A new Sega financial presentation suggests that the legendary gaming company might be looking to bring back some of its IPs. Dormant properties listed in the presentation include Panzer Dragoon, Virtua Fighter, House of the Dead, and more.
What IPs could Sega be looking to bring back?
This news comes via the Sega Sammy 2020-21 fiscal year financial presentation, which you can take a look at here. In the presentation, Sega affirms its desire to make its existing IPs into a "global brand", listing the upcoming simultaneous release of Lost Judgment and new Sonic the Hedgehog visual media as examples. Perhaps most interestingly, Sega also includes a couple of slides under the heading "Utilization of IP Assets", which discuss how the copmany can utilize its IPs "after careful examination".
The slide divides Sega's IPs into "active" and "dormant" categories, with Sonic, Yakuza, and Megami Tensei being listed as active franchises. Under the "dormant" category, classic IPs like Streets of Rage (the fourth installment of which launched last year, but didn't directly involve Sega), Virtua Fighter, and Panzer Dragoon are listed. Beneath the IP lists, Sega shows how it would approach reviving these IPs. First, it would remaster, or "convert past titles to HD animation". After this, it would create remakes in which significant new gameplay features were added. Finally, IPs could be rebooted, building entirely new games while "maintaining look and feel" of the original. These potential revivals - and the increased business Sega is hoping they'll bring - are targeted for the 2024 fiscal year.
What else did we learn from Sega's financial presentation?
As well as news that Sega could be planning to revive old IPs, there's some more exciting info buried in the financial presentation. Sega makes reference to what it calls a "Super Game", a new first-person shooter in development at one of the company's European development studios. While we don't yet have any details regarding what that project might be, it's clear Sega is putting a lot of faith into it. The game is due to arrive in the 2026 financial year, and will presumably be a massive-budget title.
It's possible that the new "Super Game" could be the first-person shooter for which Sega studio Creative Assembly began advertising a couple of years ago. In that ad, Creative Assembly says it's "working on an exciting, brand-new sci-fi shooter" and highlights itself as the developer of Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2, suggesting the tone of the new game could be similar to those titles. The studio describes it as an "ambitious multiplayer title" allowing players to experiment with a variety of playstyles, which would gel with Sega's "Super Game" project. We'll have to wait and see if Sega reveals more details in the coming weeks and months.
What Sega IP would you like to see revived? What do you want the "Super Game" to be? Let us know in the comments below!