The SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics Hub has been a surprising success, selling more than 350,000 copies on Steam just weeks after its release.
In fact, it’s been so successful that, according to SEGA of Europe’s James Schall, other publishers have even contacted SEGA inquiring how get their games added to the Classics Hub. SEGA is also looking at expanding the Hub beyond the Genesis.
“We want to look at maybe doing some different platforms, as well, but all of that needs to be thought through, discussed and not rushed,” Schall told Eurogamer.
The Classics Hub allows people to play modded versions of iconic Genesis games, like Sonic 2 or Streets of Rage, via Steam Workshop. It’s been a breath of fresh air as many developers historically have frowned upon the modding community or turned a blind eye towards it. SEGA, however, has embraced modding and brilliantly found a way to monetize it.
“Mods are a smart way to work with retro content because they may be games that have not been touched in maybe ten years but people still love them,” Schall said. “If consumers want to find something, it’s not that difficult to go on the internet and try and download it illegally. Whereas I think giving people an opportunity to play games and alter them just reenergizes the whole platform.”
“We had a lot of discussions internally about modified content and ROMs,” Schall continued. “There’s never really been a way for us to officially endorse that. We felt that with the Steam Workshop, we were able to do this in a way that also enabled us to have a little bit of control on what’s going on.”
You can find the Classics Hub here.
