SEGA Just Delisted Nine Free Classic Mobile Ports From iOS and Android

SEGA just quietly delisted nine classic mobile game ports from the iOS App and Google Play Store, marking an end to the SEGA Forever program. Many of these retro titles were fan favorites:

• Sonic CD

• Crazy Taxi

• Streets of Rage

• Streets of Rage 2

• Golden Axe Classics

• Shining Force Classics

• Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II

• Super Monkey Ball: Sakura Edition

• Virtua Tennis Challenge

These SEGA classics were free to download with an optional $2 in-app purchase to remove ads. Later, SEGA removed all ads, essentially listing paid versions of these games for free. But an in-game pop-up served as a forewarning for players that support for the game had been discontinued, but it could still be played offline. 

Although the list includes nine classics, it technically amounts to 13 games, as both Golden Axe Classics and Shining Force each bundle three games.

These titles join other SEGA classics, which were shelved back in 2023, including games like Ristar, Vectorman, Comix Zone, and more. 

In 2017, the company launched an initiative dubbed SEGA Forever, which ported a plethora of its cult-classics to iOS and Android. The idea behind this move was to offer classic games for free, with the catch being in-game advertisements.

SEGA did not announce the exact delisting dates for the nine titles. This move was followed by the discontinuation of the SEGA Forever program in late 2023, ending support for legacy mobile ports.

This isn’t the first time SEGA has delisted classic ports. Previously, the Japanese gaming publisher delisted more than 60 games, including Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio, from consoles and PC Storefronts last December. 

A possible reason behind the delisting could be the tedious technicalities behind updating these titles according to newer system APIs. Some fans speculate that SEGA might be preparing for a new mobile subscription service or a “SEGA Pass,” but no official confirmation or hints point to this being a reality currently.