Sega has acknowledged that two of its 2025 releases, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, underperformed commercially despite strong critical and user reception. Both titles received high Metacritic scores—82 and 87 respectively—and surpassed one million units sold at launch, but still fell short of the company’s sales expectations. In response, Sega is planning a major shift in its marketing and publishing strategy, moving away from traditional regional models toward a unified global approach centered on building 'fandom.'

The company plans to increase reliance on third-party recommendations, particularly from influencers and users, as part of a broader organizational transformation. This includes restructuring its historically region-specific publishing operations to better align with global digital trends. Sega admits it has been lagging behind peers like Capcom in data-driven marketing and digital distribution strategies.

Under new president Shuji Utsumi, who took over in 2024, Sega is also pushing to globalize its development and publishing efforts. The company has announced a robust pipeline of upcoming titles, including revivals of classic franchises like Crazy Taxi and Virtua Fighter, alongside sequels in the Total War and Persona series. Two new flagship IP releases are expected by March 2027, in addition to previously announced games.