Sega’s future strategy and the successful launch of PS1 here is the interview with Shuji Utsumi from VGP Play
Shuji Utsumi, president of Sega of America & Europe, talks to us about the future of Sega and the past of the video game market in a long interview with VGP Play.
VGP Play , the free Italian streaming platform dedicated to the world of video games, is expanding its offering with interviews with hundreds of leading exponents of the video game market, including Shuji Utsumi , the current COO of Sega Enterprises, president and CEO of Sega of America & Europe , as well as a former leading figure of Sony Interactive Entertainment, remembered as the main person responsible for the launch of the PS1 on the world market.
Very interesting, for example, are Utsumi’s words on Sega’s future strategy , which in his opinion was previously too focused on Japan, while now it is also aiming much more at the West.
“When I rejoined SEGA, the company was paying too much attention to the Japanese market . I was convinced that underneath SEGA sat a sea of treasures,” Utsumi said.”
“In short, from a brand point of view, SEGA is a very strong company, and I have always been convinced that the Western public wanted a great return of SEGA. I wanted to see SEGA dedicate itself to the global public , make great video games and publish them immediately everywhere the world, and I’m talking about series like Sonic, Persona and also Like a Dragon. We recently published the eighth chapter of Yakuza, we worked on the Persona series and on Persona 3R, so I would say that we are in the middle of the path that the last ones. The Game Awards led us to present the return of many historic titles.”
Ken Kutaragi’s foresight for the first PS1
While looking back, Utsushi talked about how Ken Kutaragi’s vision for the first PS1 was far-sighted, given that he aimed to create not only a console, but also a device for the living room, a concept which as we know was further developed expanded by Sony and other companies in future generations.
Sega’s future strategy and the successful launch of PS1 here is the interview with Shuji Utsumi from VGP Play
“When we presented the PlayStation pitch to Mr. Ohga (the CEO of Sony at the time), we had nothing in hand, in fact, we only had the audio chip of the console and a small division of Sony Music that made software. This was All. “
But when we gave the presentation for Ohga, Ken Kutaragi said: “Our computer will not be like Nintendo and SEGA, it will be like Microsoft: PlayStation will become the main device in the living room .” The funny thing is that Kutaragi wasn’t a big shot at Sony back then, he was Assistant Director or something; but he told it like it was a huge thing… in a way he understood that the industry would grow into… I mean, he understood the potential of the video game business right then.”
VGP Play the free platform for video game enthusiasts
The interview conducted by VGP Play also touches on many other interesting topics, from the origins of the first PlayStation and the heated rivalry with Nintendo, moving on to the end of the Dreamcast and Sega’s future strategy.
For those who don’t know, VGP Play is a free platform which, upon registration, allows you to consult a rich encyclopedia of video interviews dedicated to the founding fathers of video games . In this case we have offered you the words of Sega’s Shuji Utsumi, but interventions are available from many other important figures on the market, such as Charles Martinet , the famous voice actor of Super Mario and Ken Levine , the creator of Bioshock, already available for viewing. Many more are on the way during the month of June, including Don Daglow, Tom Hall, Bill Mensch, Peter Moore, Makoto Uchida and Michiru Yamane.
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