Sega to Invest Significantly in Persona, Sonic, and Like a Dragon Studios

Sega plans to release fewer games during the next fiscal year, but it will invest more heavily in the studios behind Sonic, Persona, and Like a Dragon at the same time. The 2025 fiscal year was an uneven one for the company, with impressive highs from the success of Sonic properties while experiencing some major disappointments like the cancellation of Football Manager 25. As it looks ahead to FY 2026, which starts this April, Sega is adapting by holding back in some areas but increasing efforts in others.

Like many gaming companies, Sega has encountered various challenges over the past few years. In early 2024, Sega of America laid off 61 employees, and some titles experienced weaker-than-expected sales. Moving forward, the company intends to handle this by not reducing its expenditure but by increasing investment in its most promising studios.

According to Sega, it expects to release fewer full games in FY 2026 than in the previous year. While this may appear to be a cutback, it seems to be part of a strategy to emphasize quality over quantity by bolstering Japanese development studios. Sega’s plans include enhancing resources for Atlus, the studio responsible for creating Persona, along with the teams behind Sonic and Like a Dragon. Atlus has already teased a new Persona title for 2025, which signals that Sega is proactively seeking to generate results from these studios.

Considering the recent performance of titles from these studios, this strategy appears prudent. While Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has seen lower sales compared to its predecessor, it still maintains solid performance. Additionally, Sonic has had a substantial few years, owing not only to successful game releases but also to its acclaimed film and TV adaptations. This rationale likely influenced Sega’s decision-making about allocating efforts going forward.

Looking ahead, Sega anticipates a rocky start to the upcoming year, but aims for substantial growth as its investment in core franchises may yield significant returns.