Sega President: Company has Learned from Atlus, Focus Now on Quality Above All Else

yakuza 0 07-07-15-1

This week’s Famitsu (via Hachima Kikou) has revealed a new interview with Sega president, Haruki Satomi.

The interview spanned talks of their method of game development, the state of the console market, and even a potential tease later this year, during Tokyo Game Show.


When speaking on the current state of the home console market, Satomi said “The Japanese market looks pretty rough, but global PS4 numbers have had the fastest growth in history. I think there’s an opportunity there.” He also singled out the Asian market. “I’m seeing a noticeable response from Asia. The Chinese version of Yakuza 0 sold beyond our expectations.”

One of the most interesting tidbits, however, is regarding their recently acquired studio, Atlus. Yes, the Atlus you know and love for the Persona and Etrian series. “We’ve learned a lot regarding the western market, from Atlus,” Satomi said. “If we can produce high-quality games to fans of Japanese games, I think we can make it overseas.”

“We’re focusing on quality over everything else,” said Satomi. “The west is very focused on schedules, however if we’re unable to produce consistent quality on a game, we shouldn’t release it. The old Sega worked very hard to establish a level of trust with its fans, but when I look at the past 10 years, I have noticed some games that betrayed that trust.”

Finally, Satomi talked up their future announcements, with a slight tease. “With us being focused on quality, I can’t promise we will,” Satomi said when asked for a high-quality release later this year. “However, I do want to make an announcement of sorts regarding a home console game, at Tokyo Game Show.”

So what do you guys think? Has Sega let you down in the past ten years – and are they changing for the better?

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