Sega Forever creator confirms departure from Sega after seven years
Former Senior Global Community Manager for Sega of America, Danny Russell, who spearheaded the Sega Forever initiative, confirmed that he’s left the company after more than seven years via a LinkedIn post.
In the post, he announced, “After some time away from socials for personal reasons, I’m ready to share that last year I moved on from Sega, closing an incredible chapter of my career.”
Russell mentioned his proudest achievements in the post, including launching and running Sega Forever from scratch. The initiative was launched in 2017 by Sega as a move to re-release retro classics on iOS and Android.
The Sega Forever project evolved beyond a retro-emulation service and gradually shifted into a game preservation effort, featuring retrospectives and unearthing and preserving rare assets in a digital archive.
Sega Forever’s social media handle on X became the voice for retro enthusiasts worldwide, posting almost daily until it finally went silent by the end of August 2023, with the final post celebrating the recovery and restoration of the SEGAWORLD London Sonic statue at Gamescom.
Many speculate that the abrupt silence was due to layoffs at Sega. In September 2023, Russell deleted a post that suggested some internal struggles. In the post, Russell stated:
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.
Sega briefly teased a revival of the Sega Forever project back in January 2025 with a rebranded X account, but it has not led to anything new since. By June 2025, Sega delisted many of its classic titles from Android and iOS storefronts. However, players who downloaded the now-removed titles can still play them offline.
Russell concluded the post, stating:
I am deeply grateful to fans, collaborators, content creators, and partners I worked with along the way. Your creativity and passion made every project special.
I am especially excited to have seen Shinobi return and remain hopeful that other legacy IPs that I supported behind the scenes (Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Virtua Fighter) get the spotlight they deserve. I wish my friends at Sega all the best for the future.
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