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Sega Europe announces fully recyclable packaging for all PC titles (Greta Thunberg, GET ITT!!!)

Sega Europe is abandoning plastic packaging for its physical games, after it today announced the introduction of recycled cardboard cases for all its PC products.

The news comes just months after Sega subsidiary Sports Interactive revealed it would be using specially designed recyclable cardboard cases for Football Manager 2020.

Studio director Miles Jacobson said at the time that he hoped the wider industry would soon follow suit.

Now, three months later, Sega Europe has expanded upon the work done by Sports Interactive to deliver recyclable packaging across its entire PC portfolio, starting with Total War: Rome II - Enemy at the Games Edition, which is set to release next week.

Much like the packaging used by Sports Interactive for Football Manager 2020, the new cases are more expensive to produce, but are made from 100% recycled and recyclable materials.

This increase is partially offset by savings in shipping costs, thanks to the reduced weight overall. Sega Europe quoted Jacobson's initial statement on the additional cost, saying it's "a price worth paying to help secure the planet's future."

"This initiative underlines Sega Europe's commitment to reducing its plastic waste and its ongoing efforts to implement environmentally friendly business practices," said Sega Europe president and COO Gary Dale.

It was estimated that the decision to go green with Football Manager 2020 would prevent up to 20 tonnes of plastic waste. Sega were unable to provide figures on how much waste this portfolio-wide move could prevent, but suggested it would be exponential.

Dale continued: "We'd like to reiterate Miles [Jacobson's] plea from September 2019 to the entertainment industries to investigate similar packaging solutions, across movies, games and music so we can collectively observe a drastic reduction in the production of plastic packaging and its associated waste and pollution, over the coming years."

The new packaging will be used for all Sega Europe PC titles, and will be distributed globally; this includes games from Relic, Two Point, Sports Interactive, Creative Assembly, and Amplitude Studios. Sega America PC titles are digital only.

Notably missing from the announcement, however, was any mention of console titles from Sega. In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, a Sega Europe representative clarified that the company must adhere to first-party guidelines, and is currently restricted from making its own recyclable packaging for games released on PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo.

greta-thunberg-smirk-climate-change-meme.jpg
 

xrnzaaas

Gold Member
So we've gone full circle?

Still have my Monkey Island box sitting around somewhere.
I assume it's not going to be only the box, but the whole package including the disc case. Personally I'm not a fan of how the stuff looks and feels to touch, I have a few music CD's with these eco-cases.
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
Great idea i hope more companies do this.
We all need to stop making so much waste 🤚
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
Right on. Every little bit helps. What really bothers me is when I open a pack of sweets and each individual piece is also packaged in a tiny plastic bag :/ Maybe it is necessary but it feels really wasteful.
Yeah those annoy me a lot.
Same as wrapping fruit
 

mcz117chief

Member
Let's give credit where it's due, SEGA's Creative Assembly team have been recycling content for decades.
Funniest shit is when they released a DLC and said it was a whole new game worth $60 and had day one DLC factions each worth about 15 more. I am talking about Warhammer Total War 2 btw.
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
Funniest shit is when they released a DLC and said it was a whole new game worth $60 and had day one DLC factions each worth about 15 more. I am talking about Warhammer Total War 2 btw.
Game was on sale for 20 pretty fast 😆
 
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bigol

Member
Imagine being offended by a kid. Imagine being offended by someone asking to create a better future for everyone on Earth.
 

MoreJRPG

Suffers from extreme PDS
I find this a bit ironic considering the amount of waste all those servers and data centres that house digital games, cloud saves, etc leave a larger carbon footprint than physical games.

Will Sega be pulling the plug on digital? The answer is obviously no.
 
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M0G

Member
A minority I know, but as somebody who likes having a box this is definitely preferable to both digital only and plastic cases. I doubt it'll take off in a big way though.
 

llien

Member
When are the next elections where we'd decide whether we-elect Greta T.?

Just wondering when I've voted for her.
 

Kazza

Member
Aren't boxed games pretty much for collectors now anyway? They are meant to be kept, not thrown away, so I don't think there's too much need for them to be recyclable (although I suppose everything becomes trash eventually)
 
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