Update [Fri 2nd Aug, 2024 12:00 BST]: Since we posted this initial story back in September of 2023, we've been trying to get in touch with Sega Europe and, in particular, Sega Forever lead Danny Russell in order to get some clarification on what is happening with the retro-focused channel, which mysteriously went dark in August of last year.
We can now report that Russell appears to have left Sega, or is at least in the process of doing so.
Russell has remained silent on the matter but a now-deleted Twitter post from September of last year – shortly after the Sega Forever account stopped posting content – has been brought to our attention:
What should you do when you've been bullied all year and no-one is helping, five months after raising a grievance? I have been off ill in recent weeks adapting to medication due to the stress of this past year and this bully has used this time to take even more away from me.
We've contacted Sega multiple times for comment but, as of the time of writing, are yet to receive a response.
The last post on the Sega Forever Twitter / X account is from August 21st, 2023.
Original Story [Thu 21st Sep, 2023 14:00 BST]: We take game preservation very seriously here at Time Extension, which is why we've always been massive fans of the amazing work being done by Sega Forever, the Japanese company's official retro channel.
The brand itself began life as a way of promoting the company's emulated retro games on iOS and Android smartphones, but it has since evolved into a means of highlighting Sega's incredible legacy in the world of video gaming and is a regular source for unseen artwork, screens, promotional material and much, much more.
Sega Forever has also been involved with preserving assets and code, performing outstanding efforts in the realm of preservation. Last month, for example, the channel resurrected the Sonic statue from SEGAWORLD London, giving it pride of place on the show floor at this year's Gamescom.
However, that post – dated August 21st, exactly one month ago – is the last thing to have been uploaded to the Sega Forever Twitter (or X, if you prefer) account. The account – which has almost 60,000 followers – has been ominously silent since then.
To put that into context, the Sega Forever Twitter has been posting on an almost daily basis for as long as we can recall, which makes this prolonged absence all the more worrying. Its YouTube account hasn't posted a video in five months, either, while its Facebook and Instagram accounts last posted on August 31st.
We've seen lots of companies scaling back and making redundancies of late, and while this is wild speculation on our part, the radio silence could be down to the fact that Sega Forever has been deemed surplus to requirements – a crying shame when you consider all of the amazing work which has been achieved by the channel when it comes to celebrating Sega's past and preserving unseen items.
We've reached out to Danny Russell, Sega's Senior Global Community Manager and the custodian of the Sega Forever account, and we will update this story if and when we get a reply.