Sega President Says Super Game Halted as Investment Would Grow Enormously

Sega president and chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi said the company halted development of its Super Game project after concluding that the required investment and operations would have had to grow enormously to match the scale of the service, speaking in an interview with Nikkei xTREND published on September 7, 2026.

The interview was conducted in mid-June 2026 by Nikkei Gaming editor-in-chief Aya Hirano and covered Sega’s global strategy, organization, and upcoming releases. Utsumi has led Sega since 2024. He first joined Sega of America in 1996 after roles at Sony and Sony Computer Entertainment, later worked at Disney Interactive Asia, Warner Music Japan, and other companies, and returned to Sega in 2020 as a director and chief strategy officer.

Why Sega Stopped Super Game

Utsumi said Sega had formed the hypothesis that it possessed the technology to build a large-scale online title from an original IP and deploy it globally, and attempted the challenge on that basis. As the company’s analysis progressed, he said, the scale of the investment and operations grew in step with the scale of the service, and difficult aspects of the project came into view.

“Taking the global situation into account, we determined that taking on this challenge at this time would be too risky,” Utsumi said. “That is why we halted development of Super Game.”

He added that he still believes there is a business opportunity in games as a service and that Sega will continue to pursue the business.

A note in the Nikkei xTREND interview describes Super Game as a concept Sega announced in May 2021 to create a large online title deployed globally, based on the games-as-a-service model, in which a game is provided as an ongoing service through updates and content additions.

Utsumi said Sega already operates games-as-a-service titles and series, naming Phantasy Star Online 2, the Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! series, Project Sekai: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku, and Angry Birds. He said Total War: Warhammer 40,000, developed by Sega group studio The Creative Assembly, is scheduled to hold a closed beta test in 2026 and is planned as a games-as-a-service-style title that will continuously expand its game world after launch, with its release timing undecided. Sega will nurture those existing projects while watching for its next opportunity, he said.

The May Cancellation Disclosure

Sega parent Sega Sammy Holdings first disclosed the decision in its results presentation for the fiscal year ended March 2026, published on May 12, 2026. The presentation states that the company decided to cancel Super Game and that no additional costs were associated with the cancellation. Sega Sammy said development had already been discontinued and losses recorded, and that it will use the development assets and other resources accumulated on the project in future projects.

The presentation placed the cancellation within a review of Sega’s games-as-a-service strategy. Sega Sammy said the free-to-play title Sonic Rumble Party, which it had positioned as a key title to be developed by Sega and rolled out globally in collaboration with the acquired Rovio, launched later than initially expected and performed below expectations after release. The company said it did not achieve the creation of economic value through its collaboration with Rovio, and it lowered the priority of free-to-play titles as a pillar of medium- to long-term growth.

Sega Sammy said more than 100 free-to-play development personnel have already been transferred to the full-game development team focused on mainstay IPs. Rovio will continue its efforts toward global games as a service but will focus on its own rebuilding first, the company said.

Sega Sammy reported a net loss of 5.7 billion yen for the fiscal year ended March 2026 on sales of 487.5 billion yen. President and group CEO Haruki Satomi said it was the company’s first net loss in 11 years, mainly due to the recognition of impairment losses at Rovio and Stakelogic.

Under its plan for the fiscal year ending March 2027, Sega Sammy said it will strengthen development of full games centered on mainstay IPs as the pillars of its medium- to long-term growth, with four new full-game titles based on mainstay IPs scheduled for launch during the year.