Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Sega president Kenji Matsubara abruptly resigns

By

Sega president Kenji Matsubara has abruptly resigned from the company.

Recommended Videos

Matsubara tendered his resignation on Friday, citing “personal reasons,” Sega parent company Sega Sammy said in an abbreviated statement. The company said the resignation is effective immediately and hasn’t announced who will replace the developer’s top executive.

Related

It’s unclear what may have precipitated Matsubara’s resignation, but it doesn’t appear to have been planned. In April, he seemed to be fully involved in Sega’s operations and was given chief publishing officer duties in addition to his president role. He also served as a Sega Sammy board director — another role he’s vacating on Friday.

Sega Sammy did not immediately respond to Digital Trends’ request for comment on Matsubara’s departure and the events surrounding it.

Matsubara joined Sega’s networks division in 2014 as its chief technology officer. In 2017, Sega Sammy elevated him to president, where he oversaw all of Sega’s development operations. Before joining Sega, Matsubara was the president and CEO at Japanese gaming company Tecmo Koei. He also served as Zynga Japan’s CEO for two years.

Sega’s new leadership void comes as the company tries to reinvent itself in the ever-changing gaming industry. While Sega served as one of the most prominent game companies in the world in the 1990s, since it discontinued its Dreamcast console in 2001, it’s focused on game development and delivered a variety of titles from some of its most popular franchises, including the Sonic the Hedgehog.

Looking ahead, Sega has two publicly announced games in development — a PC title slated to launch on August 13 called Troy: A Total War Saga and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which will release on both current- and next-generation consoles. Sega hasn’t announced Like a Dragon‘s launch date.

Sega is also trying to capitalize on nostalgia and announced last month a slate of micro Game Gear handhelds. Each of the four devices will cost $50 and come in distinct colors — blue, yellow, red, and black. Depending on the model customers choose, they’ll find four different games, including Sonic the Hedgehog (black model) and Sonic Chaos (blue model). Players who want to play all 16 classic Game Gear games will need to buy each version. The Game Gear handhelds launch on October 6.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger is a freelance technology, video game, and entertainment journalist. He has been writing about the world of…
All Master System game locations in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
The castle in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

The Like a Dragon series absolutely loves including old Sega titles within the series. In past games, these typically were kept at the various Sega arcades around the different maps, but for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, times have changed and Kiryu can now play some classic games from the past in the comfort of his own hideout. The downside to this, though, is that you have to track down all the individual games if you want to play them. There are a total of 12 different retro games from the old Master System. While you only need to play five to earn the Retro Gamer trophy/achievement, you do need to find and try out all 12 to complete the log in the Akame Network fully. No need to write down passcodes or call a hotline for tips, here's where you can grab all the Master System games in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
All Master System game locations

You can't access the Master System in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name until you get to Chapter 3. At this point, you will have access to your hideout and can enter the room on the west side with the controller icon to find a storage room with a little CRT and Master System. Make sure you actually play each game at least once after collecting them to fill out the log and get your trophy/achievement.
Alex Kidd Miracle World
Take a stroll down Castle Central Street and stand outside the Gambling Hall. On top of one of the pink umbrellas is a grab prompt to snag this cart.
Flicky
Over in Sotenbori, go along the W Sotenbori Footpath on the north side of the river. Once again, keep an eye out on top of the umbrellas opposite the water for a grab prompt.
Galaxy Force
For a simple, and actually logical, way to get your hands on a Master System game, go to Ebisu Pawn on E Shofukucho Street. Galaxy Force will be on sale for just 5,500 yen.
Quartet
Time to get your gambling skills up to par at the Castle casino. Play whatever game you like until you save up 2,500 chips to buy Quartet from the exchange desk.
Enduro Racer
The next set of games is tied to finding specific locker keys, a staple collectible in the Like a Dragon series. For Enduro Racer, you need to get locker key I4, which is on the southeast corner of the Sotenbori River. From the Bishamon Bridge, look to the right for a tree on the upper part of the path along the bank. There will be a grab prompt here to snag this key. Use it on its associated locker to get the game.
Fantasy Zone II
Next, we need to hunt down locker key F4. This one is down south of W Shufukucho Street in the narrow gap between the Gambling Hall and the building next to it. You can fit in but will get the grab prompt as usual.
Alien Syndrome
The final game kept in a locker is Alien Syndrom, which needs the F1 key. This key can't be picked up until at least Chapter 3 when you gain access to the Daidoji Hideout. Once you do, go into the entrance and the key will be lying in the hallway.
Global Defense
The final key is another easy one. In the Castle, go into the Gambling Hall and rack up 2,500 or more points however you like. Take them to the exchange desk and you can get yourself the last Master System game.

Read more
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will kick off a crowded 2024 for RPG lovers
Ichiban fights a guy with a machete in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Sega released two lengthy new trailers for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth as part of its latest RGG Summit. We not only got more plot and story details about the upcoming Like a Dragon title but a release date as well: January 26, 2024.

Previously, the game only had a vague "early 2024" release date that developers use for games coming out anytime from January to May, so this release date is a bit sooner than expected for the game. It also means that Infinite Wealth launches on the same day as Tekken 8 and arrives ahead of some other highly anticipated RPGs next year, like Granblue Fantasy: Relink, Persona 3 Reload, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
A ten-minute story trailer for Infinite Wealth confirmed lots of new story details, which you might want to avoid if you don't want spoilers. If you don't mind, the trailer reveals that Ichiban is in Honolulu City to find his mother after losing his job and hitting a rough patch in his relationship with Saeko. Meanwhile, Kiryu has been diagnosed with cancer, and it's revealed to the public that he's just in hiding, not dead. From there, the trailer continues to tease yet another wild story centered around taking on organized crime that features characters from across the entire series.
LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH | STORY TRAILER
As for the gameplay trailer, it confirms that most of the game takes place in Hawaii, which has been recreated with a dynamic weather system. It also confirms that Infinite Wealth is a turn-based RPG like its predecessor, although Kiryu can "awaken his fighting spirit" to temporarily fight enemies in real time. The job system and Poundmates also return and players can obtain them by doing various jobs around Hawaii. There are also tons of weird minigames for things like being a bike courier, Sujimon battles, and online dating.
LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH | GAMEPLAY REVEAL TRAILER
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on January 26, 2024. If you want to play some of the game a bit early, a demo for it will be included with this November's Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.  

Read more
Like a Dragon Gaiden will come with an Infinite Wealth demo
Kiryu and Ichiban speak in the Special Trial demo for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Sega announced that Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which comes out this November, will contain a "Special Trial Version" demo of 2024's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Including a demo for an upcoming game with another game is a bit of an old-school tactic, with two of the more famous examples being Zone of the Enders containing one for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Final Fantasy Type-0 HD coming with a Final Fantasy XV demo. A lot of new fans joined the Like a Dragon series with 2020's Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which Infinite Wealth is a sequel to, and this special trial version now gives them a reason to give The Man Who Erased His Name a shot even if they aren't as familiar with Kiryu's story.
This was all revealed in a new lengthy overview trailer for The Man Who Erased His Name featuring Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Director Masayoshi Yokoyama. In it, Yokoyama gives an overview of the game's story, which serves as an interquel of sorts and explains what Kiryu was up to in between Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and Infinite Wealth, and its classic action-style gameplay. Then, he revealed the Infinite Wealth demo and teased that it will contain "special content like scenes not included in the main game" and that players will need to beat The Man Who Erased His Name to access it. 
Like a Dragon Gaiden | Overview Trailer & Developer Update
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and this Infinite Wealth demo will release on November 9 across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The full version of Like a Dragon Gaiden: Infinite Wealth will come to those same platforms sometime in early 2024.

Read more