SEGA’s All-Time IP Sales Show Sonic’s Unmatched Domination

SEGA is a Japanese multinational video game company, known for many titles, but it seems like some of them stand out way more than others.  It has brought us not only some iconic arcade games but some other video games, most notably the Sonic video games on consoles.

If you did not know, SEGA developed video game consoles from 1983 until 2001, with some of them being the staple of veteran gamers’ memories. Their other work includes Puyo Puyo, Yakuza, Virtua Fighter, Persona, and so much more. But today, we will be talking about their most-selling IPs, according to the recent report given by SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS.

SEGA’s All-Time IP Sales

SEGA’s IP portfolio is vast, as it has games from the past few decades. They have not only been amazing but revolutionized some aspects of the gaming industry. For many of you reading this, your first game might even have been a SEGA IP, and that is a badge you can wear with honour.

SEGA IPs
SEGA’s Annual Report Showing All-Time Sales of their IPs.

After looking through the report, you can see many well-known titles, like Total War, Football Manager, Hatsune Miku, and Persona, but one of them seems to prevail way above everyone else. Note that these sales include the unit and F2P sales up till March 2022.


Major Points

  • Sonic is dominating as SEGA’s most-selling IP to date.
  • The difference between Sonic and the 2nd most-selling SEGA IP is astonishingly high, to the point that even combining 2nd-10th ranked games fall way below half of what Sonic has.
  • It shows the influence, and the vast sales Sonic has gotten throughout the decades, and how there will likely never be another SEGA IP to compete with it.

Top-Selling SEGA IPs

Sonic has sold incredibly well, having over 1.51 billion sales in total as of March 2022. As for their other titles, Total War comes 2nd with 40.4 million, and Puyo Puyo on 3rd falling a bit short with 37.7 million. The rest of the list includes:

  • Football Manager: 25m
  • Yakuza: 19.8m
  • Virtua Fighter: 18.8m
  • Shin Megami Tensei: 19m
  • Hatsune Miku: 18.5m
  • Persona: 15.5m
  • Phantasy Star: 9.8m

Even if we combine the sales of Total War, all the way to Phantasy Star, it makes up 204.5 million, which is still way below a quarter of what Sonic has achieved. This goes to show how significant Sonic is. Despite the popularity gained by other titles, including Persona and Yakuza, their numbers are still not even close to being on top.

while we say that, it doesn’t mean their sales are bad, in fact, 15.5m is great for an IP, and it is better than what most others can achieve, but the difference between the best and good is crystal clear.

SEGA Annual Sales
Sonic Origins by SEGA.

It is not a stretch for us to say that Sonic is undoubtedly SEGA’s most prized possession, and they will continue to do big things with it, especially with the release of Sonic Frontiers. They may branch Sonic out to different genres, and expand this to become much more than just a series.

In Conclusion

If it wasn’t clear enough that Sonic is SEGA’s top-selling IP, the figures have cemented it, and those numbers are shouting that no other SEGA IP can even come to close them. Despite the difference, SEGA’s IPs are doing exceptionally well, and as we advance in the future, their upcoming annual reports will also be just as successful.

What do you think about Sonic’s success? Do you think SEGA can beat its own IP in terms of sales? Share your thoughts with us below and we will get back to you!

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