Sega has opened Sega Sapporo Studio, its second Japanese development base

Sega has announced that it has opened a second ‘development base’ in Japan called Sega Sapporo.

Although Sega currently has a number of in-house development studios in Japan (including Sonic Team and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio), they all work out of the company’s main base in Tokyo.

As the name suggests, the new studio will be based in Sapporo, in Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture.

According to its new company website, the studio will take on a number of roles, including “development, design, debugging, sales, import and export of game hardware and software,” and “planning, production and sales of character products”.

Job listings on the site also suggest that the Sapporo studio will be involved in creating new characters and environments for Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis

Sega Sapporo will be led by Takaya Segawa, who joined Sega as a designer in 1992 and was the chief producer on Phantasy Star Online 2.

In a statement, Segawa explained that the new studio would make use of Sega’s existing knowledge base to create new titles.

“Under the policy of continuing to take on the challenge of creating even more innovative content and providing the world with new and exciting experiences, we will use the know-how that Sega has accumulated over its long history to participate in the development of entertainment that we will present to the world from the attractive city of Sapporo,” he said.

“Sega Sapporo Studio will strive to provide a moving experience to customers, and to create a studio that values its staff.”

Sega stated in November 2021 that it would consider investing nearly $1 billion in its game development capabilities in the next few years.

Further reading

6

Sega could spend $1bn on its ‘super game’, including studio acquisitions

The Japanese publisher wants to create a "major global title" within the next few years

The Japanese publisher committed to a new ‘super game’ initiative last year, a mid to long-term strategy aimed at creating a “major global title” focusing on the pillars of “global”, “online”, “community” and “IP utilization”.

Sega has one of the largest studio networks of any Japanese company. Since the acquisition of UK-based Creative Assembly (known for Total War) in 2005, it’s gone on to acquire Sports Interactive (Football Manager), Relic (Age of Empires IV), Atlus (Persona), Amplitude (Humankind) and Two Point (Two Point Hospital).

While Sega prepares its ‘Super Game’, it will also release a number of new projects over the course of the next five years, including a new FPS title at a European studio (likely Creative Assembly) and the ‘utilisation of IP assets’ in remakes, reboots and remasters.