SEGA executives have expressed an interest in adapting other company IPs and brands into big-screen movies, following the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog Paramount films.
VGC reports that, during an investor Q&A that has just been translated into English, SEGA Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa were asked about the possibility of making non-Sonic movies to “improve their brand power”.
In response, the company said, “We would like to take on challenges outside of the Sonic IP should the opportunity arise.
“If we can match the timing of game launches to the release of movies, it would be extremely effective from a marketing perspective and there are also significant benefits, such as increasing awareness of our IP and increasing the number of touch points for customers, as we achieved with the Sonic movie.”
It’s no wonder that SEGA is keen to explore this. Sonic the Hedgehog was produced by Paramount Pictures, released in 2020 and grossed around $320 million at the box office – while its sequel premiered last year and generated over $400 million. As a result, a third movie is planned for release in December 2024 and a Knuckles TV show is in production for streaming service Paramount Plus.
Back in August, SEGA even announced that it was exploring movie adaptations of Space Channel 5 and Comix Zone in partnership with Picture Start. So there could yet be more to come on that front.