Games: The Sega Sammy balance.

[Cataferal]

According to recent reports, the new heads at Sega Sammy Holdings (Or Just SEGA) have officially terminated all development studios such as Smilebit, Sonicteam, Digital Rex, Amusement Vision, etc. and has instead divided them into three sectors dedicated to different sectors in the gaming industry.

Here is the new structure:

Three divisions:

1. GE = Global Entertainment

* Focus: Develop games for consoles.

2. NE = New Entertainment

* Focus = Develop new content for the arcade and home console markets.

3. AM = Amusement

* Focus = Develop games for amusement machines.


(All following studios led by Hisao Oguchi & Yukio Sugino)


Global Entertainment Software R&D (Led by Yuji Naka)

Dept. #1 (Headed by Akinori Nishiyama [Sonic Advance]): Working on TBA projects.

Dept. #2 (Headed by Akira Nishino [Sakura Taisen]): Working on Sakura Taisen V for PS2.

Dept. #3 (Headed by Yuji Naka [Sonic: The Hedgehog]): Working on Phantasy Star Universe (platform/s TBA).

Mobile Content R&D Dept. (Headed by Kazunari Tsukamoto [Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu's Dororo]): Working on new mobile titles and technology.

Sega Studio U.S.A. R&D (Headed by Takashi Iizuka [NiGHTS: Into Dreams, Sonic Heroes]): Working on TBA projects.

Sega Studio China R&D (Headed by Makoto Uchida [Project: Altered Beast]): Working on TBA projects.


New Entertainment R&D (Led by each dept. head)

Dept. #1 (Headed by Toshihiro Nagoshi [Daytona U.S.A.]): Working on SpikeOut: Battle Street for Xbox.

Dept. #2 (Headed by Yu Suzuki [Virtua Fighter, Shenmue]): Working on Shenmue Online for Japan/Asia.

Amusement Software R&D (Led by Hiroshi Kataoka)

Dept. #1 (Headed by Atsushi Seimiya [Shinobi]): Working on new arcade titles and technology.

Dept. #2 (Headed by Hiroshi Kataoka [Fighters Megamix]): Working on new arcade titles and technology.

Dept. #3 (Headed by Mie Kumagai [Virtua Tennis]): Working on new arcade titles and technology.

Racing Games R&D Dept. (Headed by Kenji Arai [Initial D: Arcade Stage]): Working on Sega Rally 2005 for PS2.

Sports Design R&D Dept. (Headed by Takayuki Kawagoe [Panzer Dragoon]): Working on baseball titles for Japan.

Family Entertainment (Headed by Hiroshi Uemura [Beetle Mushi King]): Working on kids arcade titles and technology.


On a side note, the SEGA Studio R&D happens to be the former Sonic Team USA and Sammy Studio.

This overrules many of the previous reformations which saw Sega combining their many subisidairy's. Hopefully this one will bring us the best out of Sega, and maybe, just maybe, we'll start getting the games we've been yearning for (ie, Shenmue III, Sonic Adventure III, Nights...). Comments?

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ March 02, 2005 07:50 AM: Message edited by: Cataferal ]</font>

[mrwiseman]

GE = Global Entertainment

Let's hope it's really GLOBAL, not "gaijin not arowed in here".


Develop new content for the arcade and home console markets

This one will have things hard, as today's arcades aren't really superior to something you can have at home, and sage saged its dominant, active position in the arcade market 3 years ago because they are teh stupid.


Working on Sakura Taisen V for PS2

Yay, I've heard this is for gaijin too. We'll finally be able to play an English Sakura Taisen (Wars) game, and we might even see it in Europe somehow.


Dept. #3 (Headed by Yuji Naka [Sonic: The Hedgehog]): Working on Phantasy Star Universe

How will this game be? What about real Sonic games for a change? We haven't got any since... 1994 (1999 if you count SA1).


Sega Studio China R&D

Amazing, and good news. Companies rarely develop outside Japan. I'm intrigued to see what kinds of games will this team produce.


Shenmue Online for Japan/Asia

Oh, the fake Shenmue bastardization. You mean it's racist? It won't be available in whites and blacks' countries? Well, not like we'll lose much, but still annoying. If that's so, they can stuff it up their asses and fart broadband with it.


Overall I think this is a much better structuring (probably thanks to Sammy, not to sage), much better than the crap they did a few years ago (back then, if the boat was sinking, they pissed on it to sink it faster). I <s>hope</s> would like to see good stuff coming from them, but I can't have any hopes, not even if I see such projects being developed - not until they're released and out of their cancelling power.

[melfice]

After they abandoned Dreamcast, Sega went right down the pile, they lost what they gained with the effor of 10 or more years, and started making crap titles for other consoles.

Then they join to Sammy, which, in my opinion, sounds like they're trying to beat the record the SNK/Playmore people got, have an arcade board more than 10 years old still working and having games which are fairly surpased by other brand titles which are more advanced just because of the name (insert here the King Of Fighters Saga).

Sammy, also, took advantage on Sega, getting the hardware they developed (the Naomi board) so, i guess it was a logic decision for sammy to join sega in their efforts.

Sammy i guess that will try and keep making games as they wish, using the Atomis Wave as base (modified the Naomi board) So, what should sega do? Exactly what everybody expects them to do, I'd wish them to start making good games again, that they hear people and make games which are besides good and technologically advanced, fun to play and fully enjoyable.

I hope that fusion makes both companies have benefits and that sega (without the people who sank it in the helm) has again a name in the world of videogames. And i also would wish that those games were fully released, not just announced to get people's attention.

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ March 02, 2005 10:04 AM: Message edited by: Melfice ]</font>

[mrwiseman]

Sega went right down

Lol, that's saging. That's when sega became sage.


Sammy, also, took advantage on Sega

How a relatively small company took over a much larger one adds to the fun, but I think Sammy got into needless trouble with the sage directors and marketers they've got in the lot to cope with.


And i also would wish that those games were fully released

Here's sage's software life cycle:

Analysis→Design→Hyping→Coding→Testing→Cancelling.

[Cataferal]

So what games are you mst hoping to see from the reformed company in the future? My list is as follows:

Shining Force IV
Panzer Dragoon V
Sonic Adventure 3
Sonic 4 (a new retro style sonic game, using purely a high-res 2d engine)
ShenMue III
Nights Into Dreams remake
Nights Into Dreams 2

Im also actually looking forward to Phantasy Star Universe. Any cRPG from Sega is welcome in my eyes, since i know they have pulled them off very well in the past; be they online or offline.

[Cataferal]

I cant help but admit you have a point there. Whenever i post something here, i love to back myself up with linked sources and facts. However, figures are really difficuly to come by.
The only source i have for this is the european site http://www.gamesindustry.biz/ which provides game charts, up-to-date Shares accounts, and news articles which specifically state the sales of a game after a period of time (ie, a week, month or year) for games which break records, or go platinum.
However, this site wouldnt be useful for tracking the sales and profits gained from older games (such earlier FF's), or niche titles like Grandia II. The only way we can recognise a games success in such a way is by checking to see if a titles gone platinum or not, and if it has, we can probably check up online to see how quickly and by what extent of sales it achieved it. However, the very fact that RPG's have gone platinum in europe (even if its mostly just FF) suggests that theres a respectable market for the genre, even if we know it doesnt surpass the sales of big franchises like GTA.

With regards to the european market being a good target for MMORPG's, look no further than here! That should give you a good load of stats and figures on this matter at least.

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ March 02, 2005 01:39 PM: Message edited by: Cataferal ]</font>

[Xellos]

As long as I get Guilty Gear and PSO games, I could care less what the rest of Sega/Sammy does. Hopefulyl ST not being around anymore will mean PSO will finalyl not get treated like shit.

Actually, a Shenmue MMORPG sin't a good move, worldwide right now, considering WoW, FFXI, and EQ2's dominance of that market in the west. A new game that's not well known won't do well against those giants.

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ March 02, 2005 03:31 PM: Message edited by: Xellos ]</font>

[Hell Knight]

Every mmo will lose in this current situation. No mmorpg can beat those.

[One Classy Bloke]

Don't forget Lineage 2, that looks damn good.

[mrwiseman]

IRT Cata: Shining Force 4, Sonic 4, Nights Into Dreams... I think we're the ones into dreams if we think this could happen. The "too good to be true" theorem applies ^_^.

????

IRT OCB: This topic needs less sage, and more Sega

Sure, you tell me where's Sega (the one from the Genesis times), and I'll age.


Name calling is childish.

ZOMG


In fact, most of 4chan humour is crap outside the context of 4chan.

Sadly, it's *NOT* humor... sage saged itself and sucks big time. I'm the first to want a strong, productive Sega. But shit happens, and now they fell from the first position in my list to the 666th.


Also, what the hell is your obsession with the japanese being racist all the time?

Not all the time, only when they're being racist.


that may be a mistake

Lol, the sega of today is a mistake in an on itself. They won't do anything right.


You may play them, but who else will?

80% of console oriented gamers preferring cRPGs over all other genres, according to surveys, last time I checked.


I doubt Grandia II sold that many

I doubt Grandia II had nearly that much marketing.


With the exception of Square's RPGs, i doubt they are really as popular as you may think.

With the exception of Square's RPGs, they don't have much marketing.


I want facts, figures,

I posted some. Sorry I don't have time to search for more, but I believe it's clear enough.


links and naked breasts!

http://www.4chan.org

????

IRT Xellos: a Shenmue MMORPG sin't a good move, worldwide right now

Even if it'll sell like crap because of the strong competition,

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana,sans-serif">code:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#77A5CC"><pre> Japan USA Yurop
????????????????????????
Asians only x 0 0
Asians, whites, and blacks x y z</pre></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

x+y+z &gt; x no matter how small y and z are.

Fixed costs are relatively irrelevant, and server costs for a MMORPG and marketing for a niche game are scalable to sales so they are irrelevant as well.

Therefore, if you have a product and you voluntarily decide not to sell it to some customers, you're saging yourself.