In celebration of a simpler time – an era that came before cool kale, hyper-connectedness, DIY artisanal beer-making, and social media mayhem – SEGA Networks Inc. is bringing a growing collection of classic video games from every console era to your mobile device for free. The collection, called SEGA Forever, is a re-awakening of archetypal gaming, an ode to the deep and diverse SEGA catalogue, and the beginning of a retro revolution that will transport players back through two decades of console gaming.
Each game in the SEGA Forever lineup is free-to-play, ad-supported, playable offline, and includes added features like cloud saves, controller support, and leaderboards. For players who prefer a pristinely ad-free mobile gaming experience – folks who want to play SEGA just like they remember playing in their basement, without interruptions from parents, siblings, or homework – we’ve rolled back the price so each game can be purchased without ads for $1.99. As the SEGA Forever collection expands through months and years, it will include both official emulations and ported games that pan all SEGA console eras, each adapted specifically for mobile devices while remaining faithful to the original games.
“Above all else SEGA Forever is a celebration of nostalgia. It’s about allowing fans to reconnect with past experiences and share them with family and friends in an accessible and convenient way,” explains Mike Evans, CMO of SEGA’s Mobile Division in the West. “Join us on a journey of rediscovery as we roll out two decades of classic games free on mobile. Create your own ‘SEGA Forever folder’ and collect your favorite classics. Enjoy moments of nostalgia on the go, or sync a Bluetooth controller to enjoy a console-like experience in your living room. SEGA Forever democratizes retro gaming, and seeks to change how the world plays, rediscovers, and shares in classic game experiences.”
The first batch of SEGA Forever games has been carefully curated, boasting both blockbusters and core fan favorites; The collection will officially kick off tomorrow with five Mega Drive / Genesis titles, all of which will be available to download for free on the Google Play Store for Android devices and on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, where they will be accompanied by iMessage sticker packs:
- Sonic The Hedgehog, the 1991 household classic that has remained at the forefront of hearts and minds since inception
- Phantasy Star II, the longtime fan-favourite RPG from 1989
- Comix Zone and Kid Chameleon, two American titles developed by SEGA’s in-house studio STI
- Altered Beast, the original Genesis pack-in title, a beat-em-up set in Ancient Greece that represents a weird and wonderful segment of the SEGA catalogue that is ripe for rediscovery
Following tomorrow’s launch, the SEGA Forever collection will continue to grow with additional releases coming every two weeks. To stay up-to-date with launch news, share your love of the golden age of video games, cast your vote in polls, share your opinions in surveys, and interact with other SEGA fans, check out the SEGA Forever website and follow our dedicated Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
Source: PR
Very clever marketing, and if they decide to bring the App to Nintendo Switch like how EA Now service is like on Xbox One, I see this bringing SEGA back to their glory days of gaming :)
Hope this means we’ll see better content from SEGA.
Not clever at all. I owned the previous PAID version of Sonic 1 (iPhone) before, and now they’re showing a screen on launch asking to pay again. You cannot restore your purchase, it doesn’t account like you already paid for it before. You have to shovel out the bucks again. Total crap.
Plus they made the app longer to load, complete nonsense. Trying to fix something that didn’t need to be fixed, and making it worse in the process. SEGA has a lot of experience in that regard.
I would love to see this on the Switch! I’d also love to own a Switch.
Well I just got a raise, so hopefully soon.
I wonder if my Switch Pro Controller will synch with my iPad, then it will be like playing a Sega Switch in tabletop mode lol
I don’t think it works though I heard people say that joycons and pro controller don’t work with iPad I tried to do it on mines and it doesn’t work it’s pretty stupid though in my opinion
Only Sega games our games released on Sega consoles?
Grandia 2 on the go!!!!
Dude!!! Don’t be getting my hopes up…
The problem with that is the fact that the Grandia series is owned by Ubisoft and it wasn’t a Sega exclusive series, Grandia 1 was released on PS1 and Grandia 2 was released on PS2 so it wouldn’t fit into the “Only Sega Games” category
In simpler times etc etc… before stupid mobile gaming.
This should be on console. If not it just feels like stupid retro crap
Every two weeks? That’s even slower than Nintendo’s VC releases, but still faster than VC on Switch *ba dum tiss*
As with most other retro games on an emulator, it just doesn’t feel the same as original hardware, and I have my Genesis and Dreamcast right here at my desk. It just isn’t for me. It is interesting though. Does anyone know the rate of mobile gamers who have real controllers? It would be a must for this kind of service, and I don’t really see many people in real life gaming that way.
They should have made it UWP for Windows 10(and port to ios and android using xamarin) so we could play on PC with controllers, though we could still use bluestacks.
Heck, as a UWP it could easily be deployed to Xbox one.
Thanks
This will be a new approach for the future of the company.
So if they’re going to re-release Sonic 1 on mobile, what’s going to happen to Christian Whitehead versions of 1 ,2, and CD, Christian did improve those to the point where I’s pay $15-20 on Steam, PSN, Eshop,and/or XBL, hopefully they stay up and we’ll be good
Saturn and Dreamcast games – yes please. Maybe now they can give us Panzer Dragoon Saga? I have to blow off dust from my MadCatz Mojo and see if it can play this.
And yeah… Make this for Switch!!
Very interesting, but I’m not too excited to post it on my phone. I’d rather want to play it on a real gaming device.
*play
My God, an edit feature is a must in this site.
OMFG!! I owned Sonic 1 for iPhone before (paid version), and new since this update I HAVE TO FREAKING PAY AGAIN. If I don’t pay again, they’re showing me freaking ads!!! There’s a “restore purchase” option, but it’s only good if you REPAID the app. That’s the worst thing ever. Not surprised coming from SEGA. Also, they’ve made the app 10 times heavier to load, the new code must not be optimized and totally sloppy.
Sooooo… SEGA is turning into a mobile cattle company? Best of luck…
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