Former Disney and Scopely executive Justin Scarpone will lead a newly formed transmedia strategy position at SEGA, the publisher announced early Thursday.
Scarpone, with over 30 years of experience in leadership roles at entertainment companies like The Walt Disney Company and Scopely Inc., will be based in Tokyo, Japan and will focus on expanding the rest of SEGA’s entertainment business strategies.
Throughout his 17 years at Disney, he played a key role in the conglomerate’s game business in the Asia Pacific region, with games like LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum, Kingdom Hearts, and Marvel Future Fight. In 2019, he joined Scopely, the publishers of Stumble Guys, where he led the company’s Asia Pacific division.
Stumble Guys were among the games specifically cited by SEGA in an internal document about a yet-to-be-announced Sonic mobile title, Tails’ Channel understands.
In a statement, SEGA said that Scarpone “specialized in developing and leading large-scale entertainment business strategies across Asia Pacific and the West that have produced significant financial outcomes.”
The Japanese publisher aims to replicate the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie across its other intellectual properties, and to make the cross-platform effort a key growth strategy for the company’s future.
As the “executive vice-president and head of global transmedia,” Scarpone will report to SEGA on 1 April 2024.
