In 2021, Sega published an annual report touting the strength of its business and a new "priority strategy" for the coming five years: the creation of a "Super Game," which would "stand head and shoulders above normal games." The plan, at the time, was for that game with global appeal to launch by March 2026. This week, Sega announced it was canceled.
And not just canceled—canceled as part of a striking decision to "lower the priority of F2P" in its future plans, with some 100 developers already transferred away to work on "Full Game" development—the old-fashioned kind you pay for up front and then own.
Sega cited the disappointing results of the free-to-play Sonic Rumble Party as one reason for the pullback, but given the five year investment, I think it's clear that far more went into the decision than that one data point. Sega, like everyone else, has seen the risks of big bets on lavishly expensive live service games in the last few years:
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