If you’re into Japanese video games, chances are pretty high that you’re familiar with one of Sega’s core franchises. Whether it’s Phantasy Star, Sonic, or even Yakuza, Sega’s in-house studios have a generally positive reception. With all of these developers working out of Tokyo, it was time for some expansion.
According to the company’s official website, a new development studio based out of Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture’s capital, broke ground last month. Takaya Segawa leads the new Sapporo-based studio. With 30 years under his belt at Sega, fans are most likely familiar with his role as producer on Phantasy Star Online 2.
The website provides a statement from Segawa addressing the studio’s roles and aspirations. According to him, Sega Sapporo’s main roles involve debugging and developing titles from Sega’s stable of intellectual properties. The post continues to read that Sega Sapporo will “take on the challenge of creating even more innovative content and providing a new and inspiring experience to the world.”
Without the announcement of specific projects, it’s unclear what exactly is being referenced. With that said, Sega fans shouldn’t be too worried about their investments. Beyond this expansion, its 2013 acquisition of Atlus has paid off in recent years, with the likes of Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei 5 performing far above expectations.
