Sega President Shuji Utsumi revealed that 60 to 70% of merchandise buyers for the 'Like a Dragon' series are female. He explained that among fans who came to love the series through videos and livestreams, many have never played the games themselves.
President Utsumi made the remarks in an interview with Nikkei XTREND published on the 7th, stating that the non-gamer fanbase has recently been growing across multiple titles. The interview was conducted in mid-June.
He explained that Sega's official YouTube channel and streams by popular YouTubers serve as touchpoints to grow the 'Like a Dragon' fanbase. Through these, people become interested in the franchise's world, story, and characters, which leads them to purchase related merchandise.
Utsumi stated that even people who have never played a game are considered Sega fans and 'gamers'. He noted that in some cases, these fans demonstrate even higher engagement with the IP than fans who actually play the games.
These comments were made during a Q&A session regarding Sega's 'transmedia' strategy, which expands gaming IPs into movies, live performances, merchandise, and other media. Utsumi highlighted increasing the opportunities and touchpoints for people to take an interest in an IP as a key strength of this strategy.
He also shared his past experience managing otome romance games at CYBIRD. He explained that during his time there, he witnessed the scope of merchandise expand beyond collectible pin badges and acrylic stands to daily items like clothing and cosmetics, as well as limited-edition products created in collaboration with amusement facilities. He added that this experience influenced Sega's transmedia strategy.
