Sega mistakenly reveals sales numbers of popular games

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Sales numbers, genres, and scale

  • Many are surprised Team Sonic Racing outsold Total War: Three Kingdoms, but others note cart racers and console titles have far broader appeal than PC-only RTS.
  • RTS is seen as relatively niche today; console-friendly, “critters doing zoomies” racing games are broadly accessible.
  • Some commenters initially misread the figures as dollars; once clarified as units, Sega’s total (~24M units/year) looks substantial, especially multiplied by typical price ranges.

Sonic, Persona, and Sega’s IP strategy

  • Sonic’s enduring strength is attributed to decades of cross-media presence (games, movies, TV, toys) and strong character design; some say Sonic’s “cool factor” beats Mario’s, even if Mario’s games are more consistently high-quality.
  • Debate over whether Sega is “quietly serving a loyal fan base” vs “milking IP dry,” with some arguing Sega is milder than Nintendo/Disney and relatively tolerant of fan content.
  • Persona 5 Royal’s 7M+ units spark surprise that Sega still treats Persona as somewhat niche; others point out Sega Sammy’s larger gambling/slots business makes console JRPGs a side line financially, even if very profitable per title.
  • Persona 5 spin-offs (rhythm, tactics, musou, mobile, anime, manga) show that Sega/Atlus are leveraging the brand heavily, even as fans wait for Persona 6.

Sequels, repetition, and consumer behavior

  • Long thread around “why do people keep buying the X‑th entry?” (Persona, Mario Kart, FIFA, etc.).
  • Counterpoints:
    • Each generation has its “first” entry; most buyers haven’t played all previous games.
    • Iterative improvements (mechanics, UX, graphics) can significantly change the experience even if the formula is stable.
    • People routinely enjoy repeated forms in other media (sitcoms, reality TV, sports) and life (favorite restaurants, hobbies); familiarity and “coming home” feel are valued.
    • Original IPs and experimental games do exist and often succeed; sequels are a risk-management tool, not a total substitute for innovation.
  • Critics worry constant recycling indicates creative exhaustion and starves attention and budget from new ideas; defenders argue the market supports both, and consumers freely choose comfort or novelty.

Competitive scenes, casual appeal, and account economics

  • Overwatch’s high sales despite a neglected pro scene prompts discussion that esports success is not a good proxy for mass popularity.
  • Several argue highly competitive environments, smurfing, and toxic ranked play can drive away casuals; secretly mixing in bots or lighter matchmaking (e.g., in battle royales and mobile titles) helps keep average players engaged.
  • Multiple-account buying and cheap replacement accounts for cheaters were cited as boosting unit counts in some games.

Redaction failures and PDF handling

  • Several commenters focus on the underlying story: Sega’s bad PDF redaction, not just the numbers themselves.
  • People share techniques:
    • “Foolproof” approach: permanently remove text, then render to raster or print-and-scan; some go as far as printing, taping/physically cutting out, and rescanning.
    • Warnings that simple black boxes or “flatten” operations may leave underlying text or metadata intact.
  • Anecdotes describe exploiting poor redaction (e.g., reversing “flattened” redactions in PDFs) in business contexts; some debate whether using inadvertently exposed data is ethically gray or simply the sender’s fault.

Like a Dragon / Yakuza series reception

  • Infinite Wealth and Like a Dragon draw praise as top-tier games, but sales still look modest beside Sonic/Persona, reinforcing the series’ niche status.
  • Barriers for newcomers:
    • Confusing entry points and many titles.
    • Shift from action brawler to turn-based JRPG for some entries.
    • Marketing that emphasizes bizarre/comedic side content over a clear tonal pitch.
  • Fans explain:
    • Yakuza 0 is often suggested as a starting point for action-style entries; Yakuza: Like a Dragon (and Infinite Wealth) for turn-based JRPG fans.
    • The appeal is in wild side quests, genre mashups, and playing middle-aged, down-on-their-luck men—simultaneously limiting mass appeal and giving the series a unique charm.

Retro Sega mobile games and preservation

  • A linked story about classic Sega mobile releases going “end of service” triggers concern about digital ephemerality.
  • Mitigating factor: in this case, ads and online services are being turned off while offline play remains, which some see as a relatively good outcome.
  • Others note that once distribution stops, only pirates/archivists preserve access; yet these same preservation efforts are often legally harassed.
  • Example given of Sonic CD mobile being “ruined” by a free-to-play, ad-heavy update, then partially redeemed by removing ads but leaving bloat.

Interpretations of Sega’s business

  • Some commenters are surprised Sega “still exists” or assume they are small; others point out Sega earns billions in revenue, with a significant share from pachinko/slots and now casino-style gaming.
  • This context reinforces why even strong-selling console franchises (Persona, Like a Dragon) can still be treated internally as only part of a broader portfolio.