Metaverses are so hot right now, and it looks like Sega is making the moves to create their own. You might know the concept of ‘metaverse’ from Fortnite, Space Jam, or Ready Player One — it’s basically a hub where you can find all of your favourite brands and fictional characters, all in the same place.
Unsurprisingly, with Sega’s stable of characters, they’re looking to do the same, combining recognisable names like Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Monkey Ball, and Persona into what they’re calling a “super game“.
The company announced today that they would be partnering up with Microsoft to create these super games, using Microsoft’s “state-of-the-art” Azure cloud technology. According to Sega’s own press release on the deal, the company will be guided by the principle keywords of “global”, “online”, “community”, and “IP utilization”.
“By building mutual cooperation in fields such as SEGA’s game development capabilities and Microsoft’s state-of-the-art technology and development environment construction, we will further promote game development that can be enjoyed by game fans around the world.”
– Yukio Sugino, President and COO of SEGA
Sega is not the first company to use Microsoft’s cloud tech — two years ago, Sony also struck a deal with them, cementing a new friendship between the former/current gaming rivals. In fact, Sega also used Microsoft Azure to launch Phantasy Star Online 2 in North America.
Sega’s super game plans include rolling together their most popular series, like Total War, Football Manager, and Sonic, as well as potentially reviving “dormant” classics such as Crazy Taxi and Virtua Fighter. They’re also hoping to “optimize” their business into being more profitable, which includes mobile games and “amusement machines”, something that Konami pivoted into a few years back.
What are your hopes for Sega’s SUPER GAMES? Do you actually want to see Sonic hanging out with Total War’s military generals? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
[source sega.co.jp]