Sega Gets a 1UP? New Boss Wants to Revive Company with Retro IP, Movies and TV

Sega’s president is on a mission to bring back the company’s glory days, as shared in a recent interview. With a storied past and a bold push into movies, can Sega outrun its modern hurdles?

Here’s the TL;DR…

• Sega president Shuji Utsumi told The Game Business in July 2025 that reviving Sega is his career’s biggest goal, focusing on global studios and classic IPs like Crazy Taxi.

• From arcade hits to Sonic’s console wars, Sega’s history is epic, but flops like the Dreamcast led to its 2001 exit from hardware.

• Recent losses and a new Sonic movie and Golden Axe cartoon make Sega’s revival a high-stakes gamble in a tough market.

Utsumi’s Big Pitch

In a July 2025 interview with The Game Business at Sega’s Burbank offices, president Shuji Utsumi laid out a bold vision. “Now I’ve rejoined Sega and I am working on reviving Sega… I want to say that this is going to be my greatest achievement,” he told interviewer Chris Dring during Summer Game Fest. The interview, available in text, video, and audio on The Game Business website and YouTube, details Utsumi’s plan to globalize Sega’s Japanese studios and revive IPs like Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Shinobi.

Utsumi, who helped launch the PlayStation and worked on Dreamcast titles, noted a past flaw: “For some reasons when I rejoined Sega, the Japanese studios were paying attention to the domestic market, the Japanese market, more.” Now, hits like Persona 3 Reload and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth launch globally across platforms, boosting sales. “Sega brings rock and roll,” he added, aiming to recapture the company’s rebellious edge.

Sega’s Wild Ride

Sega started in 1960 as Service Games in Hawaii, becoming Sega Enterprises by 1965. It ruled arcades with Periscope (1966) and Out Run (1986), then took on Nintendo with the Genesis, selling 40 million units thanks to Sonic the Hedgehog’s ’90s swagger. But missteps like the Mega-CD, 32X, Saturn, and Dreamcast tanked against PlayStation and Nintendo, forcing Sega to ditch consoles in 2001 and merge with Sammy Corporation in 2004.

Despite the pivot, Sega thrived with Yakuza (now Like a Dragon) and Persona. Metaphor: ReFantazio earned a 2024 Game of the Year nod, and Persona 5 Royal hit 7.25 million copies sold. Utsumi wants more than retro vibes, telling The Guardian in 2024: “We are not a retro company.”

Recent Rough Patches

Sega’s faced turbulence lately. In 2023, it scrapped Hyenas, a pricey shooter from Creative Assembly, and cut 121 jobs at Relic Entertainment. A 6.6 billion yen net loss in 2024, tied to European restructuring, hurt. Utsumi admitted to The Game Business that games-as-a-service (GAAS) is tricky: “The console/PC standalone business is getting better, but we are still working on making that GAAS business global.” While Persona 5X topped mobile charts, other GAAS titles struggled.

Fans on X and Reddit cheer IP revivals but call recent Sonic games inconsistent, with one X user griping they’re “a mixed bag.” Utsumi’s console passion—“Since I was a member of the PlayStation launch team, I have a big attachment to the console business”—faces a market leaning toward PC and mobile.

Movies and TV to the Rescue?

Sega’s diving deep into transmedia to boost its brand. The Sonic the Hedgehog films, starting in 2020, grossed over $1 billion globally, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (December 2024) pulling in $60.1 million domestically in its opening weekend.

A Golden Axe animated series, greenlit by CBS and Comedy Central for 10 episodes, features Sonic voice actor Ben Schwartz and is co-developed with Original Film and Sony Pictures Television. Described as a “hilarious and heartfelt tribute” to the 1989 beat-’em-up, it’s a bold bet to tap nostalgia.

Utsumi emphasized niche appeal in The Game Business: “We are targeting some specific audiences in a deeper way.” X posts show excitement for Sonic’s cinematic wins, but some Reddit fans worry the Golden Axe cartoon could miss the mark like other modern adaptations. With a Shinobi film also in development, Sega’s transmedia push is a cornerstone of its revival.

The Takeaway

Sega’s Shuji Utsumi, in his The Game Business interview, is betting on global studios, classic IPs, and movies like Sonic to revive the brand. Past flops and recent losses make it a tough fight, like a Virtua Fighter showdown. With Golden Axe hitting TV and new games on the horizon, Sega’s got a shot at a comeback—if it plays its cards right.

News compiled and edited by Derek Gibbs and Steven Bubbles on July 1, 2025. Follow us on ClownfishTV.com for more gaming, pop culture, and tech news, and consider subscribing for only $5 per month to get access to exclusive podcasts and other content.

Sources:

• The Game Business: “Reviving Sega will be the greatest achievement in my career” (July 1, 2025)

• Eurogamer: “The Rise and Fall of Sega Enterprises” (October 28, 2015)

• Britannica: “Sega Corporation” (June 27, 2025)

• VGC: “Why Sega is reviving classics like Shinobi and Jet Set Radio” (November 6, 2024)

• AUTOMATON: “Sega sees net loss of 6.6 billion yen” (June 28, 2024)

• GamesRadar: “Sega accidentally reveals sales data” (July 1, 2025)

• Variety: “Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Opens to $60.1 Million” (December 24, 2024)

• IGN: “Golden Axe Animated Series Greenlit at Comedy Central” (October 24, 2024)

• X posts on Sega’s revival, Sonic, and Golden Axe (July 1, 2025)