Shuji Utsumi

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Shuji Utsumi
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Utsumi in Italy, 2020
Born (1961-04-19) April 19, 1961 (age 64)
NationalityJapanese
Education Wharton School (MBA); Hitotsubashi University (BA, Economics)
Occupation(s)Business executive; video game producer
Years active1986–present
Organization(s) Sega (President and COO)

Shuji Utsumi (born 19 April 1961) is a Japanese business executive and video game producer who has served as President and COO (chief operating officer) of Sega since April 2024. He is also CEO of Sega of America and Sega Europe. [1] [2] Utsumi previously held senior roles at Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), Sega of America, and Disney Interactive, and co-founded the Tokyo-based game studio Q Entertainment. [3] [4]

Contents

Career

Utsumi began his games industry career in 1993 as one of the founding members of SCEA, serving as Vice President of product acquisition and working on third-party relations during the launch of the original PlayStation. [1] [2] [5]

In 1996 he moved to Sega of America as Senior Vice President, working with Sega’s Japan studios during the late-1990s and Dreamcast period. [6] [7]

From 2000 to 2004 Utsumi was Vice President and Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific region at Disney Interactive. He has spoken about securing corporate approval for Kingdom Hearts, serving as a Disney-side producer on the project. [8]

In 2003 Utsumi co-founded Q Entertainment with designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and became its CEO. The studio is best known for the music-driven titles Lumines and Meteos and for later projects such as Rez HD and Child of Eden. [4]

Outside video games, Utsumi was appointed President and COO of Warner Music Japan in 2014, [9] and later became president (2016) and subsequently CEO (2018) of mobile game developer Cybird during its acquisition by Aeria Inc. [10]

Utsumi rejoined SegaSammy in 2019 and became CSO of Sega in 2020, later Co-COO, and in April 2024 was promoted to President and COO of Sega while also serving as CEO of Sega of America and Sega Europe. [1] [2] Since then, independent coverage has profiled his strategy to balance legacy IP with new concepts and transmedia initiatives, as Sega pursues revivals such as Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio. [11] [12]

Education

Utsumi holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hitotsubashi University. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Williams, Demi (10 January 2024). "Shuji Utsumi is the new President and COO of Sega as well as CEO of Sega of America and Europe". TechRadar. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Kerr, Chris (10 January 2024). "Shuji Utsumi named CEO of Sega Europe and America amid transmedia push". GameDeveloper.com. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Speaker Details Page". D.I.C.E. Summit. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 Kohler, Chris (6 June 2007). "Q's CEO Keeps Mizuguchi Rocking". Wired. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Putting the mega drive back into Sega: how the company wants to return to creating video game "rock & roll", compared to Nintendo's "pop music"". Eurogamer. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  6. ↑ Townsend, Verity (13 December 2024). "Sega is changing its global strategy to become an IP powerhouse, reviving dormant franchises and aggressively pursuing transmedia projects". Automaton West. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Stuart, Keith (20 December 2024). "'We are not a retro company': Sega prepares to go back to the future". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Amber V, "How Kingdom Hearts got approved while halfway through development – former Disney rep comments", AUTOMATON WEST, 30 April 2024. "How Kingdom Hearts got approved while halfway through development – former Disney rep comments". 30 April 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  9. ↑ "Kaz Kobayashi named Warner Japan CEO, Utsumi in as COO". Music Business Worldwide. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  10. ↑ "Aeria, Inc. Acquires CYBIRD Co., LTD. As part of its strategy of strengthening global deployment of games for women, names Shuji Utsumi as CEO" (Press release). Antara/Kyodo JBN. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  11. ↑ Stuart, Keith (20 December 2024). "'We are not a retro company': Sega prepares to go back to the future". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  12. ↑ Park, Gene (8 December 2023). "In reviving classic games, Sega channels its old bohemian spirit". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
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