Sega's 60th birthday celebrations include a free Yakuza x Streets of Rage 2 mash-up on PC
Plus mini games from Relic, Amplitude, and more.
2020 (for all its sins) marks 60 years since the mighty Sega was founded, and the company's western arm has announced it'll be celebrating the occasion with a range of activities, including the release of four free retro-styled mini games on Steam, inspired by some notable franchises.
Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment will, for instance, be offering up top-down shooter Armor of Heroes, which features four-player PvP couch co-op, destructible environments, nine games modes, and more. Endless Space and Endless Legend studio Amplitude, meanwhile, is melding its sci-fi universe up with Sega's Fantasy Zone, delivering the "small, fast-paced" shoot-'em-up, Endless Zone.
The freebies continue with developer Empty Clips Studios' Streets Of Kamurocho - a side-scrolling beat-'em-up that blends Sega's classic Streets of Rage 2 with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's Yakuza series - and conclude with Golden Axed, something of a lost relic.
It's a playable prototype of the long-cancelled Golden Axe Reborn, an attempt by Sega Studios Australia to reboot the company's legendary action title for modern audiences. The project and studio were regrettably shut down in 2013, but a small portion of the work done will finally see the light of day as part of Sega's 60th birthday celebrations.
Armor of Heroes will be available on Steam from tomorrow, 15th October, Endless Zone goes live on 16th October, Streets Of Kamurocho can be downloaded from 17th October, and Golden Axed arrives on 18th October. Titles will no longer be available after 19th October.
In addition to the above, Sega is currently hosting a 60th anniversary sale on Steam, featuring discounts on a wide range of its games (including Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for free), and the company also promises "interviews with Sega legends past and present, giveaways and competitions and retro inspired artwork" across social media and its anniversary website.
Players willing to hand over their email address via the 60th anniversary website can claim a free Steam copy of NiGHTS into Dreams.