Sega to become platform-exclusive...

[BEBOPlover]

I can't understand why anyone would so venomously desire a company to outright fail, posiably fold, and never be heard of again.

I've owned just about every system that has been released on this planet, and I've loved ALL of them.

Whatever happens happens. We'll all move on.

[Tracer]

I don't think this will be happening, but we'll see. I refuse to get worked up about it right now. Sega can maximize profits best as a 3rd party and I feel they will remain as one. Nintendo suits many of thier games so incredibly well I would not, nor could I, really imagine them performing or selling as well on any other system aside from one of thier own. Sega needs to look at what sells and demographics of other systems and the technology provided (this is pretty much a GC/Xbox thing) and the teams can make thier games accordingly. Shinobi would do best on PS2 and maybe Xbox. Monkey Ball and games like Nights fit best with Gamecube. They would be shooting them selves in the foot in the long term and horribly limiting themselves to one console WITHOUT having any hand in development and so on. Being 2nd party is ideal for starting studios, up-and-coming strong established studios but NOT HUGE PUBLISHERS who already have the capital to drive themselves forward and work indepentantly without being beholden to other huge publishers.

ºTracer

[Low]

Originally posted by TracerBullet
Being 2nd party is ideal for starting studios, up-and-coming strong established studios but NOT HUGE PUBLISHERS who already have the capital to drive themselves forward and work indepentantly without being beholden to other huge publishers.

ºTracer

Exactly, beside Sega has garnered a HUGE amount of attention since becoming a third party, they've broadened their consumer base far beyond their last console without being constrained by a single identity. And someone mentioned Virtua Fighter 2 selling 2 million units. Correct, but it was the last time Sega had a game hit a million units.

And though a rumor, you can never take a Sega rumor too lightly... *-neo

[Tracer]

Originally posted by Kinopio


If SEGA became a 2nd party of Nintendo, then odds are Nintendo would publish the games, thus making them Nintendo games. This would be key for SEGA because if a game bombs, it wouldn't affect them as much it would had they been the publisher.

I'd want them to partner with Nintendo for a couple reasons. Mainly because Nintendo treats their 2nd party developers well, and it would suck to not have SEGA games on the GBA.

YOu've got to be fucking kidding me. If Nintendo of America started publishing Segas games here, they would be the ones to make the decission to localize the games. That means that not only Jack but also shit would make it stateside... much like a lot of Nintendo's best first party games. Boourns to that I say. They can go with whothefuck ever at the end of the day (though it's likely that this rumor is a lot of bullshit) but if it comes down to Nintendo publishing thier games I would rue the day I ever bought a Master System and saw what Sega was for the first time. It would, in short, be a disaster.

ºTracer

[Shin Johnpv]

Originally posted by bahn
Kinopio: Ya, but now that's all in the past. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance cometh

yes but first comes FF CC for the GC and GBA

Nintendo got their GC FF and Square gets their GBA games

thats the point Kinopio was making

[GameHED]

Id be very surprised if Sega limited themselves to the Xbox..Especially considering the userbase and the way the system is viewed over here in the UK/Europe and Japan, Sales figures for singular non franchise titles for the US Xbox are the worst of the 3 consoles by quite a large margin, it would be a no brainer.

I believe things could improve based on the titles that people want to play. People are drawn to the console through particular games. Design those particular titles for a specific platform and they will come. Lots of people bought xboxs just to play certain sega titles.
You can look at it 2 ways:
-people will buy your game if you put it on the most popular platform
or
-people will buy the system with your games on it if they are really good enough. But your game won't suffer compromises. It will look as 'next-gen' as you can make it and push a few boundaries that other game companies can aspire to try to compete agasint across the board (any game from any system). A good example is soul calibur for dc. I bought a dc to play the game after seeing how awesome it was. A classic case of "I got the system to get to the game because the quality of the game reached a new level of expectation from me for other fighters across all systems (arcades included)" Other games from then on would have to compete with that regardless of sales, to get my attention. If the game was held back by limits (say, a ps1 port of the arcade game) the game wouldn't nearly have had as much impact on me to get the system or the game.

interesting and somewhat related topic: (from xboxgamers)

Steel Batillion Shoots Straight To The Top In Japan
Posted on September 7, 2002


With Xbox having an underwhelming experience in Japan so far, this came as a huge suprise to us when we were going around various Japanese online retailers.

Whilst visiting Japans biggest online retailer, Amazon.Co.Jp, we thought we would check the top-100 pre-ordered games on all formats. We were shocked to find Steel Battilon topping the charts, beating off every other game and hardware in development. That includes the Gamecube broadband adapter (4th) and Final Fantasy XI Limited Edition (6th).

For a game that is over double the price of any other game on the Japanese videogame market, this is one hell of an achievement!

Thats not all though, for the first time since launch, we seen another xbox title in the top 15 over in the land of the rising sun! That game is Sega GT 2002 currently 11th in the top-100 preordered games!

Good News For Microsoft and Xbox then!

I'd prefer that the original games weren't ported, and time and resources not wasted on other consoles at the expense of the original game. I'd actually prefer if all the resources were poured into the single game and that the single game were to make full use of the most technically able system in the interest of the quality and polish of a game. Sure it's easy to say "but its logical that they should support the most widespread system to make money quickly" but to me that's not the best thing for them to do. We see games like vf4 locked into exclusivity for a platform that can barely match the arcade hardware's specs and the conversion suffers just a little" all for the short term benefit of money, and at the expense of those who want to see an xbox version quickly.

I've noticed that the games that I'm most interested in are the ones that seem centred around the xbox from the start, not so much the ports or multiplatform stuff: PDO, Splinter Cell, (yeah multi platform, xbox hardware will be emphasised though), Steel Battalion etc
You have to admit that part of the reason why xbox isn't dominating in japan is lack of developer support and the lack of developer support is due to gamers not being interested in the system for lack of games who are therefore waiting around for more games and for more developer support. (goes in a circle) So I say, get some developer support, centre games around the xbox, and the people will come as a result of that. Sure they'll bitch and whine about having to buy an xbox but the prices will come down, and the userbase will grow and we can start seeing some original xbox projects being made. (I get the feeling there's a lot of old dreamcast sequels on all 3 platforms sega are riding on, more than original new stuff. Nothing wrong with that though, just us dc gamers wanting some new things too)

[Saint of Killers]

The Amazon.com preorder list means nothing in Japan. The Xbox was topping their chart for awhile before it came out, and look how well it sold.

[Kinopio]

Originally posted by TracerBullet


YOu've got to be fucking kidding me. If Nintendo of America started publishing Segas games here, they would be the ones to make the decission to localize the games. That means that not only Jack but also shit would make it stateside... much like a lot of Nintendo's best first party games. Boourns to that I say. They can go with whothefuck ever at the end of the day (though it's likely that this rumor is a lot of bullshit) but if it comes down to Nintendo publishing thier games I would rue the day I ever bought a Master System and saw what Sega was for the first time. It would, in short, be a disaster.

ºTracer

Time for a reality check.

Like SEGA is any better. For dreamcast alone they never brought Cosmic Smash, Rez, SPace channel 5 part 2, shenmue 2, headhunter, sakura taisen 3, sakura taisen 4, napple tale, roomania #203, fighting vipers 2 and MANY more to North America.

[sggg]

Originally posted by Kinopio
Like SEGA is any better. For dreamcast alone they never brought Cosmic Smash, Rez, SPace channel 5 part 2, shenmue 2, headhunter, sakura taisen 3, sakura taisen 4, napple tale, roomania #203, fighting vipers 2 and MANY more to North America.

Some of those decisions were made because they decided to discontinue Dreamcast in NA. Rez, SC5P2, Shenmue 2, Headhunter, etc. Otherwise things would have been different.

Also, Sega did bring over more than a few quirky titles, as is their tradition. I still can't believe that Seaman actually came out in NA?!

Originally posted by Saint of Killers
The Amazon.com preorder list means nothing in Japan. The Xbox was topping their chart for awhile before it came out, and look how well it sold.

I agree. Things like that are genrally just a subversive form of advertising. There is no reason to actually believe an Amazon about something like this - and not jsut about videogames but about everything and anything. They list the things they want to move or are paid to promote.

[gameoverDude]

Just as Namco's platform agnosticism is a good thing, the idea of Sega agreeing to be locked into one platform doesn't sit well with me. Like GameHED stated, the thought of Soul Calibur being chopped down to fit PS1 is revolting. While VF4 on PS2 is very good, an Xbox version could be better still.

VF4 would have made a good multiplatform release. Beside the PS2 version (most popular system), there could be an Xbox one (to take advantage of Xbox's power & RAM for a closer conversion).

Originally posted by EvilMog007
I hope Sega just dies. Then there would be a few less fanboys talking nonsense.

EvilMog007- That is such bullshit. You do not slam Sega like this.