SEGA's NOT exiting the console games market.

We probably all saw this coming for a while, but SEGA-Sammy Holdings has announced that they are restructuring SEGA into SEGA Games, and they are leaving the console games market. Instead, they will be focusing on PC-online games and mobile games.

SEGA itself is going strong, as it is one of the huge dominating players in the thriving Japanese arcade setting. But we will no longer be seeing their titles cropping up on our consoles.

Fortunately, this is just a restructuring of SEGA. Other companies owned by SEGA-Sammy Holdings, such as ATLUS, are liable to be relatively unaffected, unless their upcoming titles Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem fail.

It's the end of another era for SEGA, though. While they're not the massive force they once were, they are still a huge part of gaming history, and they will be remembered fondly by many.

Source.

They have definitely been doing better in the PC sphere, but this still sucks, and I hope it doesn't affect their PC games.

RIP a second time, SEGA :(

Yeah, I heard about this a couple of weeks ago, and it doesn't make me happy. And I'm unsure if this means they're done developing, or done publishing. Because they've published some really good console games. I know it was spurred on by the failure of Sonic Boom. But I mean... come on... it was released unfinished. What did they expect?

I hope Japanese kids are buying up their mobile games, because other than the Sonic 4 games, and the endless runner and jumping games I don't personally know a lot of SEGA mobile games. If they're jumping in blind thinking its going to be a more stable market for them, they're being foolish yet again

They hashed this out over on NeoGaf and it's not entirely true. They are cutting jobs in Western publishing and the arcade division, and trying to keep those people employed by shifting them to open positions within mobile and online PC games. Some website exaggerated this as a shift of the whole company and it's not true. However, it is very likely that Sega will be scaling back its console endeavors, namely working with outside developers in the West to release console games.

A lot of people accuse Sega of mismanaging a gold mine of IP but the truth is very few people actually buy the releases of old franchises they vocally clamor for on social media. Even when Sega does release good games like Valkyria Chronicles or recently Alien Isolation, no one buys it and many critics even pan them. It's rough for gaming all around but Sega seems to be in an especially tough spot. We're still getting Persona 5 no matter what, so need to cause a big panic.

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Originally Posted by Vyk

Yeah, I heard about this a couple of weeks ago, and it doesn't make me happy. And I'm unsure if this means they're done developing, or done publishing. Because they've published some really good console games. I know it was spurred on by the failure of Sonic Boom. But I mean... come on... it was released unfinished. What did they expect?

I hope Japanese kids are buying up their mobile games, because other than the Sonic 4 games, and the endless runner and jumping games I don't personally know a lot of SEGA mobile games. If they're jumping in blind thinking its going to be a more stable market for them, they're being foolish yet again

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Their mobile games have apparently been going well. I think they're safe for a while in that market.



I'm sad about their other IPs. They still own Shining Force, and I know several gamers who are going to be disappointed if Hatsune Miku vanishes.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

They hashed this out over on NeoGaf and it's not entirely true. They are cutting jobs in Western publishing and the arcade division, and trying to keep those people employed by shifting them to open positions within mobile and online PC games. Some website exaggerated this as a shift of the whole company and it's not true. However, it is very likely that Sega will be scaling back its console endeavors, namely working with outside developers in the West to release console games.

A lot of people accuse Sega of mismanaging a gold mine of IP but the truth is very few people actually buy the releases of old franchises they vocally clamor for on social media. Even when Sega does release good games like Valkyria Chronicles or recently Alien Isolation, no one buys it and many critics even pan them. It's rough for gaming all around but Sega seems to be in an especially tough spot. We're still getting Persona 5 no matter what, so need to cause a big panic.

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Is this a breakdown of that same announcement? I thought that one was over several weeks ago, and this one was coming from a news report a couple days old from a Japanese news site, so I figured it was a more recent announcement. I'm having little luck tracking the sources myself, so if it is indeed just that same restructuring, sorry for bringing it up again when we'd already sorted it out.

If Sega did this, then Nintendo would be most hurt by this. I'm guessing it's around 10% or so Wii/WiiU games are made by Sega (it sure seems like it).

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

Is this a breakdown of that same announcement? I thought that one was over several weeks ago, and this one was coming from a news report a couple days old from a Japanese news site, so I figured it was a more recent announcement. I'm having little luck tracking the sources myself, so if it is indeed just that same restructuring, sorry for bringing it up again when we'd already sorted it out.

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I think it's just some clarity. There was some news piece construing this as meaning they were completely exiting consoles and handhelds, which isn't what they said. Not sure if that was your source or not.

Not sure why they just don't go for a very simple reboot of Shining Force with the original style. Wouldn't be hard at all if they just made a nice little downloadable title or something.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

Is this a breakdown of that same announcement? I thought that one was over several weeks ago, and this one was coming from a news report a couple days old from a Japanese news site, so I figured it was a more recent announcement. I'm having little luck tracking the sources myself, so if it is indeed just that same restructuring, sorry for bringing it up again when we'd already sorted it out.

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I think it's just some clarity. There was some news piece construing this as meaning they were completely exiting consoles and handhelds, which isn't what they said. Not sure if that was your source or not.

Not sure why they just don't go for a very simple reboot of Shining Force with the original style. Wouldn't be hard at all if they just made a nice little downloadable title or something.

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Yep, pretty much. SEGA apparently was announcing the second phase of their restructuring, and their rebranding, and it got blown massively out of proportion. So no real new info here. Sorry for the mistake.

Feel free to lock.

EDIT: Or rename it. That works too.

Too bad big companies like this don't take suggestions where someone with a brain can look at a list and be like "You know what, some of these people make good points. Let's look into some of this stuff". But Square, Nintendo, and SEGA are pretty notorious for only half listening and then half-assing a response and then acting all confused when nobody likes how they botched it

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

EDIT: Or rename it. That works too.

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There's not been a topic on Sega's reshuffle, so I decided that we could probably stretch this out a bit longer. x}

Yeah, when I first heard this I thought it was obvious somoene smurfed up on reporting, cause no way was Sega dropping the console Market after their Atlus Acquisition, in part for their ability to sell JRPG's to a western audience.

Here's hoping Sega keeps going strong. Industry would be a bit sadder without them around.

Shining Resonance is almost out I think. And even though I know it won't come to America I can at least look at it with jealous and hopeful eyes. If SEGA drops out then that's it. Nothing left. The landscape and possibilities would indeed be a lot sadder

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Originally Posted by NeoCracker

Yeah, when I first heard this I thought it was obvious somoene smurfed up on reporting, cause no way was Sega dropping the console Market after their Atlus Acquisition, in part for their ability to sell JRPG's to a western audience.

Here's hoping Sega keeps going strong. Industry would be a bit sadder without them around.

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One of the things I found interesting about this was a couple minor bits in among other reports and Japanese commentators talking about ATLUS. Apparently ATLUS is not actually owned by SEGA, but by SEGA-Sammy Holdings. There were implications that ATLUS would be taking over the console side of things almost entirely, as SEGA (now SEGA Games) refocused on the mobile/PC/arcade market. But that was just hearsay that I couldn't find an article to back up, so I left it out of the OP.

With the follow up news that this was just more on the already planned restructuring, I think those bits lose their veracity. Unfortunately.

It isn't a bad idea though. Even though Atlus has struggled themselves from time to time it's never really been that dire to my understanding. They're kinda like Nintendo in that they understand where to put their money and how much to put in that won't end up shooting themselves in the foot if things don't pan out according to plan. Sega rarely shows that

Update to the thread:

http://www.videogamer.com/news/sonic...onic_team.html

So Sonic isn't going anywhere. They apparently have a multiplatform game for 2015, now that they delivered the 3 Wii U exclusives under their contract with Nintendo. Kinda hoping it's in the Sonic & All Stars Racing franchise.

Maybe this means they will sell the Shenmue IP to Sony, who might actually be able to make Shenmue 3 with Yu Suzuki.

Sorry - I think I just typed that whilst I was asleep. Back to reality now.