Sega is in a bit of a weird spot. While its core franchises, like Sonic: The Hedgehog, Like a Dragon, and Persona, continue to perform well, it was recently forced to write off $200 million due to the underwhelming purchase of Angry Birds creator, Rovio.
The Rovio acquisition came alongside major free-to-play, Games as a Service ambitions for Sega, with the company pledging to spend up to ¥100 billion ($882 million) on a "Super Game" and reviving old IP, like Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio, as online GaaS titles.
It seems, however, after some underwhelming results for the company, and likely across the wider gaming landscape, Sega is winding down these ambitions, admitting it has already moved 100 developers to its "mainstay IPs".
Following the likes of Fortnite, the gaming landscape has undergone a seismic shift, and we've seen developers chasing the live-service golden goose, often with disastrous results. Concord is one example, Highguard another, and Sega's own Hyenas was shut down before it even saw the light of day.
The number of live-service failures, plus the self-described "weak performance of Sonic Rumble Party", has led Sega to re-evaluate its plans going forward....
