We all know that Sega makes excellent games, and the last few years have been incredible in that regard. Just last year, it was revealed that the former Japanese console manufacturer was Meta Critics' highest-ranked publisher in 2024, and there is every reason to believe that they will continue to do well in 2025 thanks to hits such as Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Two Point Museum, and Sonic Racing: Crossworlds.
But... despite the media's love for Sega's titles, many gamers have been more hesitant, and the high ratings have not been matched by equally high sales. PC Gamer now reports that Sega is therefore ready to test a new strategy to get more people to give Sega's products a try. In a new financial report, Sega Sammy boss Haruki Satomi writes the following in the Q&A section:
"While the development costs per title for our mainstay titles are lower compared to so-called AAA titles in the industry, we recognize that our strength lies in the relatively high acclaim we receive for quality. On the other hand, we also recognize that such high evaluations have yet to translate into a further increase in unit sales."
Sega believes the solution to the problem is even better games, but also a greater focus on different types of marketing. They explain their strategy going forward:
"While continuing to hone our development capabilities—the source of our strength—we believe there is still significant room for improvement and earnings upside in our 'power to sell,' namely our marketing and sales mechanisms. As explained earlier, we are currently undergoing reforms in this area to realize a scale-up in sales."
That said, it's not all doom and gloom. Even though Sega's games deserve more players, they're still selling pretty well, and Sega's also mentioning that the income from all of Sonic's endeavours, like movies, is bringing in record profits for them.