axe. Others are unknown as of right now. Whatever the case may be, I have tons of SEGA games to look forward to and a chance to experience the same nostalgia I had playing these games as a kid.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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