SEGA Veteran Cataloguing 4,500 Titles for Modern Preservation

Veteran SEGA developer Yosuke Okunari has revealed a massive internal project: cataloguing every piece of hardware and software the company has ever produced. The goal is to build a comprehensive, searchable database that could eventually bring the entire library of SEGA history to modern platforms.

In a recent feature for Famitsu, Okunari shared that he has been building this in-house database for the last few years. According to his current research, the scope of the project is immense. Excluding ports and remakes, he has identified roughly 2,800 unique game titles. When accounting for every version, port, and remake, that number climbs to approximately 4,500 titles.

The Road to Modern Preservation

"Once this database is complete, I’d like to make it fully playable," Okunari said. While the ambition is to see these thousands of titles running on contemporary hardware, the producer is realistic about the timeline and the challenges involved.

Okunari admitted that the project is a long-term endeavor, stating, "I still have a long way to go to complete it, but a search of the current version reveals that, excluding ports and remakes, there are about 2,800 Sega game titles. Including all of them, there are about 4,500 titles."

He also acknowledged the difficulty of the task, noting that he will likely retire before the work is finished, meaning the responsibility for maintaining and executing this digital library will eventually shift to another team member. Beyond the sheer volume of software, potential licensing issues remain a significant factor for any future re-releases.

Past Attempts at Classic Preservation

This initiative follows a long history of SEGA exploring how to bring its back catalog to new audiences. In previous years, Okunari has commented on the technical and financial hurdles of bringing classic hardware to the public, such as the discussions surrounding potential "Mini" versions of the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast. Those projects ultimately stalled due to high production costs.

While fans have frequently requested access to specific classics—often citing titles like Shenmue or missing entries in the Sonic the Hedgehog series—this new database effort represents a more structural, long-term approach to archival. Even if only a fraction of these 4,500 titles reach modern consoles, it would mark a significant expansion of SEGA's available gaming history.