It seems like the House of Sonic will be searching for a new leader in short order. This morning, Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. released a resignation letter announcing the abrupt departure of Kenji Matsubara, the company’s President and Chief Publishing Officer.
Matsubara’s time asSega’s president was relatively brief, full of ups and downs in a period that was dense with corporate restructuring and reorganization.Sega rolled out an ambitious plan to revitalize major IPsin the years leading up to 2020, and saw favorable profits thanks to the international success of titles likeYakuza 6andPersona 5. Despite these victories, the company saw a seventy-percent drop in profits the following fiscal year, and in April of 2020, Sega Interactive merged with Sega Games Co., Ltd., forming Sega Group Corporation.
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Matsubara had a long career in the Japanese video game industry, and was well acquainted with such shake-ups. Before signing on with Sega in 2014 as CTO, he spent nine years as the president and CEO of Koei Tecmo games, and two years as the CEO of Zynga’s Japanese branch.
Following 2018’s rough fiscal year, Matsubara oversaw the company’s plan to shift it’s focus away from the social games and directed the company’s digital efforts toward well-established properties. Matsubara also presided over the company during the tumultuous, but ultimately successful development of theSonic The Hedgehogfilm, including its transfer from Sony to Paramount.
Ironically, the coreSonicfranchise itself was in a period of relative arrested development while Matsubara presided over the company. 2018’sSonic Maniawas the last major release from the franchise, and no new titles have been announced, even as the Blue Blur is fast approaching his 30th anniversary. After a series of flops and many mixed reviews, the company’s hesitation is understandable, however, andSega has stated it wants to make “better” 2D and 3D Sonic titles.
Matsubara’s focus on revitalizing major properties has drawn on raising awareness of the company’s storied past as much as it has looked forward. In 2018, following the successful examples of Nintendo’s of SNES and NES Mini consoles, Matsubara hinted that Sega would release a classic console of its own, which eventually manifested as theSega Genesis Mini in 2019. Earlier this year, Sega launched a website celebrating its 60th Anniversary, including a virtual tour and a forum for fans to post messages to the company.
The exact reasons behind Matsubara’s sudden departure are vague and cite personal reasons. The resignation does not appear to be in response to any corporate shortcomings or scandal. Hopefully, the cause is unrelated to illness, though it is not uncommon for high ranking corporate officials in the Japanese gaming industry to develop health conditions stemming from extreme stress. Earlier this year,Super Smash Bros.creatorMasahiro Sakurai confessed that he may step down from making games due to health concerns.
At time of writing, Sega has yet to announce a successor to Matsubara.
