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Sega announced its own Mega Drive Mini (though that’s not the confirmed name as of yet) earlier this year, but the release was set just for Japan. Thanks to the positive worldwide reception, though, the company has revised its plans and is now bringing the classic console West – albeit with a delay to 2019 thrown in to the bargain.
The announcement came via a couple of Sega tweets, translated both by Google and Gematsu – confirming the positive overseas reaction to the Segafest announcement has pushed the company into releasing the Mini in the US (as the Genesis) and Europe (as the properly-titled Mega Drive).
While originally set for release in 2018, the increased scope of production – and the desire to launch the Mega Drive Mini simultaneously around the world – necessitated a delay to an unknown point in 2019. No games have been announced yet.
Additionally, Sega says it is reviewing the design of the console, as well as consulting with developers to get the best performance it can from the machine and the games offered on it. This will come as some relief to those worried about Sega’s partnership with AtGames for the project.
The announcement does put Sega’s 16-bit throwback on the back foot after Sony’s announcement of its own 32-bit mini console the PlayStation Classic, coming in December 2018. It will be interesting to see how well the Mega Drive fares in the wake of Sony’s release, as well as how it stacks up to Nintendo’s two existing mini console relases.
It’s like the console wars never ended…
