SEGA to Prioritise Digital Sales, But Won't 'Completely Abandon' Physical
SEGA has outlined its distribution plans for future full games on consoles and PCs, confirming that a digital shift is crucial for the company's future growth. In an interview with Famitsu, SEGA president Shuji Utsumi explained that increasing the focus on digital sales and the PC platform will help the publisher become a more global entity.
Utsumi pointed out that console ownership varies by region, but PC gaming provides a wider reach. "Even in areas where consoles are not widely available, there are many people who say, 'I can play it on PC,'" Utsumi said. Strengthening digital capabilities allows the publisher to tap into those markets more effectively than relying solely on traditional physical retail channels.
Balancing Digital and Physical Media
Despite the strategic push toward digital distribution, SEGA has no current plans to phase out physical discs entirely. Given the company's history as a former hardware manufacturer, Utsumi emphasized that SEGA still values physical media culture.
"Rather than completely abandoning that, we are currently challenging ourselves to shift so that we can think about and act on the important aspects of digital media in parallel," Utsumi stated.
The announcement arrives amid broader industry discussions regarding digital versus physical ownership, following recent reports concerning platform-holder strategies for future hardware and declining retail disc sales in regions like the United States.