Golden Axe - Official Thread

[Berto]

Golden Axe (2026) - "Rideable Beast - Game vs Show" Trailer







https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT7dZQGv2QQ

Join them all on Paramount+!

Link : https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/golden-axe/

[Mystic Monkey]

From the comments I read, there were people that didn't know that the show was based from a video game. Well, now they at least know, not sure if it's gonna have effect for the upcoming game though.

Y'see? This is why I believe it will be a slog for Sega to revive their classic franchises. I'm not saying they shouldn't and that it's not like there isn't any fans left of the old games, but I believe the reason why Shinobi: Art of Vengeance didn;t do as well as Sega hoped for is because there wasn't much left of the Shinobi fanbase and Ninja Gaiden marketed other games that year as well.

My suggestions would be:

• More Sega All-Star games to bring more attention to various classic Sega franchises and characters as a whole.
• "Sonic Origins" being the first in a series of compilations of games remade for modern computers.

For example, before releasing the new Golden Axe game, why not release "Golden Axe Origins" which consist of Golden Axe, Golden Axe II, Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder and Golden Axe III?

Perhaps releasing a "Shinobi Origins" before Art of Vengeance would've made sales more pleasing, if the audience knew of/remembered Shinobi beforehand.

And while we're at it, if you're not going to put Crazy Taxi back on Steam, why not Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars instead with Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller added to it?

Wasn't the whole point of Sonic Origins was both for Sega to see if Sonic's first games were still appealing to the current audience as well as  introducing and familiarising them with Sonic's past? They should probably do the same with Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, Jet Set Radio and Golden Axe before marketing their new games.

Can't Sega at least re-list the Dreamcast Collection on Steam?

[Berto]

Y'see? This is why I believe it will be a slog for Sega to revive their classic franchises. I'm not saying they shouldn't and that it's not like there isn't any fans left of the old games, but I believe the reason why Shinobi: Art of Vengeance didn;t do as well as Sega hoped for is because there wasn't much left of the Shinobi fanbase and Ninja Gaiden marketed other games that year as well.

My suggestions would be:

• More Sega All-Star games to bring more attention to various classic Sega franchises and characters as a whole.
• "Sonic Origins" being the first in a series of compilations of games remade for modern computers.

For example, before releasing the new Golden Axe game, why not release "Golden Axe Origins" which consist of Golden Axe, Golden Axe II, Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder and Golden Axe III?

Perhaps releasing a "Shinobi Origins" before Art of Vengeance would've made sales more pleasing, if the audience knew of/remembered Shinobi beforehand.

And while we're at it, if you're not going to put Crazy Taxi back on Steam, why not Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars instead with Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller added to it?

Wasn't the whole point of Sonic Origins was both for Sega to see if Sonic's first games were still appealing to the current audience as well as  introducing and familiarising them with Sonic's past? They should probably do the same with Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, Jet Set Radio and Golden Axe before marketing their new games.

Can't Sega at least re-list the Dreamcast Collection on Steam?

The thing about Sonic Origins is ... they're not just a collection of roms, far far more than that.
Christian "Taxman" Whitehead's remastered mobile ports of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic CD served as the foundational base for Sonic Origins (2022).
In the hand of Taxman, Sonic Origins allowed for smooth widescreen (16:9) presentations and fluid frame rates since he made all the games again from scratch with the existing graphics instead of just doing rom hack or rom modification.
So if SEGA released Origins version of any other franchises, fans would want that smooth widescreen (16:9) presentations and fluid frame rates too in it and it's not an easy task to do.

[Mystic Monkey]

The thing about Sonic Origins is ... they're not just a collection of roms, far far more than that.
Christian "Taxman" Whitehead's remastered mobile ports of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic CD served as the foundational base for Sonic Origins (2022).
In the hand of Taxman, Sonic Origins allowed for smooth widescreen (16:9) presentations and fluid frame rates since he made all the games again from scratch with the existing graphics instead of just doing rom hack or rom modification.
So if SEGA released Origins version of any other franchises, fans would want that smooth widescreen (16:9) presentations and fluid frame rates too in it and it's not an easy task to do.

I know Sonic Origins is a remaster, and yeah, same should go for other Origins games. And even if it is no easy task, would it not be worth it? I just don't want Sega to have the mentality of "Well, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance didn't market well. Best stick with the modern franchises that work than bother with the classic franchises."

And yes, being remasters, means these games will not be a direct emulator and must be done-up from the ground up. But Sega could still hire the right people who understand the source-material for the project, such as LizardCube! Even if Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was a bit different from past Shinobi games, they made other games such as Streets of Rage 4 and Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap which show they understood the source-material.

If Sega released a "Golden Axe Origins" game...

• It would reintroduce these classic games to the modern audience.
• Present the tetralogy as remastered, smooth, widescreen games, whichb would leave more of a positive impression to the new players while pleasing the veteran fans.
• When the new Golden Axe game comes out, more of an audience will be familiar with it, thus more customers.

It's as you said with the animated series, there were some who didn't even knew it was based on a game. Granted, we don't know how many did not know, but I still believe that if Sega does want to revive old franchises with new games, they should reintroduce the old ones all spruced up.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance had good marketing, but not enough sales. They would've likely had more sales if the "modern" Sega audience (late-Zoomers and Alphas) were more familiar with the Shinobi series at the time.

If Sega were planning a brand-new Ecco the Dolphin game any time soon, there best bet would be to wait until after "Ecco the Dolphin: Complete" is released, so that modern audience will be familiar with Ecco through those remastered games, than jumping in the deep end with a dolphin they're not familiar with.

[Berto]

I know Sonic Origins is a remaster, and yeah, same should go for other Origins games. And even if it is no easy task, would it not be worth it? I just don't want Sega to have the mentality of "Well, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance didn't market well. Best stick with the modern franchises that work than bother with the classic franchises."

And yes, being remasters, means these games will not be a direct emulator and must be done-up from the ground up. But Sega could still hire the right people who understand the source-material for the project, such as LizardCube! Even if Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was a bit different from past Shinobi games, they made other games such as Streets of Rage 4 and Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap which show they understood the source-material.

If Sega released a "Golden Axe Origins" game...

• It would reintroduce these classic games to the modern audience.
• Present the tetralogy as remastered, smooth, widescreen games, whichb would leave more of a positive impression to the new players while pleasing the veteran fans.
• When the new Golden Axe game comes out, more of an audience will be familiar with it, thus more customers.

It's as you said with the animated series, there were some who didn't even knew it was based on a game. Granted, we don't know how many did not know, but I still believe that if Sega does want to revive old franchises with new games, they should reintroduce the old ones all spruced up.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance had good marketing, but not enough sales. They would've likely had more sales if the "modern" Sega audience (late-Zoomers and Alphas) were more familiar with the Shinobi series at the time.

Remastering is not a quick task.
Even Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap needed 3 years to make, and that's just only 1 game.
Would you wait for Golden Axe Origins for 10-12 years since it has 4 games in it?
The only company who could do 2D remaster such at incredible speed thing is M2 but right now they're still busy with their own project.

If Sega were planning a brand-new Ecco the Dolphin game any time soon, there best bet would be to wait until after "Ecco the Dolphin: Complete" is released, so that modern audience will be familiar with Ecco through those remastered games, than jumping in the deep end with a dolphin they're not familiar with.

SEGA never have any plan to make a new Ecco the Dolphin game.
If there's a new game for it, it would come from its creator, Ed Annunziata and his Ecco Online team instead (same case with Shenmue and Toejam & Earl).

[Berto]

Golden Axe (2026) - "Oh no, he's hot!" Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpWphYlGJvM

Join them all on Paramount+!

Link : https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/golden-axe/

[Mystic Monkey]

Remastering is not a quick task.
Even Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap needed 3 years to make, and that's just only 1 game.
Would you wait for Golden Axe Origins for 10-12 years since it has 4 games in it?
The only company who could do 2D remaster such at incredible speed thing is M2 but right now they're still busy with their own project.

Will it take 10-12 years? Because if they can at least do it in a few months, as long as it's before the new Golden Axe game, that's what matters.

But if it's too late, then it's too late.

It's either that or a compilation of emulated games. Unless Sega are working on a Golden Axe Origins game alongside the new Golden Axe game, the marketing may be similar to Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. Especially given (while TBA date has not been given) other fantasy games that will be released in a few years time that may compete interest in that genre. Such as God of War Trilogy Remake or The Witcher IV.

SEGA never have any plan to make a new Ecco the Dolphin game.
If there's a new game for it, it would come from its creator, Ed Annunziata and his Ecco Online team instead (same case with Shenmue and Toejam & Earl).

Then if they decide to make a new Ecco the Dolphin game, it's a good idea they are remastering the original games for players to re-familiarise themselves with Ecco.

Golden Axe (2026) - "Oh no, he's hot!" Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpWphYlGJvM







Link : https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/golden-axe/

[Berto]

Will it take 10-12 years? Because if they can at least do it in a few months, as long as it's before the new Golden Axe game, that's what matters.

But if it's too late, then it's too late.

It's either that or a compilation of emulated games.

That compilation of emulated rom games is already exist and it's free



... on mobile.

And also already available compiled with other 40+ games for modern systems.

Unless Sega are working on a Golden Axe Origins game alongside the new Golden Axe game, the marketing may be similar to Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. Especially given (while TBA date has not been given) other fantasy games that will be released in a few years time that may compete interest in that genre. Such as God of War Trilogy Remake or The Witcher IV.
Then if they decide to make a new Ecco the Dolphin game, it's a good idea they are remastering the original games for players to re-familiarise themselves with Ecco.

Recently Takashi Iizuka explained that remaking an old game today takes almost as much effort as building a new title from scratch.
That's why they now prefer to invest their resources in brand-new games and surprises rather than remakes and remasters.



Article : https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/04/440058

[Berto]

Choose your warrior. ⚔️

Celebrate the heroes of Golden Axe with three character-inspired designs, featuring iconic designs for fans of the legendary fantasy series.
Which warrior will you choose? 

Shop now: https://amzn.to/4yRO4UX

[Mystic Monkey]

That compilation of emulated rom games is already exist and it's free



... on mobile.

So limited audience/

And also already available compiled with other 40+ games for modern systems.

So NO audience, given Sega Mega Drive Classics is delisted.

Recently Takashi Iizuka explained that remaking an old game today takes almost as much effort as building a new title from scratch.
That's why they now prefer to invest their resources in brand-new games and surprises rather than remakes and remasters.



Article : https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/10/04/440058

I understand that, but my points still stands that reintroducing the classic games will help marketing with the brand-new games.

Let's say, Resident Evil Requiem was the first ever Resident Evil game. It's graphics would give it a marketing edge, but being a brand-new game would still give it a limited audience to start a fanbase over. But given how active the Resident Evil series is, as well as remakes of the classic Resident Evil games for modern consoles, Resident Evil has one of the biggest fandoms out there!

I really don't mean to sounds like a downer over it, but it just seems the logical reason why Shinobi: Art of Vengeance didn't profit as well as Sega hoped for, and that the new Golden Axe game may end up the same way, because the current Golden Axe fandom probably consist of a few dozen-thousand fans who have stuck around (or still alive) for so long. The television series may have brought some fresh blood to the franchise, but how much exactly? And how many of those new fans will have the same mindset of the TV series for the new game or the old ones? The new Golden Axe game will mostly have brand-new players going in blind with it.

And if Sega doesn't want to make these remastered compilations, can't they hire another developer to make them? Let Lizardcube work on a Golden Axe compilation while Sega work on the new Golden Axe game.

[Berto]

So limited audience/So NO audience, given Sega Mega Drive Classics is delisted.

No audience? Just because it's delisted on Steam doesn't mean it's gone anywhere else
Physical version for Switch and PS4 (and these are big playerbase, not limited) are still available anywhere.
Even the gamestore near my place still have them.

I understand that, but my points still stands that reintroducing the classic games will help marketing with the brand-new games.

Let's say, Resident Evil Requiem was the first ever Resident Evil game. It's graphics would give it a marketing edge, but being a brand-new game would still give it a limited audience to start a fanbase over. But given how active the Resident Evil series is, as well as remakes of the classic Resident Evil games for modern consoles, Resident Evil has one of the biggest fandoms out there!

I really don't mean to sounds like a downer over it, but it just seems the logical reason why Shinobi: Art of Vengeance didn't profit as well as Sega hoped for, and that the new Golden Axe game may end up the same way, because the current Golden Axe fandom probably consist of a few dozen-thousand fans who have stuck around (or still alive) for so long. The television series may have brought some fresh blood to the franchise, but how much exactly? And how many of those new fans will have the same mindset of the TV series for the new game or the old ones? The new Golden Axe game will mostly have brand-new players going in blind with it.

And if Sega doesn't want to make these remastered compilations, can't they hire another developer to make them? Let Lizardcube work on a Golden Axe compilation while Sega work on the new Golden Axe game.

I can already imagine the negotiation.

SEGA : Can you make remake for our Shinobi games (Shinobi, Revenge, Shadow Dancer, and Shinobi 3) for a collection?
Lizardcube: Sure, depended on how long the deadline is.
SEGA : 3 years?
Lizardcube : No then, we need 3-4 years just to make one game, Wonder Boy: Dragon's Trap back then, let alone 4 games.
SEGA : How about a totally new Shinobi game?
Lizardcube: Sure.

And that's how Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was born. The game was developed by Lizardcube afterall and they don't take any other project while making this game.

[Mystic Monkey]

No audience? Just because it's delisted on Steam doesn't mean it's gone anywhere else
Physical version for Switch and PS4 (and these are big playerbase, not limited) are still available anywhere.
Even the gamestore near my place still have them.

Sure, but delisted from Steam means customers who can't get physical copies will less likely get digital copies.

I can already imagine the negotiation.

SEGA : Can you make remake for our Shinobi games (Shinobi, Revenge, Shadow Dancer, and Shinobi 3) for a collection?
Lizardcube: Sure, depended on how long the deadline is.
SEGA : 3 years?
Lizardcube : No then, we need 3-4 years just to make one game, Wonder Boy: Dragon's Trap back then, let alone 4 games.
SEGA : How about a totally new Shinobi game?
Lizardcube: Sure.

And that's how Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was born. The game was developed by Lizardcube afterall and they don't take any other project while making this game.

Yeah, but again, while Sega marketed Shinobi:AoV well, it still didn't sold as much as they hoped.

[Berto]

Sure, but delisted from Steam means customers who can't get physical copies will less likely get digital copies.

Yes, I'm just saying that the audiences are still big even witohut PC gamers.
Beside unlike console gamers, PC gamers could just find the roms and emulator in a few minutes.

Yeah, but again, while Sega marketed Shinobi:AoV well, it still didn't sold as much as they hoped.

In term of numbers, Shinobi:AoV and Crossworlds actually sold a lot, but financially they're not a success since that number came during sale.
Only few people pre-ordered them or bought day one in full price.
That's really different with Persona, Yakuza, Total War, and Football Manager franchises.
For 2027 releases, pre-order numbers for Persona 4 Revival and Stranger Than Heaven are so damn huge! The wishlists too ... they even reached one million each.

[Mystic Monkey]

Yes, I'm just saying that the audiences are still big even witohut PC gamers.
Beside unlike console gamers, PC gamers could just find the roms and emulator in a few minutes.

That's true. Nature finds a way... sort of.

In term of numbers, Shinobi:AoV and Crossworlds actually sold a lot, but financially they're not a success since that number came during sale.
Only few people pre-ordered them or bought day one in full price.
That's really different with Persona, Yakuza, Total War, and Football Manager franchises.
For 2027 releases, pre-order numbers for Persona 4 Revival and Stranger Than Heaven are so damn huge! The wishlists too ... they even reached one million each.

So what are Persona, Yakuza, Total War, and Football Manager doing right that Sonic, Shinobi and likely future classic-remakes do wrong?

Because I myself would like to see Sega revive the old classics, but don't want them in a mentality of "If Persona, Yakuza, Total War, and Football Manager are working well, but the classics are not, then don't bother wit the classics."

[Berto]

That's true. Nature finds a way... sort of. So what are Persona, Yakuza, Total War, and Football Manager doing right that Sonic, Shinobi and likely future classic-remakes do wrong?

Because I myself would like to see Sega revive the old classics, but don't want them in a mentality of "If Persona, Yakuza, Total War, and Football Manager are working well, but the classics are not, then don't bother wit the classics."

Other than SEGA, may be there's a factor from the fanbase too I guess. They're joined by the new generations that can adapt change nicely and aren't bitter whenever SEGA or Atlus' announcing something new to the franchise.

Persona Dancing game? Persona fighting game? Persona musou game? Cool.
Total War leap from a realistic history setting to fantasy setting with a new Total War: Warhammer series? Awesome.
Managers can now set completely different shapes and player roles depending on whether the team has the ball or is defending on Football Manager? Nice.
Majima is a protagonist for the new Yakuza game? Great.

Meanwhile classic fans :
Sonic game has a new open zone formula? Wtf with these large areas and pop-in issues where platforms and rails suddenly appear in mid-air. This is not the sonic game I knew.
Golden Axe cartoonwith humour approach? Who asked for this!
Shinobi: AoV priced at $29.99 (with the Digital Deluxe Edition priced at $39.99)? It's just a 2D game, why it's so expensive, Sonic Mania was $19.99 back then.
SEGA uses generative AI in the development of Crazy Taxi: World Tour solely as an optional brainstorming and reference tool for background objects? SEGA uses AI, they're destroying the planet.