Sega has discovered nice success with its collection of Sonic the Hedgehog motion pictures – a lot in order that it has impressed the firm to extra actively pursue big- and small-screen diversifications of its treasure trove of sport franchises. Subsequent up is Like a Dragon: Yakuza, an Amazon Unique collection based mostly on the first sport in the beloved collection, which launches on October 24 – and Sega has plans to do much more.
Throughout Gamescom Asia, IGN Japan sat down with Justin Scarpone, World Head of Transmedia at Sega, whose resume contains 17 years working with video games and leisure at Disney and who joined Sega in April 2024. From diversifications of Shinobi and Golden Axe to early forays into the theme park house, Scarpone gave us the lowdown on Sega’s plans to attain new audiences away from the sport console.
“The Like a Dragon franchise is one in every of our core pillars,” Scarpone stated when requested how the new collection was conceived. “We launched a live-action movie years in the past, however I feel the new collection happened initially via conversations between the Amazon Studios of us and our Like a Dragon studio, and it grew to become a cross-Pacific venture the place you had expertise in each the US and Japan engaged on the venture. It’s clearly filmed in Japan, with Japanese expertise, however leveraging a few of the creativity that an abroad perspective brings. So it is a distinctive venture for us.”
Streaming TV has been a nice dwelling for episodic dramas set in Japan, with Shogun breaking information in awards season and Tokyo Vice displaying surprising sides of Japan’s (fictionalized) felony underworld. Scarpone stated the success of those exhibits has been encouraging as Amazon prepares to launch the new Like a Dragon collection.
“Like a Dragon is a very Japanese story, nevertheless it’s additionally very common,” he stated. “And one in every of the variations between the earlier live-action movie and this new drama being proven on Prime Video is that in the years since the movie got here out, the Like a Dragon collection has develop into very a lot a international franchise. We’ve got a global group who’re contemplating from day one how to make a compelling story set in Japan with common themes that resonate in several cultures.”
He says that the dev group at Ryu ga Gotoku Studio have been supportive of the Prime Video present, which is partly based mostly on the authentic sport however will inform its personal authentic story.
“(Masayoshi) Yokoyama has been fairly supportive of this collection,” stated Scarpone. “As a really inventive particular person, he is seeing a very attention-grabbing interpretation of the IP he lives and breathes, and he is very pleased with the high quality and the output. I feel he is excited to see any person else’s perspective on it.”
The Like a Dragon sport collection has a setting that balances heavy crime suspsense drama with extra humorous themes tied to gameplay. The Amazon present appears to be leaning extra towards the former, however when condensing a sport with a storyline that’s dozens of hours lengthy into a TV present, it should be troublesome to select which parts to embrace and which of them to miss.
“In the format of a collection the place you will have about 5 hours of storytelling, how will you inform a compelling, thrilling, dramatic and concise story?” Scarpone contemplated. “A few of the video games in the collection you may play for over 80 hours, which supplies you a lot extra flexibility to weave in different elements of the characters than you will have in a condensed, linear format. So I feel the director, the actors and the screenwriters of the Amazon present wanted to make a judgment name on how to inform the greatest story inside the confines of that point.
“The sport collection advanced over time, so if this Amazon collection had been to have a sequel, I feel we might additionally experiment. The collection hopefully can be a good start line in that format, and possibly there will be extra in the future.”
Sega’s Sonic renaissance
Sega has had enormous success with the live-action outings for its mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. Since 2020, Paramount Footage has launched two hit motion pictures and a TV spinoff, with a third film touchdown in December and including Keanu Reeves to its voice forged.
“We’ve got seemingly come to consider this era of the final decade or in order the renaissance of Sonic,” Scarpone informed us. “There have been a lot of stops and begins to strive to carry Sonic to the silver display – it did not occur in a single day. However as soon as we had been locked in and dealing on the first movie, that was actually Sega’s entry level into transmedia, and considering of Sonic as a franchise, and the means corporations like Disney and Common and Warner Brothers have all the time finished it for many years.
“We’re providing new tales and new methods to expertise the characters in several media. And so with Sonic, the movie actually expanded what Sonic might be in the eyes of the followers – and possibly a lot of individuals inside Sega as effectively.”
Certainly, in an interview with IGN in 2022, Sonic Frontiers director Morio Kishimoto informed us the success of the Sonic motion pictures had impressed him and Sonic Staff whereas making the video games.
Sega additionally has a number of different display diversifications of its video games in the pipeline, together with variations of collection which were dormant for many years. One is Shinobi, which has each a sport and a live-action adaptation in the works. The movie is being produced along with Common, which made the smash-hit Tremendous Mario Bros. Film, and directed by Sam Hargrave. Scarpone confirmed to us it’s nonetheless in the “early stage” of improvement.
Basic collection Golden Axe can also be coming again, each as a sport and as an animated collection for Comedy Central. A Streets of Rage film has additionally been introduced, with a script by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad.
Of those diversifications of older Sega franchises, Scarpone stated, “Our core pillars are franchises like Sonic, Like a Dragon, Persona and Offended Birds, however our so-called Legacy Initiative is absolutely thrilling as a result of, whereas these tales have a basis, we’ve a lot extra new storytelling to work on, which is absolutely cool. As we reboot a few of these franchises, it is essential for us to actually work on the story, work on the lore, to replace it for youthful generations who weren’t even alive when the Sega Genesis was round.”
Scarpone additionally confirmed that Sega has a number of different display diversifications in the early phases of improvement, however wouldn’t share which video games these unannounced tasks are based mostly on simply but.
And it doesn’t cease at display diversifications. Lately, Nintendo has had nice success with its theme parks at Univeral Studios, whereas different video games resembling Monster Hunter and Resident Evil have been reimagined as wonderful theme park points of interest in Japan. Sega is an outdated hand on this enterprise, with its Joypolis and different leisure centres. Scarpone stated Sega is eager to develop on this, providing the instance of its upcoming collaboration with the Kai Tak Sports activities Park mall at present below building in Hong Kong.
“Inside that advanced, we’re going to have Sonic Stadium, which is a vacation spot for households and youngsters specifically, as a ticketed space the place you could be immersed in the world of Inexperienced Hills and Sonic and associates.
“What Nintendo has finished with Common Studios is the gold commonplace, and we’ve comparable aspirations. Points of interest are one other format to inform our tales and delight our followers, and we actually need to be in that house. We’re not launching our personal standalone theme park, however we’re wanting into completely different partnerships.”
Daniel Robson is Chief Editor of IGN Japan. Comply with him on twitter right here.