The company attributed its rise in profits to the six games it had released over the last fiscal year, which have sold roughly 6.57 million copies (down from 9.23 million the previous year). Sega’s older games, on the other hand, have seen a rise in sales totalling 24.87 million copies compared to the previous year’s 18.66 million. Revenue from this amounted to a rise of around 29.6 percent.

In its earnings report, the company also said that some of its more recent releases – Sonic X Shadow Generations, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii – have been showing strong commercial performance. Sega said that its cancellation of Football Manager 25 would have had a larger negative impact on its revenues and profits were it not for the recent releases, as well as DLC for older games.

Football Manager 25’s cancellation was announced back in February. The studio behind the management sim, Sports Interactive, revealed it decided to start working on the next iteration instead. In its announcement, it said the extra time it gets from skipping the year would help raise the quality of the next title.

“Whilst many areas of the game have hit our targets, the overarching player experience and interface is not where we need it to be,” said the studio in its announcement. “As extensive evaluation has demonstrated, including consumer playtesting, we have clear validation for the new direction of the game and are getting close – however, we’re too far away from the standards you deserve.”

The company’s mobile gaming and PC online games division also saw a dip in revenue because there hadn’t been new releases that could contribute to sales figures. According to the report, the division made $318 million, a 12.6 percent drop from the previous financial year.

Back in March, Sega had confirmed that sales for its new RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio were quite strong and that it would exceed the company’s initial forecasts. The company had also confirmed similarly strong performance from platforming title Sonic X Shadow Generations.

The most recent release by the company has been Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, which is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review for more details.

A reduction of fixed expenses for group companies in the relevant region, focused on Creative Assembly, will also be implemented. Despite the above, the company continues to consider “measures to improve profitability in European bases apart from above. We will announce the specific details and impact from them as soon as we make a decision.”

However, due to the above measures, Sega Sammy expects to incur record losses of 14.3 billion yen (approximately $95,804,995) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. There is no change to its full-year consolidated operating results forecast for the same period. Based on new titles launching in the third quarter and the performance of its Amusement Machine Sales Area, it will revise the forecast as necessary.

Slated for a 2023 release, HYENAS was an extraction shooter where three-player teams would scavenge artifacts in a post-apocalyptic setting. It was to release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC, with a closed beta concluding earlier this month on Steam. Whether its cancellation will lead to changes at Creative Assembly remains to be seen, so stay tuned.

As a result, the company will continue to update it and aim to “expand sales.” The first major update for the title arrives in November and adds four new Demons, a Dash function, and High-Speed Battle Mode. Interestingly, Two Point Studios’ Two Point Campus also struggled somewhat.

Despite a record high number of users and user evaluations, its unit sales were “weaker than expected.” It did have one million players within two weeks, but it seems that didn’t translate into sales.

Soul Hackers 2 is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC – check out our official review here. Two Point Campus is also out on the same platforms and Nintendo Switch. You can check out our review of it here.

The “multifaceted rollout” for the series includes toys, pachislot and pachinko machines, packaged titles, digital titles and so on. While this represents a difference of 500,000 sales from the fiscal year ending March 2021, the Persona 5 series is worth noting. Its four titles – Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, and Persona 5 Strikers – have sold 7.22 million units cumulatively.

They make up 46.6 percent of the franchise’s total sales, with 77 percent generated by overseas consumers. Since Persona 5 Royal recently released for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, sales could be even higher heading into next year. It was last reported to have sold 1.8 million units as of June 2021.

Sega has announced that it’s restructuring its business, splitting console/PC gaming and pachinko effective April 1st. Both companies will be owned by Sega Sammy and despite name changes to directors, executive officers and representative directors, that there are “no changes in the names, locations, business content, capital or fiscal year end.” One interesting change, though, is that chief creative officer Toshihiro Nagoshi is stepping down.

Nagoshi, better known for founding Ryu ga Gotoku Studio and creating the Yakuza series, isn’t leaving though. Instead, he’s taking on the role of creative director. This could indicate a more hands-on approach with development. Over the past several years, Nagoshi has served as executive director for various titles in the Yakuza franchise like Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2 and so on.

He’s also had an executive producer role in titles like Sakura Wars, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020, Team Sonic Racing and so on. Time will tell how these changes affect Sega in the long-term especially with regards to Nagoshi’s output. In the meantime, stay tuned for more details.

Sega 32X

Releasing an add-on for the Sega Genesis that would allow for playing 32-bit titles – what could possibly go wrong? As it turns out with the Sega 32X, everything. The idea seemed fairly optimistic but maybe the 32X would find a niche for those willing to invest in it. As it turns out, Sega ruined that promise as well, both because of the rush to release it and from the announcement of the Sega Saturn which would present “true” 32-bit gaming, that too with CD-ROMs. Because the add-on was rushed, there weren’t nearly enough games and it failed to attract developers when more appealing consoles were on the horizon.

Alien: Isolation starts off with the player taking the role of Amanda Ripley, daughter of series heroine Ellen Ripley. Set fifteen years after the original 1979 classic, Amanda has never stopped searching for her mother, who was on the Nostromo when it went missing. One day she is approached by a Weyland-Yutani representative told that the crew of the Sevastopol space station has found the Nostromo’s flight recorder. Amanda wastes no time in traveling to the Sevastopol to potentially hear the final moments of her mother’s life. Unfortunately for her, the Sevastopol has been set upon by the same life form that caused the terrible events of the Nostromo.

"Amanda wastes no time in traveling to the Sevastopol to potentially hear the final moments of her mother’s life. "

First and foremost, Isolation is a stealth game. There are segments where you may need to use your pistol to combat android and human enemies, but most of the time it will benefit you more to just sneak around them. Human enemies are easily dispatched using your various weapons and crafted items, but the androids are much more resilient. And the Xenomorph? Well, the Xenomorph is invincible. The only recourse you have with it is fire, so when you eventually get the flamethrower or molotovs, you can use them to scare it off momentarily (and I mean momentarily). However, if you use them too much, the creature will only be stunned for a few seconds before pouncing on you.

There aren’t many encounters in the game that pit you against human/android enemies, most of the time you will be making your way through the station avoiding the Xenomorph. Thankfully this is the case, because I felt like the parts where you are pitted against the other enemies, especially the androids, were among the weakest in the game. Human encounters are mostly fine, they are usually circumvented easily, and in some cases you can lure the Xenomorph to kill them with a well placed distraction. This isn’t the case with the androids though, as the Xenomorph will not attack them. Add to that the fact that they will swarm your position when alerted and take entirely too much damage to kill, and you have yourself a recipe for frustration. The saving grace here is that these encounters are few and far between.

I’m kind of a chicken when it comes to horror games. I deplore when a game uses a large amount of cheap jump scares to startle the player. It’s lazy and there’s no craftsmanship to it. I’ve been turned off on a lot of horror games due to this. And while this trope is in Isolation, the game knows it has to earn those moments, and it never puts you into that situation deliberately. What I mean by this is that whenever the game has a jump scare, it is something dynamic, and could often have been avoided by careful observations of one’s surroundings. For instance, you could round a corner and find the Xenomorph right there staring at you. It isn’t because the Xenomorph suddenly appeared there, it is because you weren’t using your motion tracker and peeking around corners.

"Whenever the game has a jump scare, it is something dynamic, and could often have been avoided by careful observations of one’s surroundings."

Isolation is a game where you need to be careful of your surroundings. Being careless will always lead to a quick impaling by the Xenomorph. To aid in your endeavor you are given a motion tracker, and the ability to craft items. Among these items are noisemakers, emp grenades, medpacks, and molotov cocktails. You’ll need to collect blueprints for each item before you can craft it, and they are easily missed if you are just speeding through areas trying to get away from the alien as fast as possible. Exploring areas to find these blueprints is key, as you will find later segments much easier when you have them.

The Xenomorph is the most impressive thing about Alien: Isolation. I don’t say that lightly either, I could write an essay on it’s dynamic AI alone. The Xenomorph is a one hit kill when it finds you, forcing players to avoid detection at all cost. He’s going to follow you throughout the game, and when you don’t see him you will always feel his presence. You’ll wander down corridors, and through rooms trying to complete your objective, all the while picking up the odd blip on your tracker, to remind you that you’re never truly isolated. You can hide under desks, in cabinets, and in lockers, but if you aren’t holding your breath the Xenomorph will hear you and rip you from safety. The creature is dangerous, and it demands you respect that fact if you want to make it to the end.

"The Xenomorph is the most impressive thing about Alien: Isolation. "

The attention to detail in this game is staggering. It is a faithful recreation of the technology from the first film. Computers use old DOS prompts, handheld devices are big and bulky with mechanical button inputs instead of our now modern touch screens. On top of this everything uses rudimentary graphic design reminiscent of the Atari 2600. In fact, one of the small hacking minigames uses designs from the Alien Pac-Man clone for the 2600. Its not just the technology though, the designers have gone through painstaking measures to create the look and feel of the 1979 classic in the design of the ship’s interior. I recently watched the first movie again in preparation for this review and I was amazed by how accurate everything turned out to be.

I normally don’t acknowledge sound design in games. A lot of the time it is pretty negligible to my experience with them. I play a lot of games wearing headphones, but I feel like developers very rarely put a lot of effort into designing their sound around that type of immersion. It’s clear that this wasn’t the case with Alien: Isolation. Busted pipes hiss, vents creak, computer hard drives write, and the loudspeakers blare announcements. These small things go far in giving ambient sound to the environment and bring it to life. Add to this the recut score from the original film during sequences with the Xenomorph and you have some of the best sound design in recent years.

"The attention to detail in this game is staggering. It is a faithful recreation of the technology from the first film."

I’ve seen some people say that they thought the game was too long, I don’t share this opinion. I definitely understand where they are coming from, but for me it was more of an issue with pacing. There are at least two points where the game seems to ramp up to a climax, but doesn’t end. Honestly this didn’t bother me. To me, this is part of the Alien experience with the movie franchise also sharing the “False end” trope. I appreciated this game’s 18+ hour length as a fan of the movies and can’t get enough. In fact, I will probably play all of the DLC just to get more time with it.

Overall Alien: Isolation is the game Alien fans have been waiting for. In spite of the numerous broken promises in the last 35 years, Creative Assembly has successfully formatted a love letter to fans of the franchise, one that has taken far too long to get here. A golden standard has been set for all future titles in the Alien universe. Simply put, Isolation is the definitive Alien game that no fan should miss out on.

This game was reviewed on the Playstation 4.

Sega has today confirmed that it will close a number of offices in Europe as a part of its restructuring process. They had mentioned in the past that they will concentrate only on profitable IPs and the digital space to turnaround the company.

Offices in France, Germany, Spain, Australia and Benelux are being shut down, and Koch Media, Level03 Distribution and 5 Star Games will distribute their products in these countries.

“SEGA is entering a new and exciting phase that will position the company as a content led organisation maximising sales with strong and balanced IP such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and the Aliens franchise,” said Jurgen Post, COO of SEGA Europe.

“The company will benefit from a clear focus and realigned strategy for our digital business and packaged goods and we are confident that this will lead to a successful future.”

The official reason given for this is was due to “a result of the recent restructure it will be shifting business to focus on developing new and existing digital content as well as driving key IP for packaged goods. SEGA has therefore realigned its business strategy and will be closing their offices in France, Germany, Spain, Australia and Benelux.”

This is indeed pretty sad and hopefully this should benefit the company in the long term and make them profitable.

Sega has posted a loss of 7.1 billion Yen, which amounts to $80 million roughly. The situation is so bad that most new games in development have been cancelled and the company will be concentrating on key franchises like “Total War”, “Sonic”, and “Football Manager” which are expected to bring in profits.

The restructuring process will take place soon and hopefully the company will recover its earnings slowly.

“The Company decided to implement structural reform of the Consumer Business at Sega Corporation to strive for a shift to a structure corresponding to the market environment for the purpose of earnings recovery in the following period and after,” read the PR.

It remains to be seen whether good IPs like Bayonetta and Binary Domain are used, or whether they stop creating new IPs till they recover.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

[Press Release]

It seems like Sega-Sammy is on a roll; they’ve posted a profit of $450 million. They commented on the Thailand floods just like Sony and how it affected their business, but it seems like overall the good sales of games’ negated that.

They also revealed the game shipments and arcade sales for Q3, and it is quite good. Mario and Sonic at the London Olympics was the standout performer with 2.3 million copies sold.

Check out the complete figures below.

Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games – Wii Only 2.390 Million copy

Sonic Generations – 360/PS3/PC/3DS 1.630 Million copy

HATSUNE MIKU Project DIVA extend – PSP 290 thousands of copies

Strong download titles

KINGDOM CONQUEST

Ryu Ga Gotoku Mobile

Arcade Sales in Q3

StarHorse3 Season I　A NEW LEGEND BEGINS 3.3 Billion Yen

WORLD CLUB Champion Football Intercontinental Clubs Series 3.1 Billion Yen

SEGA NETWORK MAHJONG MJ5 2.7 Billion Yen

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.