News

SEGA’s President & Chief Publishing Officer Kenji Matsubara resigns

by

It seems that SEGA’s President and Chief Publishing Officer from SEGA has resigned this week as it was revealed via a short press release from SEGA-Sammy. The reason for his departure was listed as “personal reasons”, whatever that means. Matsubara held a few roles at SEGA like initially working as CTO for SEGA Network division before he was appointed COO of SEGA Games in 2017. He was named President and Chief Publishing Officer only four months ago, on April 2020 and has already resigned. Not a great look.

Before this Kenji Matsubara worked as CEO for Tecmo Koei and Zynga Japan, so he will most likely find work easy enough after leaving SEGA. What is your thoughts on the sudden departure of Kenji Matsubara?

3 Comments

Phantasy Star Online 2 launches on Steam on August 5th

by

Phantasy Star Online 2 has been available in North America for several months, but only for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. All that changes on August 5th when Phantasy Star Online 2 releases to Steam for PC. Along with the date announcement came a slew of special rewards which allow you to wear costumes and decorations from Half-Life, Team Fortress and Portal. This isn’t the first time SEGA and Valve joined forces, as fans might remember when Renegade Ops and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed crossed paths with Valve franchises.

Read more about the Steam rewards at the PSO2 website, and in the meantime mark your calendars for August 5th!

6 Comments

Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima present BALAN WONDERWORLD, a new platformer published by Square Enix

by

While we’re quite late in covering this, I did think it was necessary to news the reveal of Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima’s project at Square Enix seeing as we had an article about Naka’s Square Enix project last year. BALAN WONDERWORLD is an entirely new 3D action-platformer with hints of NiGHTS into Dreams and classic Squaresoft art styles. As described in the video above, the game features a costume system (of which there are over 80) which gives the player various actions. Different costumes will allow the player to solve the game’s puzzles and progress through the stages.

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

figmaPLUS SEGA Consoles collection now available for pre-order – tiny accessories for your Figma action figures!

by

If you’re unfamiliar with Figma, Figma is a Japanese action figure line produced by Max Factory and distributed by Good Smile Company. Various anime, movies, video games and even the occasional celebrity have Figma figures, what what’s so cool about them is that they are all the same scale, are super articulated and can mix and match accessories. The figmaPLUS line focuses on accessories and playsets, and of interest to SEGA fans is the figmaPLUS SEGA Consoles collection, which is now available for pre-order!

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

Koei Tecmo’s financials suggest Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers is coming west

by

You know one thing that companies don’t mess around about, that’s their money. According to the latest Koei Tecmo’s financials presentation, it was listed that Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers would be coming to North America and Europe for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The issue? No release window announced.

While Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers was published by Atlus in Japan, it was developed by Koei Tecmo’s studio Omega Force.

Would be interesting to see if Koei Tecmo or Atlus publishes this title.

[Via: Gematsu]

2 Comments

Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Sequel to be released in theaters on April 8, 2022

by


[Image by Sonic the Cosplayer]

According to Variety, Paramount Pictures has announced the official date for the sequel to this year’s box office smash for April 8, 2022. That would give the movie enough time to be filmed and go into post-production.

Not much else has been revealed about the movie sequel besides the official date. How do you feel about the Sonic the Hedgehog Movie sequel and what would you like to see in the film? Let us know in the comments below.

7 Comments

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis releasing 2021, updating original game system and graphics engine

by

Today’s Xbox Game Showcase had a surprise for SEGA fans. What initially looked like episode for Phantasy Star Online 2 turned out to be a complete overhaul to the existing game entitled Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. Dubbed “the latest entry in the series” and released to celebrate the original PSO’s 20th anniversary, the game will update PSO2’s game system and graphics engine and is planned to release on a global scale, including Japan and North America.

The official accounts have said your progress will carry over. The game will release to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Windows 10 in North America and for Japan it is set for PlayStation 4, Windows PC and the cloud (PC and Switch). More information as we hear it, and in the meantime check out the official website.

2 Comments

SEGA News Bits: Yakuza: Like A Dragon Gets English Voice Cast, Release Date and More

by

Today was a big day for Yakuza: Like a Dragon fans, as SEGA has finally went ahead and given us a big portion of the English voice actors that will be featured, plus we got a release date and several editions of the game being promoted. Check out all the news and catch the conversation as we talk everything Yakuza: Like a Dragon on this episode of SEGA News Bits.

If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

No Comments

Yakuza: Like a Dragon announced for PS5, English dub to feature George Takei

by

IGN has announced a slew of Yakuza: Like a Dragon news today! First up, the game is confirmed to be coming to PlayStation 5. Not surprising, given the game was previously announced be playable on Xbox Series X. The game is set for a November 2020 release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC with a holiday release to Xbox Series X. The PS5 version will release “at a later date”, however SEGA has confirmed an upgrade path is being planned for the PS5 version to fall in line with the Xbox Series X version’s free upgrade.

You want surprising news? The game will feature an English dub and the cast will include Star Trek actor George Takei as antagonist Masumi Arakawa. Other actors include Andrew Morgado as Koichi Adachi, Greg Chun as Yu Nanba, and Elizabeth Maxwell as Saeko Mukoda.

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

Waiting for Shin Megami Tensei V? Atlus announces 2021 world wide launch window

by

Shin Megami Tensei V was a huge deal to fans when it was announced as a exclusive for the Nintendo Switch all the way back in January 2017 during a Nintendo Direct. We learned that the game was also being developed Unreal Engine 4, which the team said would help with development and lead to less trail in error. I don’t know what happen since then, but the team has been silent until today’s Nintendo Direct Mini.

We also got a new trailer, showing more footage of demons and our team we will be playing as. Atlus has also confirmed that it will get a simultaneous world wide release, meaning we will get it day one with Japanese audiences. Very huge announcement.

“The time for creation has come, follow your will and decide the world’s fate. The newest entry to the classic RPG series from Atlus, Shin Megami Tensei V, arrives exclusively on Nintendo Switch as a simultaneous worldwide release in 2021!“

It looks at least we got a release window for Shin Megami Tensei V, I’m more excited for it. Now, can we get a release YEAR for Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4?

[Via: Siliconera]

1 Comment

Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster heading to PS4 and Switch Spring 2021

by

During the Nintendo Mini Direct earlier today, Atlus and SEGA announced that they will be making a HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne which originally came out on the PlayStation 2 back in 2003.

From the game description:

“Nocturne follows the Protagonist, a high school student in modern-day Tokyo, as he is transformed into a half-demon after the world undergoes Conception, an apocalyptic event triggered by a sinister cult to trigger the world’s rebirth in a new form. With Tokyo transformed into a Vortex World filled with demons, the Protagonist becomes instrumental to the schemes of the Reasons, beings who seek to remake the world in their image, and Lucifer, the lord of demons. The gameplay uses a turn-based battle system based on exploiting weaknesses, and a Demon recruitment system allowing the player to recruit demons found in the Vortex World to fight alongside them. “

I like that Atlus is getting more open to re-release some of their past games that weren’t really popular in the West, now that Atlus and Persona has become a brand name, it seems that Atlus are focusing on selling their older games that might have been overlooked. The game will also get a limited edition release in Japan.

[Via: Siliconera]

No Comments

Yakuza Kiwami 2 coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 through Xbox Game Pass

by

SEGA has announced that Yakuza Kiwami 2 will be releasing to Xbox One and Windows 10 through the Xbox Game Pass service on July 30, 2020. The game joins Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami which are already on the digital service. Like Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an HD remake, this time of Yakuza 2. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the first Xbox One and Windows 10 game in the series to utilize Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s powerful Dragon Engine.

What are your thoughts on Yakuza venturing out to other platforms? What Yakuza game would you like to see next on the Game Pass service? Sound off in the comments below!

3 Comments

Garou: Mark of the Wolves getting a physical release by Limited Run Games on PS4

by

Garou: Mark of the Wolves, along with Street Fighter: Third Strike where both really great fighting games and both ended a ‘2D pixel’ style of fighting games. And boy, did the genre leave in a high note. I still consider these two games to be the best available on the Dreamcast. Not only was it a ‘end of a era’ of these type of stylish fighting games, but it was also the end of an era as a SEGA fan.

But we can still relive those fighting games on PlayStation 4 and if you dislike digital distribution you can get yourself a physical version of Garou: Mark of the Wolves later on this month. Plus Garou also got an update with way better netcode, so differently work supporting

No Comments

Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! gets a Limited Run Games release on July 31

by


Limited Run Games has announced today that Grounding Inc.’s Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! will be receiving a release on July 31st. The game is a followup to the Dreamcast originals, but utilizing PlayStation VR hardware. No word yet on price, method of release (open pre-order or limited number) or if a special edition box is planned. But my fingers are crossed for a classic release containing a Dreamcast-style case. More news as we hear it!

It has also been confirmed by @LimitedRunJosh that the Hatsune Miku DLC will not be included in the physical release due to licensing reasons.

3 Comments