Sega Teases Famitsu Scoop That Will ‘Rile Up’ Games Industry

Sega fans are holding their breath after being teased that the latest issue of the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu had a “revolutionary” announcement that will rile up the games industry.

This announcement comes during the year Sega is celebrating their 60th anniversary. While little has been said about what the upcoming ”scoop” could be, many fans are feverishly speculating away, each with their own unique Sega rumour to share.

So just for fun we thought that we’d go through each Sega rumour one-by-one, looking at some of the more popular, and outlandish ones we’ve seen so far.

Sega Are Re-Entering the Console Market

It’s been over 20 years since Sega released their last new games console, the Sega Dreamcast. Ever since there’s been rumours that Sega may once again re-enter the video game console market with a ‘Dreamcast 2’.

While on the face of it this Sega rumour may sound like a great idea, especially for fans of the original Dreamcast like myself, the Sega of today is very different to the one that released consoles during the 1980s and 1990s.

Sega just don’t have the money behind them to create a brand new console, and even if they did they would struggle to find a niche to fill. With the Xbox and PlayStation giving gamers a selection in terms of both price and performance, while the Switch offers the freedom to play titles at home or on the go. This makes it difficult to see how a new Sega console could differentiate itself from the competition.

Verdict: We would be extremely surprised if Sega were to make another attempt at entering the console market, and we couldn’t see how doing so would be a good move.
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Although Sega are unlikely to re-enter the console market with a completely new console, the success of last year’s Sega Mega Drive mini proves that their back catalogue certainly has pulling power, which leads us into…

Sega is Releasing New Mini Consoles

Although Sega are unlikely to re-enter the console market with a completely new console, the success of last year’s Sega Mega Drive mini proved that their back catalogue certainly has pulling power to sell units.

While many people are talking about a Sega Saturn Mini, I think that would be unlikely. While the Sega Saturn is personally my favourite console of all time, it’s undeniable that outside of Japan it sold very poorly.

What’s more, even 25 years after it’s release, the Sega Saturn is very difficult to emulate and only a very small number of titles have been ported to modern consoles such as NiGHTS, Guardian Heroes and Radiant Silvergun.

However, I do believe this rumour could be very likely. Perhaps a Dreamcast Mini? While this would likely be much more expensive than the mini console we’ve seen over the last few years it wouldn’t be entirely unrealistic.

Like the Saturn, the Dreamcast has many classic titles such a the Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi series, Skys of Arcadia, Daytona 2, Chu Chu Rocket… the list goes on and that’s only the first party titles. Throw in some of the fantastic third party titles such as Power Stone 2, Marvel Vs Capcom 2 and Dead or Alive 2 and you have some excellent arcade experiences.

Much more likely however would be a Game Gear mini console. Sega’s chunky handheld was home to many excellent titles that many gamers never got to experience. Also, with the ability to play Master System games you have a well of titles to choose from.

Although Sega are unlikely to re-enter the console market with a completely new console, the success of last year’s Sega Mega Drive mini proves that their back catalogue certainly has pulling power.

Verdict: This is much more likely than Sega releasing dedicated hardware, especially a Game Gear or Master System mini. If they did, what games would you like to see included?
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Hit next to see the next outlandish Sega rumour, the first of two that both involve Microsoft.