(Rumor) SEGA May Be Bringing Back Even More Legacy IP

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

That's according to Insider Gaming (Tom Henderson's website). Here are some excerpts:

Speaking to sources, it’s understood that Panzer Dragoon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Sakura Taisen will all have new games and are all in their early stages of development, too. Unfortunately, though, Insider Gaming wasn’t able to verify the other two games that were greenlit, but recent trademark filings could give a strong indication.

Following the ‘New Era, New Energy’ announcement, though, it was spotted by Gematsu that SEGA did file for a total of 12 trademarks, which became public on December 6, 2023. The trademarks included some of the already announced games, including Crazy Taxi, Shinobi, Jet Set Radio, and Streets of Rage, but also included eight more games that have yet to be announced.

The trademarks include:

• Alex Kidd
• After Burner
• House of the Dead
• Outrun
• Super Monkey Ball
• Altered Beast Eternal
• Champions Kid
• Chameleon

Although none of these trademarks cover the three games we’ve heard are on the way, two of these could be the titles that we’ve not been able to pin down – And anyhow, it’s always fun to speculate!

Personally, I hope this is true. While Panzer Dragoon's mentioned, for example, it doesn't specify if it's a rail shooter or a JRPG. However I'd LOVE a Panzer Dragoon Saga remake, or a sequel (a sequel would have to continue the story past where it ended at tho, Saga is a prequel to the original game).

Any of these got the rest of you excited? Or what other Sega IP would you like to see come back? It's really cool to see SEGA tapping back into their legacy IP at last, hopefully they inspire certain other companies to do the same (<clears throat> Sony <ahem>).

 

[Batzy]

Square, but not for what most think.
For this.

 

[arvfab]

SE and Sony for me.

SE is clearly better at it. People might not like it, but SE with their ports and remakes help keep their legacy (and their wallet, obviously) alive.

PS: Leisure Suit Larry is not a Microsoft IP (I think EA owns it) and I don't think it needs to be revived, as it had two new entries released "not so long ago".

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

That's according to Insider Gaming (Tom Henderson's website). Here are some excerpts:





Personally, I hope this is true. While Panzer Dragoon's mentioned, for example, it doesn't specify if it's a rail shooter or a JRPG. However I'd LOVE a Panzer Dragoon Saga remake, or a sequel (a sequel would have to continue the story past where it ended at tho, Saga is a prequel to the original game).

Any of these got the rest of you excited? Or what other Sega IP would you like to see come back? It's really cool to see SEGA tapping back into their legacy IP at last, hopefully they inspire certain other companies to do the same (<clears throat> Sony <ahem>).

Segas problem is it can’t make good modern games with major appeal. It makes niche stuff or it leans on nostalgia.

 

[Batzy]

Segas problem is it can’t make good modern games with major appeal. It makes niche stuff or it leans on nostalgia.

Wow, sounds just like xbox, that released a new OG xbox controller.
Wonder what will happen to another console maker leaning on nostalgia...

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Segas problem is it can’t make good modern games with major appeal. It makes niche stuff or it leans on nostalgia.

I think that's a fair criticism on some level. However, if the budgets for a lot of these games is reasonably inexpensive (compared to typical big-budget AAA titles, for example), I don't see why doing more niche stuff is a problem, or leaning into nostalgia for that matter.

With the latter, if the game's good enough and taps into nostalgia well you'd get a sizable base of people spending a lot between multiple copies, collector's editions, merch & other stuff.

And going by reception to games like Sonic Mania & SOR4, they are growing their audience for these classics across platforms. That's a reason they're doing this new initiative in the first place, I'd assume.

I'm sure SEGA would love an IP that can do 15-20 million per entry and be a dominating breadwinner, but they don't necessarily need that if production and budgets for what they make are reasonable. I would actually a lot of this for other companies too, even Sony.

But in Sony's case, more as a call they hopefully tap into their own legacy IP more sufficiently with modestly-budgeted AA type traditional games, to complement the blockbuster mega-sellers they already have, and reduce the need for gluttonous GaaS budgets/funding (and the operating costs that'd be needed to sustain successful ones).

SE and Sony for me.

SE is clearly better at it. People might not like it, but SE with their ports and remakes help keep their legacy (and their wallet, obviously) alive.

PS: Leisure Suit Larry is not a Microsoft IP (I think EA owns it) and I don't think it needs to be revived, as it had two new entries released "not so long ago".

I thought ABK owned the Leisure Suit Larry IP?

 

[arvfab]

I thought ABK owned the Leisure Suit Larry IP?

Wiki says Codemasters owns the IP now. Assemble Entertainment was allowed to use the license for the last two games, but they don't own it.

 

[Evilnemesis8]

SEGA really looks like they've partnered up with every AA studio and below(indie) on the planet and they're about to release a bunch of old IP cash grabs to see which of these old ones they should invest more money into.

I feel like this is just the wrong approach to make, it won't give you an idea of the strength of your IPs, just whichever game is going to end up "good enough" for whatever modest budget the games are going from. Like, you should do you own internal analysis of whatever IP and game concept should be paired up together, not do this "we're here to burn money" approach and see whatever sticks.

Really grasping at straws, it looks like.
Beside Like a Dragon, Football Manager and sometime their Sonic games, SEGA has been floundering commercially and critically for a number of years now.
It doesn't help that their European studios which carried SEGA in the early/mid 2010s have made bets that backfired hard. The biggest among them, Creative Assembly's Hyenas which was ultimately cancelled after something like 7 years in production, this was the costliest SEGA game ever and all that money ultimately never generated any revenue.

 

[Syndr0mePK]

Ridge Racerrrr

 

[avenovah]

Speaking to sources, it’s understood that Panzer Dragoon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Sakura Taisen

A full-fledged AAA game??? Not today, old friend:

 

[Box]

Ridge Racer, I really miss this

 

[Systemshock2023]

Bring legacy of kain back.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

SEGA really looks like they've partnered up with every AA studio and below(indie) on the planet and they're about to release a bunch of old IP cash grabs to see which of these old ones they should invest more money into.

I feel like this is just the wrong approach to make, it won't give you an idea of the strength of your IPs, just whichever game is going to end up "good enough" for whatever modest budget the games are going from. Like, you should do you own internal analysis of whatever IP and game concept should be paired up together, not do this "we're here to burn money" approach and see whatever sticks.

Really grasping at straws, it looks like.
Beside Like a Dragon, Football Manager and sometime their Sonic games, SEGA has been floundering commercially and critically for a number of years now.
It doesn't help that their European studios which carried SEGA in the early/mid 2010s have made bets that backfired hard. The biggest among them, Creative Assembly's Hyenas which was ultimately cancelled after something like 7 years in production, this was the costliest SEGA game ever and all that money ultimately never generated any revenue.

I think you're selling them short here. SEGA actually regularly asked gamers which IP they'd like to see come back, many years ago, so they had feedback from that as well as seeing the reception to games like Sonic Mania and Streets of Rage 4. So, I think they have a pretty good idea of what teams (outside, and even internal in some cases) to work with in bringing these IP back.

Not to mention, they got one of the main guys from the Dreamcast creative era back in place of Nagoshi, and have also more recently added someone who helped launch both the PlayStation and Dreamcast in North America, among other things. So basically, I think these new initiatives are in capable hands. Yes, some will hit better than others, but I find it very hard to think they will all fail, or even most will fail. Most will be moderately successful, with some being very successful, and maybe just a couple of duds at most.

IMO the only major mistake SEGA's made the past few years (outside of not doing this initiative sooner), was doling out Western marketing rights for some of their & Atlus's upcoming games to Microsoft. They likely assumed Xbox would be in a much better place than it is today, when originally entering those agreements, but now they're kinda stuck with them. It's resulted in very muted Western marketing of games for PlayStation and in some cases Nintendo as well, so it might bring the B2P sales performance of some of those titles in the West into question. Hopefully their marketing partnerships with the 'Super Game' projects are more level-headed and some are done with Sony and Nintendo, alongside Microsoft, in Western territories.

These games deserve as much chance at success as they can get and bottlenecking them all to Microsoft/Xbox marketing rights outside of Japan is the quickest path of dooming them commercially as could be made, given how this generation has been playing out.

 

[Yurinka]

I'd ask for Sony (Wipeout, Motorstorm, Parappa, Killzone 5 (with main focus on SP campaign, later add GaaS MP as F2P), Loco Roco, Gravity Rush), Capcom (Final Fight 4, Captain Commando, new Onimusha, new Marvel vs Capcom, Dead Rising 3, Mega Man 12, Dino Crisis remake + Dino Crisis 3) and Sega (Afterburner, Virtua Tennis, Daytona USA).

Ridge Racer, I really miss this

I want a new RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RAAAACEEEEEEEEER!

 

[Evilnemesis8]

I think you're selling them short here. SEGA actually regularly asked gamers which IP they'd like to see come back, many years ago, so they had feedback from that as well as seeing the reception to games like Sonic Mania and Streets of Rage 4. So, I think they have a pretty good idea of what teams (outside, and even internal in some cases) to work with in bringing these IP back.


IMO the only major mistake SEGA's made the past few years (outside of not doing this initiative sooner), was doling out Western marketing rights for some of their & Atlus's upcoming games to Microsoft. They likely assumed Xbox would be in a much better place than it is today, when originally entering those agreements, but now they're kinda stuck with them. It's resulted in very muted Western marketing of games for PlayStation and in some cases Nintendo as well, so it might bring the B2P sales performance of some of those titles in the West into question. Hopefully their marketing partnerships with the 'Super Game' projects are more level-headed and some are done with Sony and Nintendo, alongside Microsoft, in Western territories.

How can Hyenas not the be considered a major mistake of the past few years?

Also, we're still waiting on whatever the hell are the SEGA "supergame(s)" : https://www.videogameschronicle.com...its-first-super-game-is-progressing-steadily/

Announced in May 2021, the Japanese publisher’s Super Game project will span multiple “triple-A titles that cross over Sega’s comprehensive range of technologies” and “go beyond the traditional framework of games”, according to the company’s co-chief operating officer, Shuji Utsumi.

“To achieve this goal and elevate the business to the next level, we are conducting R&D activities to create a ‘Super Game,’ a major title that scales globally, by the fiscal year ending March 2026.”

“I encourage stakeholders to look forward to the fruit of our efforts, which include R&D to create a game that builds a whole worldview involving the entire gaming ecosystem, including not only players but also streamers who stream the game and their viewers”.

Like, in no way am I trusting SEGA of today to make "SUPER GAMES" and be more than just a game or some bullshit. I'm not selling them short, I just don't believe what they're trying to do is something they have the capacity to do.

You can call me pessimistic if you want, but the SEGA of the last few years and today have yet to prove to me that they've got vision to pull off any sort of giga selling game when they haven't for many many years.

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

I think that's a fair criticism on some level. However, if the budgets for a lot of these games is reasonably inexpensive (compared to typical big-budget AAA titles, for example), I don't see why doing more niche stuff is a problem, or leaning into nostalgia for that matter.

With the latter, if the game's good enough and taps into nostalgia well you'd get a sizable base of people spending a lot between multiple copies, collector's editions, merch & other stuff.

And going by reception to games like Sonic Mania & SOR4, they are growing their audience for these classics across platforms. That's a reason they're doing this new initiative in the first place, I'd assume.

I'm sure SEGA would love an IP that can do 15-20 million per entry and be a dominating breadwinner, but they don't necessarily need that if production and budgets for what they make are reasonable. I would actually a lot of this for other companies too, even Sony.

But in Sony's case, more as a call they hopefully tap into their own legacy IP more sufficiently with modestly-budgeted AA type traditional games, to complement the blockbuster mega-sellers they already have, and reduce the need for gluttonous GaaS budgets/funding (and the operating costs that'd be needed to sustain successful ones).



I thought ABK owned the Leisure Suit Larry IP?

Because most ppl don’t want to play that niche. I want them to make games I want to play like aliens isolation. It was probably the last thing from sega I enjoyed that’s new.

 

[Would_you_kindly]

The bots are praying for Microsoft to acquire them again

 

[Kx11]

 

[GachaMadeMeBroke]

Gimme Skies of Arcadia dammit

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

The bots are praying for Microsoft to acquire them again

They are stupid! Begging for a company to be acquired who’s games they don’t buy or play is just going to lead to those titles remaining multiplat or dying.