View Full Version : Sega Canceling Games and Cutting Jobs in US
Oobgarm
03-30-2012, 11:52 AM
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/30/sega-canceling-games-cutting-jobs-in-us-and-europe-to-restructu
I hope Yakuza and Valkyria Chronicles continue, as well as HD ports of Dreamcast titles...
buzz_n64
03-30-2012, 11:55 AM
I blame Sonic 4. :)
DOAsaturn
03-30-2012, 12:18 PM
Might be bad news for Rhythm Thief for 3DS, that game keeps getting delayed and I can't imagine it's projected to sell all that well, quality game or not...
Daria
03-30-2012, 12:20 PM
I'd care, but it's not as if Sega has made a great game I've cared about in years. Feel sorry about those people losing their jobs though.
Clownzilla
03-30-2012, 12:44 PM
This will most likely hurt the chance of Shenmue 3 funding.
xelement5x
03-30-2012, 12:56 PM
I'd care, but it's not as if Sega has made a great game I've cared about in years. Feel sorry about those people losing their jobs though.
I'm not sure if you like tactical/role playing games, but Valkyria Chronicles is one of the best games for the PS3 in my opinion, and as mentioned by the OP as well. They've got some tosh they've published recently, but they've also released some gems as well.
If anything, that Monster World Colleciton for the 360 is an indication that they have some idea what their retro fans want.
j_factor
03-30-2012, 12:59 PM
The plan also includes a narrowing of Sega's lineup, to focus on franchises that the company expects to sell in the US and Europe, including Sonic, Football Manager, Total War, and Aliens. That refocusing means some games have been canceled, though specific titles were not announced.
Translation: All the good stuff is staying in Japan from now on. Terrible news.
Press_Start
03-30-2012, 01:35 PM
Translation: All the good stuff is staying in Japan from now on. Terrible news.
You could always start your own Sega online gamer activist group and call it "Operation Blueballs." ;)
The 1 2 P
03-30-2012, 06:59 PM
If Sega has another couple years like this they may be headed for the auction block, which is exactly where THQ is headed after they file for bankrupcy.
megasdkirby
03-30-2012, 07:49 PM
This will most likely hurt the chance of Shenmue 3 funding.
Sega should at least finish the series with a damn novel. At least something! Leaving the story halfway is truly perplexing.
This will most likely hurt the chance of Shenmue 3 funding.
Maybe now Sega will sell the license to Yu Suzuki and he can kickstart the sequel!
megasdkirby
03-30-2012, 09:33 PM
Maybe now Sega will sell the license to Yu Suzuki and he can kickstart the sequel!
I'll pay top money for this...if I have it at the time. Definitely worth it to finally see Lan Di's ass get kicked and Ryo turn into Akira. LOL
retroman
03-30-2012, 10:55 PM
Well..there goes my hope for a Dreamcast 2...lol
swlovinist
03-31-2012, 12:06 AM
truly sad to see Sega in the state it is. They have been mediocre for years.
Sega has published some great games over the years, the problem has been consistency and lack of sales on most of their good titles. There's a bigger issue on the horizon and it's disrupting the traditional games business. It's called mobile, social, PC and cloud gaming. Traditional publishers are sweating bullets just waiting for the shit to hit the fan, trust me on that, bruv.
One thing is certain: I'd hate to be a traditional publisher right now.
substantial_snake
03-31-2012, 07:58 AM
I can't really help but feel a little depressed at this as a long time SEGA fan.
I enjoyed Sonic Generations, Colors, and Valkyrie Chronicles but haven't played anything else that SEGA fully developed this generation. Although only SEGA published, Vanquish was a awesome game though I've heard that it didn't sell very well. I have yet to play any of the Yakuza games I hear they are at least decent and nothing but good things about TW: Shogun II.
drthielegood
03-31-2012, 08:13 AM
This is terrible news...
Sega seems to be one of the only devs who will actually put out new or novel IPs. They are not always hits, or good for that matter, but I like the idea that, in a market place thats more sequel heavy than Hollywood, at least Sega was willing to take risks.
Vanquish, Bayonetta, Resonance of Fate, Anarchy Reins, Binary Domain, and even The Conduit on Wii where/are risks that we need devs to take.
Sadly, the IPs above will probably be the types that are trashed for more Sonic games and crappy licsensed titles.
Just awful.
This is terrible news...
Sega seems to be one of the only devs who will actually put out new or novel IPs. They are not always hits, or good for that matter, but I like the idea that, in a market place thats more sequel heavy than Hollywood, at least Sega was willing to take risks.
Vanquish, Bayonetta, Resonance of Fate, Anarchy Reins, Binary Domain, and even The Conduit on Wii where/are risks that we need devs to take.
Sadly, the IPs above will probably be the types that are trashed for more Sonic games and crappy licsensed titles.
Just awful.
Sega didn't develop several of the titles you mention internally, but I agree, they took big risks as a publisher. Sega has the IP, but lost a lot of their big internal talent a long time ago. For a very long time Sega was a gamer's gaming company putting out great stuff that the core really appreciated. But it doesn't seem to make great business sense. As I've mentioned in other threads, there's a brave new side of the business where you can take big risks without breaking the bank. It'd be great to see Sega create great content for services like Steam and 'devices' like iPhone and Android.
Personally, I'd love to see Treasure take a stab at Sonic and Panzer Dragoon...
duffmanth
03-31-2012, 10:38 AM
Sega created some of my favourite games of my childhood and teen years, but they've become so irrelevant this console generation that it doesn't surprise me they're on the verge of closing up.
crazyjackcsa
03-31-2012, 10:48 AM
It's too bad. Sega seemed to be turning things around this generation, but sales just didn't follow.
The best Sonic games in a long time in Colors, Generations and All stars racing.
Interesting new IPs across all three systems, a reboot of House of the Dead, but nobody bought them.
At the same time, Sega is still one of the largest publishers, if smaller companies can make money you need to make adjustments.
I would like to know what games have been canned.
j_factor
04-01-2012, 10:18 AM
As I've mentioned in other threads, there's a brave new side of the business where you can take big risks without breaking the bank. It'd be great to see Sega create great content for services like Steam and 'devices' like iPhone and Android.
Sega was one of the first major game companies to create a mobile division -- long before iPhone and Android even existed. They were also selling PC games via download through their website, before Steam was around. So it's not really even a new side of business for them. I would argue that Sega has branched out and been open to new avenues as much as can be reasonably expected. It simply hasn't paid off.
SEGA_Queen
04-01-2012, 11:48 AM
I feel sorry for all the people who were laid off/will be laid off due to this situation.:(
StoneAgeGamer
04-01-2012, 12:54 PM
Sega has actually made/published some good games in recent years. They have a jewel in Platinum that they are just letting go to waste with no advertising at all. How can you call yourself a publisher and then not advertise the games you publish? I mean I can't think of last time I saw a Sega published or developed game advertised on prime time TV.
kedawa
04-01-2012, 02:46 PM
Sega has been mismanaged for decades. If it weren't for their amusement centres, which actually make money, Sammy never would have rescued them, and they'd be another Atari - a hollow name and set of IPs that gets passed around and fumbled until it's a sad joke.
I like a lot of their games, mostly stuff from last century, but it's hard to feel bad about their failures.
I can't think of any other company that allows their most valuable and successful franchises to disappear into obscurity the way Sega does.
Of course, they always try to resurrect them a decade too late by publishing outsourced crap that bares little or no resemblance to the original game.
Sega was one of the first major game companies to create a mobile division -- long before iPhone and Android even existed. They were also selling PC games via download through their website, before Steam was around. So it's not really even a new side of business for them. I would argue that Sega has branched out and been open to new avenues as much as can be reasonably expected. It simply hasn't paid off.
I'm well aware of that, but they aren't supporting the platforms with compelling original content. Sega has almost always been ahead of the curve, but the paths they've blazed for others certainly hasn't enriched them.
crazyjackcsa
04-02-2012, 07:20 PM
Looking at Sega game sales though, the problem seems to lie in the business side of things (as opposed to the game sales)
On the Wii, there are 10 million plus sellers and another 9 that sold more than 500k+ copies.
PS3 7 million sellers with 10 more at 500k+
DS is 7 million sellers with 7 more over 500k
PSP is 3 and 5 respectively.
XBOX 360 only 2 million sellers and another 9 more than 500k+
Not huge numbers, but good numbers. Keep in mind, that doesn't include download only.
That's in a generation of course. So it appears to be an issue of expense rather than revenue.
BHvrd
04-03-2012, 06:26 PM
This is a damn shame that Sega has become so niche. Ever since the demise of the Dreamcast they have just been grasping at straws with North America, I can't blame them for re-focusing back to their homeland, I bet the games will be much better as in general American gamers just don't know what they like and Japanese gamers do, and I like what Japanese gamers like.
Trying to please American gamers was their first mistake, hopefully this leads to better things, cause my mouth is watering watching trailers for PSO2.