Yakuza and Persona May Be Getting Mobile Games, Sega Reveals

Back in August, video game mega-publisher Sega announced that it had acquired Rovio Entertainment. If that name sounds familiar, it's because that's the studio that developed the massive mobile hit Angry Birds. Since striking it very rich with the original Angry Birds game in 2009, Rovio has been churning out sequels and spin-offs for the franchise, while also using the license for two feature films and a TV series. However, it sounds like Sega has even bigger plans for the studio, especially when it comes to exploring new IP. Today, Sega's co-COO and president of consumer games and transmedia Shuji Utsumi spoke at length about the new partnership at Roviocon, and he revealed some new details about what Rovio might be working on next.

As reported by mobilegamer.biz, Utsumi joked that Sonic and Angry Birds are "dating," which will result in an upcoming crossover. However, the more intriguing bit of news is what he said next. "Sega has a strong portfolio of numerous IPs and characters which becomes much more attractive by welcoming the Angry Birds IP," Utsumi said. "To maximise the value of these great IPs we have implemented a transmedia strategy which comprehensively approaches a global fanbase through digital and also physical channels."

Contrary to what you might assume, that partnership already has plans to go well beyond Sonc. Utsumi said, "Currently, Sega and Rovio have been working on new mobile game projects based on our own IP…but Sonic is not the only IP to benefit from the mobile platform expansion. It will be a potential strong tailwind for other key Sega IP such as Yakuza and Persona." Obviously, this is still all in the relatively early stages of planning, but it certainly seems like Rovio might be helping with upcoming mobile projects for both Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) and Persona.

Persona and Like a Dragon Mobile Games

Of course, for anyone who has been paying attention to Persona over the last few years, that's not too surprising. After all, earlier this year, Persona 5: The Phantom X was leaked, and it is said to be a mobile game. We also know that there are at least two new Persona games coming in 2024. The first is Persona 3 Reload, an updated remake of the classic game, but the other is very likely The Phantom X. Rovio wasn't working on The Phantom X, but an Angry Birds crossover event could be a good way for the two parties to test the waters.

As for Like a Dragon, that franchise could easily add Angry Birds to the mainline series via its popular arcades. We've seen Sega put in old games like Virtua Fighter for years, so adding Angry Birds would likely be relatively easy. The Like a Dragon franchise also has a massive roster of characters, making a mobile game something that would make a ton of sense. There have already been a few gacha mobile games in the franchise released in Japan, so bringing those over would make for another easy way to test the partnership.

Either way, it's clear that Sega is going to do everything it can to leverage Rovio's expertise in the mobile gaming space. The studio has proven it has the chops with Angry Birds and should excel with established IPs like Sonic, Persona, and Like a Dragon.