Sonic Slowdown
Sega sales down 23% as Rovio falls short of expectations
The Sonic owner has forecast 42% annual growth in its free-to-play sales
Company Profile
Sega
Website
www.sega.com
About
Sega Corporation is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ota, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world.
Related People
Jasmin Hernandez
Associate Production Manager
Accolades
Articles featuring Sega
Page 1 of 3
Next »
Page 1 of 3
Next »
Podcast | Episode 59
A dark day for Xbox | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 59...
New Games
New release roundup: Angry Birds Bounce, Mo.co, Goat Simulator 3 and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Roguelike Reimagining
Angry Birds Bounce game lead talks brick breaker genre, development under Sega and "a great deal of interest on Apple Arcade"
Bryan Cook reveals all from the ideation phase, prototyping, design decisions and creating the first Angry Birds game since Rovio’s acquisition by Sega
Crossovers
Sonic races into Squad Busters as Supercell and SEGA launch crossover event
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Dr. Eggman will be featured in the game
Hot Five
Hot Five: New Apple Games app, SAG-AFTRA strikes ending, and Zynga founder forms Playful.AI
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
The Birds Are Back
Angry Birds Bounce launches in July as series’ first game developed under Sega’s ownership
Sega completed its acquisition of Rovio in August 2023, 18 months after the last mobile Angry Birds game released
Hot Five
Hot Five: Squad Busters 2.0, Tencent’s game sales up 24%, and Sonic Rumble’s tentative 2025 release
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 53
Will Squad Busters 2.0 revive its fortunes? | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 53...
Revenue Rumble
Sega still aiming for Sonic Rumble 2025 release after last-minute delay
Net revenue was down by 9% in FY2025, though Entertainment Contents grew marginally
Trump Tariffs
Trump’s film industry tariffs: Will game movie adaptations be sentenced or spared?
The US president calls incentives drawing US filmmakers to other countries a "national security threat"
Sonic Slowdown
Sonic Rumble delayed indefinitely one week before expected launch
"We at Sega share that disappointment, especially because we're making this call so close to the launch"
Triple Crossover
Sonic Rumble's IP collab Crossover Event 0: Sega Stars is for soft launch players only
The event, which stars characters from Super Monkey Ball, ends one day before the global launch date of May 8th
Feathered Film Forecast
The Angry Birds Movie 3 set for January 29th, 2027 release
The third entry will release over 10 years on from the original The Angry Birds Movie
Week In Views
Alternative app stores aren't offering anything new for users, and Sonic Rumble insights | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Ready To Rumble
Sonic Rumble global launch delayed to spring
The title will launch on mobile and Steam
Financials
Sega’s net sales slide down 8% year-over-year as Football Manager 25 skips release
Entertainment division saw 8% growth during the past nine months
Game Cancellation
Sega cancels Football Manager 25 over development challenges
“We're too far away from the standards you deserve.”
Hot Five
Hot Five: 2024’s top earners, the most downloaded mobile games, and Scopely’s Chengfeng Studio acquisition
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Offerings
Sega mulls games subscription service
“I want to make Sega really shiny again,” says Sega president Shuji Utsumi
Breaking Free
Amplitude Studios becomes independent of SEGA
“We part on good terms and wish our friends at SEGA the best for all their future projects."
A New Entry
Sega’s Yakuza Wars is revealed to be a mobile game
The Facebook page appears to have leaked some information on the upcoming title
On The Air
Angry Birds' first post-Sega takeover movie is on the way
Under Sega's wing the Rovio franchise's transmedia takeover gets ready to take flight once more
Hot Five
Hot Five: Disney x Fortnite, Sega’s sonic speed, and a potential Keywords Studios buyout
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - Bytedance's fancy footwork, Sega's soaring success and PlayStation's mobile mania
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Super Sonic
Sega reaches financial targets one full year ahead of schedule in record fiscal year
Sega’s revenues and profits were the highest in 10 years in FY2023
Sega Strategy
Rovio, ratings, global expansion: Sega CEO Haruki Satomi reveals plans for FY2024
Sega reveals plans to leverage Rovio’s European success, bolster employee motivation, and grow its IP
Angry Birds X Sonic
How Playtika triggered Sega’s Rovio acquisition and what happens next
PocketGamer.biz sits down with Rovio VP of strategy and investor relations Timo Rahkonen to discuss the big Sega acquisition and what the future holds for the famous Finnish studio
Week That Was
Week in Views - Xbox's mobile games store is doomed to fail, Sonic meets the Angry Birds, and Apple's iPad problem
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a round of roguelikes to a Sonic surprise
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Super Sonic
"Rovio x Sega" is real as Sonic Rumble enters closed beta May 24th
The first title from Sega and Rovio is appropriately on mobile and the latest in the on-going Sonic series
Loads Of Layoffs
Sega lays off 240 employees and sells Relic Entertainment
Sega Europe, Creative Assembly and Sega HARDlight are all affected by the layoffs
In-game Events
Sega and Rovio's deal bears first consumer-facing fruit across FIVE game collabs
After testing the water pre-Sega/Rovio buyout, now Angry Birds and Sonic are cross-promoting in a week-long multi-game special event
Job News
Sega taps ex-Disney and Scopely exec Justin Scarpone to lead transmedia division
With more than 30 years of experience, Scarpone has a proven track record in developing entertainment strategies across Asia Pacific and the West
Financials
Sega Sammy's entertainment profits slide by 52.5% Y/Y despite Rovio sales boost
Angry Birds developer had its worst quarter for game sales in three years following Sega acquisition
Who's At The Show
A masterclass in gaming excellence: Gain insights from industry titans this month
Sharing knowledge and inspiring success: Learn from the masters at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2024, the premier gaming event of the year!
Coo Comeback
Sega Europe brings back former president Jurgen Post amidst leadership changes
President and COO Gary Dale and chief studio officer Tim Heaton are departing from the studio
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Sonic’s latest adventure to a gyroscopic rhythm game
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Angry Nerds
Rovio close Studio Lumi in Montreal with the loss of 16 jobs
Rovio's second studio in Montreal, Studio Six remains unaffected, alongside roles held by key Rovio Montreal-based staff
Subs Only
3D Sonic adventure Sonic Dream Team launches as an Apple Arcade exclusive
This marks Hardlight’s second exclusive Sonic game on Apple Arcade
Roviocon 23
Sega teases the 'Segaverse' with Rovio acquisition central to its transmedia strategy
Rovio already working on Sonic and Yakuza games and Angry Birds coming to PC/console?
Sega's Sonic Foresight
Sega Sammy Group teases first "Rovio x Sega" mobile game
The group’s financial report highlights future IP ambitions for Sonic, Persona 5 and more
Rovio Financials
Rovio saw a 5.6% decline in revenue in the third quarter of 2023
The company is "focused on finding out synergies that our life with Sega may entail to bring out the best in Rovio."
Feature
Mass games industry job losses in 2023, but is the end in sight?
Not counting the losses at Alphabet, these collective layoffs surpass 3000 jobs
Layoffs
Epic and Sega announce 900 more games industry lay-offs
A brutal end to another tough quarter for games jobs, with the UK hit especially hard
Acquisition
Sega officially welcomes Rovio to its family of studios
However, there are still several stages to go before the deal is finalised
Birds Of A Feather
Sega to finalise Rovio acquisition next week
Sonic and Angry Birds to be one big family as Sega takes 96.3% of shares
Deals
Sega's Rovio deal clears regulatory hurdles and gets the green light
Barring a sudden 11th hour flap, the Sega's Rovio acquisition is set to go ahead
Stocks
EA and other video game stocks see big boost as M&A fever creeps in
Shares are trading ‘in sympathy’ with Microsoft and ABK as the AquiBlizz saga looks set to close
Blockchain
Sega cools off on blockchain gaming after Rovio acquisition
Mobile could be the way forward for the home of the hedgehog