SEGA has not been the major competitor of Nintendo for years. However, that does not mean it doesn’t have great franchises to its name. It is one of the few companies that has managed to gracefully pivot from a dominant position, being on the brink of extinction, and knowing how to place itself again in a relevant position within its industry. It is an example of resilience and good practice, both inside and outside of video games. And that is why it is a joy to know that they are still willing to continue doing things right.
They have demonstrated this with the SEGA UNIVERSE initiative, which aims to bring several franchises that are celebrating anniversaries soon to life, trying to give them renewed importance. Under the slogan “No old, stay gold”, the purpose is to have a space and a unified brand through which to make the announcements of these games more significant.
But what games are we talking about? For 2026, there are nine, and while all of them are important to SEGA’s history, there are several that seem more likely to return than others. At least, for this anniversary. Let’s talk about that.
Out Run
Out Run is celebrating its 40th anniversary, proving that it is not old at all. This arcade classic that invited us to drive a Ferrari Testarossa on any route we wanted, as long as we didn’t run out of time, could very well receive a new title with hardly any changes. But what we know for sure is that it can receive, and very soon, is a movie. Directed by Michael Bay, written by Jayson Rothwell, and produced by Sydney Sweeney, it seems to have everyone on board who understands the spirit of the original game: blue skies, the spectacle of a beautiful car, and a stunning blonde.
Sakura Wars
Not as Famous in the West, Sakura Wars is a highly regarded franchise in Japan, especially its third installment, Is Paris Burning?, considered a revolutionary game for RPGs. Celebrating 30 years, we know they will celebrate the anniversary with a new theater adaptation in Japan, but for now, nothing more. However, the game had a sort of reboot in 2019 that, although it did not stand out, left the door open for more installments. And this could very well be the year we see a Sakura Wars 2.
SGGG (or Segagaga)
The strangest game from SEGA is the one that could have been the last. With the company in its final throes, they allowed one of their most unruly employees to create the strangest game in the company’s history: a JRPG about the console wars where the most ambitious goal is to make SEGA number 1 over Nintendo and Sony. Hilarious, incredibly fun, and full of references to the company’s history, it celebrates its 25th anniversary… without ever being released outside Japan. So, what better time to announce a re-release with a translation, at least, into English? The original creator of the game, Tez Okano, claims he is fighting to make it happen…
Fantasy Zone
Born in the arcades, but considered SEGA’s official mascot until a certain blue hedgehog arrived, Opa-Opa is the protagonist of Fantasy Zone, the company’s star shoot ’em up. Even today it is. 40 years later, it is still considered a masterpiece and one of the cutest games ever made. How likely is it to see a new Fantasy Zone? To be fair, not very. But M2, the company that makes the best ports across the Pacific, has done ports of Fantasy Zone in the past, has been making many compilations of shooters in recent years… and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them sign a Fantasy Zone Collection for its fortieth anniversary.
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage is one of SEGA’s flagship franchises. Its first three installments demonstrated that an excellent beat ’em up could be made on the modest Mega Drive, even if it wasn’t an arcade board.The fourth installment proved that a beat ’em up could be made in 2020 and be a serious contender for game of the year. There are no secrets here. For its 35th anniversary, they are working on a game called Streets of Rage: Revolution, announced at the 2023 Game Awards, and Lionsgate has had the rights for a movie since November 2022. What will come out of that remains to be seen.
What possibilities do others have?
The other birthday celebrants, we fear, are less obvious in what they can do with them. This could mean some of the biggest surprises. Rent A Hero turns 35 years old and has never left Japan, neither the original game nor its Dreamcast sequel, so we could very well have a surprise on that front. Guardian Heroes is a masterpiece of hack and slash that was already re-released on Xbox 360 in 2011 in HD, so it wouldn’t be strange if they simply did a remaster. And Dynamite Deka, published here as Die Hard Arcade, turns 30 years old and has an obvious problem: the rights to Die Hard. But since its sequel, Dynamite Cop, has already dropped the license, could a sequel possibly exist?
It is impossible to know for sure. What we can know for certain is that at SEGA they want to make sure these anniversaries are special. Surely not all will involve video games, some will simply be merchandise or some transmedia collaboration, but some will involve video games. And it won’t be because we don’t expect it.
