What are Sega working on - A look at their studios
Sega have had an incredible run lately and 2022 seems like it could continue that, we have new entries in some of the biggest names in gaming coming out and that is just what we know.
What secrets does the owner of the bluest and fastest hedgehog have hidden away? Let’s go through and see if we can’t work out what is going on and maybe take a few random guesses.
Sega Group
CS1 R&D/Asia & Japan Studio Div. 1
Series known to them: Yazkua series, Virtua Fighter series, Super Monkey Ball series
2021 was a bumper year for this group, mostly because this is where the Ryu Ga Gotoku branch lives and they were able to release three and a half titles last year. Lost Judgment got a release and impressed everyone and the first game was brough to modern consoles, Virtua Fighter 5 was remade using the same engine as the Yakuza titles and then we got a new Super Monkey Ball to wrap up the year.
2022 is looking quiet for this group, simply due to how loaded last year was, with Yakuza 7 being done for 18 months at this point, it is possible that team might have something new to deliver later this year, we know that Yakuza 8 is coming, but we don’t know if it is this year or not, at least at this point.
CS2 R&D/Asia & Japan Studio Div. 2
Series known to them: Sonic series, Olympic Games series, Puyo Puyo series
This group is the one that some folks will know the most, as this is where the Sonic Team live and while 2021 was a quiet year for the blue hedgehog, they were also quiet slow across the board. This is the group that oversees series like Puyo Puyo, the last one of those was in 2020 and other series like Sakura Wars, which was released back in 2019.
We know that this year will see the all new Sonic Frontier, but details on that are very light at this point, outside of the trailer below and the fact that it has been in development since 2019. Given that there are also set to be some Winter Olympics in 2022, we might see a game themed to that later in the year, but given the Olympics are in a few weeks, we would have heard something by now. With their new studio set up at the end of last year, the output could increase here, but we just have to wait and see.
Mobile R&D/Asia & Japan Studio Div. 3
Series known to them: Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! series
One of last titles that the studio released was Revolve8, a real-time strategy game, but its last reported update was back in 2019 and since then, nothing.
The man leading the team is the same one who created Jet Set Radio, so you know they have some talent, but given its a mobile focused group, we won’t know anything about what they are releasing until it releases and that is assuming it releases here.
Online R&D/Asia & Japan Studio Div. 4
Series known to them: Phantasy Star series
This is the group that overseas the development of the Phantasy Star series and with Phantasy Star Online 2 releasing in the USA in mid 2020, the game is doing well for itself. Last year saw a big expansion release for the game called New Genesis.
Given that we just got a big expansion, I expect 2022 will have things remain quiet, with regular updates and patches to see out the year, with maybe a tease of what is to come next.
Sega Europe
Amplitude Studios
Series known to them: Endless series
2021 saw the team at Amplitude Studios release Humankind, a 4X strategy title that got some good reviews, but it is their next title that people want to see. Endless Dungeon is the next title in their long running Endless series and it was announced a few years ago now.
There is no release date for it and given that the studio spent a lot of the last few years working on Humankind, I expect that development will increase on this one now. If that means a release date for this year happens or not, it is too early to tell, but it is one to watch for at least.
Atlus
Series known to them: Megami Tensei series, Persona series
2021 saw Atlus finally release the fifth mainline entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series and early reports have it selling very, very well. so well in fact, that the game is now the best selling title in the series history.
2022 has one confirmed game coming and that is the port of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, but beyond that, not much is known about their plans for the year. Perhaps this will be the year that we finally get to learn more about this mysterious Project Re Fantasy, which was announced some years ago.
Creative Assembly
Series known to them: Total War series, Alien: Isolation
Since the release of Total War Saga: Troy back in 2020, the studio have been hard at work on the next title in the series, while updating the Troy release.
2022 has them releasing Total War: Warhammer 3 in February and if the past is any indication, content drops and expansions will come throughout the year. The studio generally only has one release a year, but given that Warhammer 3 was delayed from 2021, we could see something in the later months of this year.
Hardlight
Series known to them: Crazy Taxi: City Rush, Sonic Dash
One of the companies mobile focused developers, Hardlight have been pretty quiet of late, their last big release was the console port of Two Point Hospital, but before that, was the release of Sonic Racing onto Apple Arcade.
The team are always adding additional content to their mobile titles, so more of that is expected in 2022, but beyond that, things are quiet. With the release of a new Sonic movie happening this year, there is a fair chance we will see a new mobile tie-in to that, or even something connected to the upcoming Sonic Frontiers. It is also likely that the team are helping to bring Two Point Campus to consoles, but that is not confirmed.
Relic Entertainment
Series known to them: Company of Heroes series, Dawn of War series
2021 was a big year for Relic Entertainment as we finally got to see the release of Age of Empires 4, a game so many, many years in the making. But before that game was out in players hands, the studio took the wrapping off the news that Company of Heroes 3 is coming in 2022.
With the studio committed to releasing that later in the year, expect this year to get a lot of development updates, something that started last year and as they are working with the community to get feedback, they should be packed with good details.
Sports Interactive
Series known to them: Football Manager series
The last Football Manager game released in November of last year, for a number of devices and given the series has been annual now for a number of years, don’t expect that to alter this year.
2022 should see updates to last years game, as needed, whilst also developing and then releasing Football Manager 2023.
Two Point Studios
Series known to them: Two Point Hospital
Two Point Hospital was a game that many folks were very happy to see, and the team at Two Point Studios kept it going with many content packs and last year we got word that they were keeping the brand alive, with Two Point Campus.
The game is meant to be releasing this year, the only problem is, since the initial reveal back in June of 2021, the studio has gone quiet on it, which makes sense, heads down and all that, however they have been releasing some random videos about cooking lately, so who knows, maybe they are starting to get serious about showing the game off, or at least as serious as they can be.
SEGA of America
Ignited Artists
Series known to them: Nothing
Founded back in 2015, Ignited Artists has yet to release a game and while they did have a game in early access via Steam, Barbaric, there has been no updates to it since 2017, the discussion forums on Steam for it haven’t had anyone use them since 2019 and the official website has been replaced by some generic website, that has no relevance to the actual company. Even their official Twitter account has been inactive for over 5 years now, so it is safe to say that whatever Sega are doing with this studio, it is not leading any game creation.
So there you have it. All the studios that are owned by Sega, at least that we publicly know about. Do you think we are right in our guesses, or are we way off base? Sound out in the comments
