Even Sega knows it'd only win the console war in a dystopia

404 Game Re:set
(Image credit: Sega)

Sega's latest depicts a futuristic dystopia in which it won the console wars.

In case you somehow hadn't heard, Sega paid Yoko Taro to create a mobile game where all their franchises were turned into anime girls. 404 Game Re:set is out now in Japan, leading to all sorts of weird discoveries, including one cutscene where Sega winning the console war over Nintendo is treated as a literal futuristic dystopia. 

This sure is a Yoko Taro game alright. The NieR series lead has never been shy of poking fun at gaming companies, or just the general gaming industry in general, and now he's taking a shot at Sega, positing that the only reality in which they'd beat Nintendo in a console war would be a dream-like alternate reality.

404 Game Re:set also sort of has the world in shambles, with Sega having taken over and dominating various landmarks around Earth. This is literally George Orwell's 1984 but instead Sega has taken over the world and everything's pretty much gone to shit. 

Now we're wondering what else this incredibly strange alternate timeline in the Yoko Taro-led game holds. Perhaps Sonic has bludgeoned Mario to death, and Nintendo's Kyoto-based headquarters have been demolished and taken over by a massive Sega building. Perhaps Yuji Naka was never arrested over insider trading charges.

It'd be lovely if 404 Game Re:set eventually makes its way Westward, so a new audience can see Sega taking itself a little less seriously for a change. 

Check out our new games 2023 guide for a list of all the other, slightly more normal, games set to launch over the rest of the year. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.