Sega may be looking to take franchises such as Persona or Yakuza into other media such as movies. This was revealed in a CNBC interview with the company’s COO Shuji Utsumi, as he discussed the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies. [Thanks, CNBC!]
During the interview, Utsumi talked about how Sega “revived” Sonic the Hedgehog through multiple new avenues, referencing movies and TV shows, along with collaborations with Roblox and Lego. He stated that this strategy could be applied to their other biggest franchises, Persona and Yakuza, suggesting that movies could be on the cards.
It’s not surprising that Sega would be interested in taking IPs such as Yakuza or Persona into movie adaptations, after the success of the Sonic movies. Of course, both franchises have been adapted into other mediums in the past. Both Persona 4 and Persona 5 have been adapted into anime and manga, while Yakuza gained a movie adaptation in 2007, directed by Takashi Miike. It’s unclear what form any new adaptations might take.
Elsewhere in the interview, Utsumi discussed some of Sega’s other strategies. With their purchase of Angry Birds developer Rovio, he hinted at a greater push towards the mobile space. He also hinted at Sega’s willingness to revive other classic IPs, although he didn’t name anything specific. He also stated that despite a few offers, Sega is not currently interested in being acquired by companies such as Microsoft any time soon.
