The SEGAGuys Join SHIRO!

Back in April 2020, in the earliest days of the global pandemic, fate brought together two veteran UK gamers and SEGA fans on Twitter.

A chance meeting in a thread about SEGA’s most creative console led to an exchange of DM’s, where a blog was proposed to discuss the subject, but soon our attentions turned to a podcast, and “the Sega Guys” were born. Our aim was to share our experiences of growing up during SEGA’s golden era, when their consoles were new, the arcade was king, and all we ever wanted was a SEGA console under our TV.

A lot has happened in the last 4 years. From the humble beginnings of an audio show, to being a regular feature on RadioSEGA guest nights, where the audio version of our show still airs to this day. And from the lows an ending the podcast entirely, to the decision to turn “the end” into an 8 month hiatus.

We’ve been inspired by so many in this community, none more so than our SHIRO brothers and their friends, including Mel (SEGA Lord X), Nick (Pandamonium), and Sam (the Southern SEGA Gentleman), who showed us that there was more we could do, more we could offer.

So when we returned from our hiatus, we moved to YouTube and returned as “The SEGAGuys”, with the aim to offer a UK perspective of SEGA, inspired by SHIRO (a podcast) combined with the shorter, game and/or platform focused videos found on Mel, Sam, and Nick’s channel … well, before Nick morphed into the SEGA version of the Discovery Channel, serving us near-5-hour epics (and we love it).

The point of this history lesson, is to try and paint a picture of where we’ve been, because as of today, Dan and I are delighted to officially be part of the SHIRO Media Group. 

We’ve gone from watching these guys to working with them, and from working with them to becoming great friends. 

When Dave floated the idea a few weeks ago, it made sense. We already collaborate so much with crossover podcasts and the sharing of content to our respective premium members/Patrons, so having SEGAGuys sit under the SHIRO banner just made things that little bit more official.

For us, nothing changes. We’ll still be the same SEGAGuys you’ve come to know and enjoy, and we retain all our creative freedom. For us, the move is an endorsement of what we do from peers we’ve looked up to for so long. For SHIRO, they now have a dedicated UK SEGA perspective and wealth of experience “in house”.

We can’t wait to see where the future takes both brands, as we combine our efforts to engage gamers old and new with SEGA and the Saturn, helping them discover new games and new experiences thought lost with the passing of time. 

We also look forward to seeing the continued growth of our amazing homebrew community as we approach the 30th anniversary competition, and that word is key here; community.

Without you guys, we wouldn’t be doing what we do.

All that’s left for me to say is that you MUST play SEGA Saturn and, we’ll see YOU on the SEGA side!

Dan “the Mega Driver”:

In the vastness of the Internet, it’s possible to find like minded communities and content makers with the same passions you have, even if those passions are for a decades’ old games console, that despite being branded a failure, gave you some of your most treasured moments and memories.

Around six years ago I discovered SHIRO via their podcast and was quickly drawn by the crews’ enthusiasm, knowledge and personal experiences that complimented and expanded my own.

I was a purely passive enjoyer of the amazing work the team were doing back then, content to sit back and enjoy the wonderful Saturn content they produced. 

But simply being part of the audience wouldn’t last forever.

It doesn’t feel that long, but it was four years ago I met James, and the SEGAGuys were born, once more, a vision evolving from the passion shared for our favourite videogame company.

As we embarked on our own journey, soon we would have the privilege of working with Dave, Pat, Peter, Dan and so many more. What was initially a guest episode quickly blossomed into an incredible partnership as James and I were welcomed into this incredible community that the team have curated.

If you’d have told me six years ago we’d be working so closely with creators of whom I was such a fan, I’d have called you a liar.

Yet here we are now, with so much we’ve done together, and so much more to come, and it’s an honour to officially be part of the SHIRO Media Group.

What was once a podcast I was a fan of, is now a community, filled with people who I can call friends, and as the SEGAGuys and SHIRO solidify this partnership, we will continue to spread Sega passion, change narratives, and Play Sega Saturn together!