SEGA’s Head of Global Transmedia Group, Justin Scarpone, spoken with VGC at Gamescom Asia that the company plans follow steps from Nintendo, Capcom, and Square Enix to open its own official store in Shibuya’s Parco department complex with another store opening in Shanghai, China. The decision to launch a physical SEGA outlet was motivated by the desire to put the SEGA brand in front of more consumers in order to strengthen it and to look after fans with the already surprising amount of fandom as a brand by offering new experiences to them.
With the success of the Sonic movies and licensee deals such as Lego, SEGA’s transmedia business received a strong growth in revenue as the company now generates nearly $1 billion in annual retail sales of toys, clothing, and merchandise alone. He also noted that partnerships such as Paramount, Netflix, and even Roblox, helped the company reach a broader audience.
Scarpone’s ultimate goal is to replicate that success with other IPs such as Persona, Like a Dragon, and other SEGA IP in other territories. SEGA had a great history of having numerous stores in Japan such as the SEGA Specialty Stores until it gaming landscape changed and online shopping became more prevalent in the early 2000s. Seeing this plan come to fruition would be a dream come true for SEGA fans to visit. Will you visit the SEGA Store in Shibuya and Shanghai? What SEGA merchandise would you like to see in the official store? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: VGC
