Former PlayStation and Dreamcast veteran Shuji Utsumi appointed as Sega's Western CEO

by Danny Craig  · 
Former PlayStation and Dreamcast veteran Shuji Utsumi appointed as Sega's Western CEO
Sega

Shuji Utsumi, an experienced industry veteran who helped launch the original PlayStation and Dreamcast in the West, has been named CEO of Sega America and Europe, as well as COO of Sega.

The details:

  • Sega Sammy, Sega's parent company, announced Utsumi's new role in a press release on Wednesday, swapping his previous title of Co-COO with former President and COO Yukio Sugino. Since his return to Sega in 2020, the Western CEO has become one of the company's most prominent public figures, sharing details about its gaming plans, such as the "three pillars" strategy and the "super game" concept.

  • Utsumi was instrumental in the founding of Sony Computer Entertainment (now Sony Interactive Entertainment), helping to launch the PlayStation in North America before joining Sega and launching its own console, the Dreamcast. He left Sega in the early 2000s to work for Disney Interactive, where he played a key role in establishing the Kingdom Hearts franchise partnership with Square Enix. Utsumi went on to co-found Lumines developer Q Entertainment before rejoining Sega in 2020.

  • Although Sega and its games have fallen in popularity dramatically since battling with Nintendo in the 90s, it has seen increased success in recent years. Its subsidiaries, Atlus and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have had success with the Persona and Like a Dragon series, respectively, Sonic has returned to form, and the recently announced reboots of classic franchises have fans excited about what's to come.

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