Will the Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 get a North America release?

Sega is getting back into the hardware business with the Sega Mega Drive Mini 2, but is it coming out in the United States, Europe, or anywhere outside Japan?

Sega announced that it was set to unveil something on June 3. As always, fan speculation ran wild. Would it be Yakuza 8? Persona 6? A new Sonic game to go alongside Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontiers?

Instead, Sega revealed a new piece of hardware with the Sega Mega Drive Mini 2. Though plug-and-play gaming hardware has fallen out of vogue, Sega is looking to bring it back with a follow-up to the Mega Drive Mini from 2019. The reveal was made in strange fashion, with a wrestling segment starring Tiger Mask.

The complete game lineup hasn’t been confirmed as of yet, but the new Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 distinguishes itself from the original in a few ways. It’s set to have 50 titles installed on it, with some emphasis on Sega CD titles including Sonic CD and Shining Force CD. Here’s what we know about the retro console at the moment.

Will the Sega Genesis 2 come out in North America?

At present, Sega does not seem to have plans to release the Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 as the Sega Genesis 2 in the United States and more broadly in North America.

Those plans could change, but there are some hurdles. First and foremost is a potential lack of interest in plug-and-play gaming hardware in 2022. The market was oversaturated after the success of Nintendo’s mini NES and SNES, and even successful units ended up getting limited runs. There are also still lingering global supply chain issues that would make it more difficult than usual to do a worldwide launch for a new piece of tech.

Full list of Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 games

It’s uncertain what games will be available on the Sega Mega Drive Mini 2. Only 11 games have been revealed for it thus far, including:

• Bonanza Bros
• Fantasy Zone
• Magical Taruruto
• Mansion of Hidden Souls
• Popful Mail
• Shining Force CD
• Shining in the Darkness
• Silpheed
• Sonic CD
• Thunder Force IV
• Virtua Racing

While some might peak the interest of fans, enthusiasm ought to be bottled up to some degree as not all of these games would be likely to make the transition overseas if the Mega Drive Mini 2 were brought to North America or Europe. The previous line of mini consoles had radically different lineups of games between North America, Europe, and Japan.

Though Sonic CD and Shining Force CD would likely be a given, there are many opportunities for licensing issues. There are also likely to be several games included that never received a western release, and thus might not be included in a port. 

If the Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 comes out in Europe or North America, expect there to be significant changes to the final game list.