Sega has announced that it's canceling live-service multiplayer shooter Hyenas, alongside several other projects, as part of a "structural reform".
In an official notice on its website, Sega says the cancellation of Hyenas is the result of "lowered" profitability in Europe, which in turn has been brought about by "reactionary decline from the stay-at-home demand in COVID-19" and the European "economic downturn".
As a result, Hyenas, which was in development at British studio Creative Assembly, is being shuttered, along with "some unannounced titles under development".
In addition to cancelling these projects, Sega also says it will implement "reduction of various fixed expenses at several group companies" in Europe, mostly revolving around Creative Assembly.
These reforms have led Sega to revise its financial forecast to a loss of around 14.3 billion yen for the 2023-24 fiscal year. However, Sega says it expects "no changes" to its full-year consolidated operating results.
This is due to the arrival of "several new titles, including mainstay IPs", from quarter three onwards. Sega's upcoming slate for this period includes Total War: Pharaoh, new Persona projects, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, among others.
Luckily, it looks like none of these projects will be impacted by Sega's "structural reform", so if you're looking forward to a major Sega release (that isn't Hyenas), you're safe for now.
This news comes after Sega's financials back in August revealed that its games sold below expectations during the first quarter of the financial year.
In its rundown of the games arriving in the second half of the fiscal year back then, Sega included the aforementioned Like a Dragon Gaiden and Persona projects, as well as Hyenas.
Indeed, Hyenas held a closed beta test just a couple of weeks ago, so this news has arrived somewhat out of the blue.
Still, amid what appears to be a general decline in public attitudes towards new live-service games, maybe cancelling this one makes sense. Stay tuned for more info on all things Sega.
