Sega Considering Re-Releasing First Two Shenmue Games – Update

“Over the next few years, we want to use engaging content and marketing to remind the public why they fell in love with Sega in the first place.”

Update: The author of the Marketing Week article has posted the direct quote from Jon Rooke on Twitter. These tweets are included at the end of this post.

Original:The announcement of a crowdfunding campaign to revive the Shenmue series by way of releasing a third installment rocked Sony’s E3 stage in June, with the announcement coming from series creator Yu Suzuki.

In a recent interview with Marketing Week, Sega’s European marketing director Jon Rooke indicated that the company is exploring ways to re-release the original two Shenmue games (thanks, Destructoid).

“Yes, we want to innovate and back smartphones and virtual reality but our key purpose is to go back to what the brand used to stand for and I think the buzz around Shenmue III shows that people love our legacy,” Rooke stated. “Sega was an innovator, the Dreamcast was offering online gaming as early as 1998. But perhaps back then we were pushing boundaries a little too soon. Nowadays we know what we’re good at and the strategy is to be more gradual. Over the next few years, we want to use engaging content and marketing to remind the public why they fell in love with Sega in the first place.”

According to the article Rooke “says Sega is exploring ways to re-release the original two Shenmue titles.”

The Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue III broke a record on day one when it became the fastest crowdfunded game to reach $1 million, and became fully funded just hours after it went live. The campaign closed on July 17 as the most funded video game Kickstarter campaign of all time, raising $6,333,295. Crowdfunding re-opened in September, via a “Slacker Backer” campaign. A few details were recently revealed, including a new focus on romance.

As for this “engaging marketing” of which Rooke speaks, I recommend checking out the fictional Shia LaBeouf Sonic Generations DLC video, as well as the sassy Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account.

[Source: Marketing Week, Destructoid]