Sega has actually been doing pretty well over the last financial year, with packaged software sales up 41 per cent and consumer revenue up 11 per cent, but the firm’s management has still described its video game sales figures as ”weak”.
The Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation shipped only 2.1 million units by the end of March this year, which isn’t great for a big franchise game that was so heavily marketed. Shame, because it’s the best thing Sega’s published in years.
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric on Wii-U and Shattered Crystal on 3DS managed to do worse, of course, shipping a laughable 640,000 units. But then nobody really likes Sonic any more. Not since he started wielding guns. Was there ever a franchise more mistreated by its handler?
Despite those two misfiring properties, Sega’s performance in Japan’s mobile market largely puts the company in the clear. Income was around $33.4 million, not a spectacular milestone, but up almost half on the previous year.
All that doesn’t sound particularly good for fans hoping for another Isolation game, but nothing has been ruled out yet. CA is already working on another ”multi-platform AAA blockbuster”, but there’s been no indication as to whether it’s a completely new game or a return to the series. I’m a bit ambivalent about this. I thought Isolation was great, for the most part, the first true Alien experience. That said, I feel like I’ve had my fill of being murdered inches from a save point and having to retrace my steps all the way back to the beginning of the bastard level.
