Off the heels of the massive success of both Sonic the Hedgehog movies, Sega is now looking to adapt the games developed by Atlus into live-action films and TV series. Originally reported by IGN, the report says that Sega’s goal of “expanding storytelling forms” is a key part of the famed Japanese company’s overall business strategy. With this goal in mind, Sega is open to the prospect of potential live-action adaptations of Atlus’ expansive and beloved catalog.
These games include the likes of the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series as well as the Trauma Center series, Catherine, and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. “Atlus’ worlds are filled with high drama, cutting-edge style, and compelling characters,” Toru Nakahara, Sega’s lead producer on the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movies and Sonic Prime TV series, told IGN. “Stories like those from the Persona franchise really resonate with our fans, and we see an opportunity to expand the lore like no one has seen — or played — before.”
Sega has provided no word on which projects they would specifically be interested in adapting or which production companies they would be interested in working with, but they are “currently exploring live-action film and TV projects with various studios and producers,” as per IGN. With the popularity of the Persona series, With is primed to reach an even wider audience as the most recent series entry, Persona 5 Royal as well as Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 3 Portable being announced to be heading to PC, Xbox, and Switch, it would make sense that this would be one of the primary series that Sega would likely look at turning into some sort of live-action series. This would not be the first time that these games would be adapted outside their original video game form, as each of these games has had anime adaptations.
This new edict from Sega makes sense given the success of both Sonic the Hedgehog films that were released in 2020 and 2022, respectively, with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 blazing past $400 million dollars at the global box office and is the highest-grossing domestic opening for a video game adaptation ever, surpassing the first film in the series. This aim for TV and film adaptations from Sega follows behind Sony as it too aims to turn many of their popular PlayStation IPs into live-action projects.
The company revealed in a Corporate Strategy meeting back in May 2021 that they will be developing 10 adaptations of their games for TV and film, with Fleischer already directing the Uncharted adaptation. While some other adaptations have already been announced such as the Ghost of Tsushima film, the Twisted Metal series at Peacock, and The Last of Us series coming to HBO (which recently wrapped filming of its first season), there are still a few that have not yet been revealed.
