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The Evolution of Sega
Posted by
Soulskill
on Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:02 PM
from the building-a-better-hedgehog dept.
from the building-a-better-hedgehog dept.
Gamasutra is running an interview with Simon Jeffrey, Sega of America's CEO, discussing the gradual change of the company from a hardware manufacturer to a game publisher. Among other things, he talks about how the transition was intended to help keep up with rival manufacturers at a time when Sega was clearly falling behind.
"We were on the cusp of the next generation, and on the cusp of Nintendo changing into a different company and opening up a new part of the market. So it felt like the time was right for Sega to reinvent itself. Really what I tried to do was ride that train and make the most of that point in time, bringing new people into the company and start building the kind of products that would get a leadership position in the next generation on the Wii and the DS, rather than just playing catch-up with everybody else, which is what we've traditionally done."
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Nintendo to Sega: (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Nintendo to Sega: (Score:4, Funny)
A better headline might have been "The Sega Saga".
Parent
Re:Nintendo to Sega: (Score:5, Insightful)
All your blue hedgehogs are belong to us!
I've read far greater histories of Sega told by far greater men within the company then this guy. Instead of waxing poetically into the failure that is today's Sega maybe he outta be down with the workers ensuring the next Sonic game isn't a critical failure as has become the norm. Hey we may see a lot of Mario, but by and large [wikipedia.org] he is kept to games of acceptable quality. But hey maybe I'm just a little bitter, considering the company had the best hardware they could of ever asked for with the Dreamcast and yet it was a non-starter. Too much 'change' was the problem, to many add ons for core hardware that shouldn't have been neglected with such piss poor hardware releases [gametrailers.com]. And here we have an article about more change from Sega... 9th time is a charm eh?
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Game like Condemned, and The Club are good, I just wish they'd do MORE games like that, most of their releases in the last year have been movie tie ins which isn't all that great for the one noble Sega.
At least their modern versions of Sega Ral
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I agree. Just as damning is that Jeffrey didn't even know if Yu Suzuki was working for Sega anymore! If Jeffrey doesn't even know if Sega's most prolific and successful game creator is still working for the company I find it hard to bother listening to what he has to say.
Now if only they'd let Suzuki make more than one game in 5 years (Sega Race TV). And preferably that game would be Shenmue III.
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Which is commendable, and exactly what we want in an executive.
What's weird... (Score:5, Interesting)
...is how all the animosity has gone out of the relationship between Sega and Nintendo. Not just in the corporate world (where most of it was blustering, anyway) but in the minds of consumers as well. When was the last time you heard someone say, "Sega is way better than Nintendo!" or "Nu-uh, Sega beats the pants off Nintendo!" Even when the Dreamcast came out, it was well received on both sides of the fence.
Of course, the wussifying of Sonic the Hedgehog might have something to do with this. Considering that he's now portrayed as a "cute" character rather than "cool and edgy", this might have gone a long way toward changing the public's perception of Sega.
Re:What's weird... (Score:5, Insightful)
Considering that he's now portrayed as a "cute" character rather than "cool and edgy", this might have gone a long way toward changing the public's perception of Sega.
It's hard to been as a edgy talking hedgehog when you have to compete with GTA.
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Well, the edgy hedgehog now is Shadow. He's got a gun.
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Well it's more that Sonic's positions have moved into the mainstream. He started off as a radical environmentalist who wanted to Free The Animals from their Evil Robotic Prisons, but now everyone's a freaking animal-freeing hippy ;-).
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It's hard to been as a edgy talking hedgehog when you have to compete with GTA.
Doesn't mean they won't try! [vgcats.com]
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Sonic's asshole 'tude was an American marketing invention. In "reality," the character has changed very little, other than the design reboot in Adventure.
He has not been marketed as a "cute" character even in post-Adventure times in Japan, to any greater degree than any other game company mascot. Relatively speaking, Sonic hasn't been marketed at all; the interviewee in TFA acknowledges as much. Rather, SoA have simply stopped being advertising jerks, because they no longer have any reason (competing pro
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I think that pretty much stopped when Sony entered the scene.
Funny little related anecdote though... way back in the mid-90s when said animosity was going very strong with the Megadrive and the SNES fighting on the front lines, a French game magazine (I think it was Player One, but not sure) ran an April Fool's joke that was basically a 2 page article on how Sega and Nintendo we
Re:What's weird... (Score:4, Interesting)
What's left to antagonize? Sega lost - and not just lost, but lost spectacularly, and then cheerfully admitted they lost.
If you aren't in competition, antagonism tends to die. See the M$/$ony flamewars for today's animosity.
As for the wussifying of Sonic... actually, if Sega would ever make a good, playable Sonic game again, they might generate a little bit of "competition". The last enjoyable Sonic game I played was Sonic & Knuckles on the old Genesis. The newer 3D-style "Sonic" games are anything but fun.
You might also be interested in the trend away from mascots in general. I mean, check out this list [wikipedia.org]; how many do you still REALLY identify with a particular platform? For that matter, has $ony ever managed to make a real mascot? Crash Bandicoot never caught on, and their biggest "properties" have forever and always been third-party games. Even old iconics like Megaman can't get much more than a slow death as they get to be the focus of mindless, boring "pokemon-alike" portable platform titles these days. In fact, I'd say that Nintendo is the only company that even invests much in the brand identity of its chosen mascots these days, and even they subject us to a shovelware title like F-Zero GX or Starfox Adventures for every Metroid Prime or Zelda:Twilight Princess they still deliver.
Of course, the death of mascots has also accelerated with the lack of a pack-in game for most consoles and the lengthening of the development cycle. Part of what made Mario and Sonic so iconic was that their adventures were packed in with the consoles during the height of their formative years, and gamers could rely on at least one new, solid game a year. Now, we wait years between games, and some of the best titles are actually the "off-cycle" ones (look at the Paper Mario/Super Paper Mario series, which delivered a lot more fun with a lot less nuisance/annoyance time than the last two Mario64-alikes).
Finally, the changing "strageties" kill it too - Master Chief *might* qualify as a mascot for the original Xbox, but not quite as much for the 360 (which has really sold best due to Xbox Live Arcade and the ease of getting downloadable content for games like Rock Band).
Parent
Re:What's weird... (Score:5, Insightful)
When was the last time you heard someone say, "Sega is way better than Nintendo!" or "Nu-uh, Sega beats the pants off Nintendo!"
I think it was when video game consoles stopped being kids toys
Parent
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I've never heard anyone say that. Because..
"rather than just playing catch-up with everybody else, which is what we've traditionally done."
..which they've always done very poorly. They were consistantly using inferior technology and pushing inferior games. The only time I think I've ever heard anyone prefer Sega was when the Genesis version of Mortal Kombat had red blood and SNES didn't. The best thing Sega ever had going for them was Toejam and Earl.
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Of course, the awesoming [youtube.com] of Mario the Plumber might have something to do with this. Considering that he's now portrayed as a "cool & edgy" character rather than "cute", this might have gone a long way toward changing the public's perception of Nintendo.
I think the hedgehog has nothing to do with it (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't think the hedgehog has anything to do with it. The top factors in console wars, from what I can tell are:
1. Fanboyism. I swear some people should have been born dogs, the way they must dedicate their life to some Master.
2. Us-vs-them mentalities. If you can't have both consoles, you already have a criterion by which to divide the world into an "us" camp and a "they" camp. 'Nuff said.
3. Probably actually the root of both above: Cognitive dissonance. People tend to be the most rabid in either defendin
In what context? (Score:3, Funny)
Takes unusual vision and courage (Score:5, Interesting)
Most companies would keep plodding along, doing exactly what they've been doing because that's what they do. Sega would have fallen farther and farther behind and eventually evaporated to the sound of nobody caring.
This is why executives get the big bucks (not that all of them are worth it). You need somebody able to step back and evaluate where the company really stands.
Re:Takes unusual vision and courage (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't get me wrong; I bought a Dreamcast and loved it, but I don't think they had the momentum or money for another release after that.
The sad thing is if they had as much money as Microsoft they could have bounced back easily in the next generation (the current generation), but being such a specialized company means excellent games but volatile profit margins.
Parent
Still a shame (Score:2)
I hate that they went out of the hardware business, but they did what they had to do. But man, did I love my Genesis, especially taking those pre-Internet trips to the software store at the mall to buy games for it (and programs for the PC before the Net really caught on). Coming home from work to blow off some steam with Sonic or Jurassic Park or Echo the Dolphin. Good times.
it's a shame (Score:5, Insightful)
Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn for Sega (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn for Sega (Score:4, Funny)
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Re:Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn for Sega (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
What killed Sega? (Score:5, Insightful)
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The Saturn wasn't a noticeable change from the Genesis? I'm assuming you are talking about the SegaCD and 32X here.
FWIW, Sonic CD is pretty awesome.
Re:What killed Sega? (Score:4, Insightful)
It went downhill(in the US at least) with their release of the Sega CD [wikipedia.org] and other crappy genesis add-ons as well as the ill-fated Saturn which were expensive with not much noticeable difference between the original Genesis games.
It seemed like Sega had made it their corporate goal to launch a device and discontinue support for it two months later. Sega's whole fan base became alienated by shelling out massive amounts of cash for bricked hardware. It seemed like every few months there was new hardware to buy. All they had to do was take their time and develop a really good platform. By the time Dreamcast came around, it was too late.
Parent
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But Sega makes horrible games these days (Score:5, Interesting)
Seriously. With the exception of the various 2D Gameboy Advance and DS versions of "Sonic the Hedgehog" (which are fun, but nothing very new), their games are horrible. The 3D versions of Sonic for the big consoles have been mostly terrible, and never better than mediocre. They even managed to screw up the Nights sequel.
I guess there is the Virtua Fighter series, which is still well-done. But who plays that anymore?
Basically, Sega churns out junk based on their (formerly) popular franchises.
Re:But Sega makes horrible games these days (Score:4, Interesting)
Basically, Sega churns out junk based on their (formerly) popular franchises.
While I can't claim to be a huge fan of the Sonic stuff, Sega published some great games at least during the previous console generation (post-Dreamcast). Another poster mentioned Jet Set Radio [wikipedia.org], and I'll mention Panzer Dragoon Orta [wikipedia.org] and the Otogi [wikipedia.org] games. For a while, they were the house publishing some of the unique and innovative stuff, rather than JustAnotherShooter and JustAnotherPlatformer.
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I miss Sega (Score:5, Interesting)
Specifically, the Sega that brought you Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Shenmue. Looking at the consoles I've had over the years, the Dreamcast was by far the one with the weirdest, and ultimately most enjoyable libraries out there. Yeah, Soul Calibur 4 looks sweet on the PS3, in high-def and all, but the magic of playing the original, arcade version, on the Dreamcast with no performance or graphics penalty was just amazing.
Sega was that crazy friend of yours who was funny as hell and had so many good times with, and is now happily filling out TPS reports and saying he can't go out because he's got to work Sunday too.
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Sega was that crazy friend of yours who was funny as hell and had so many good times with, and is now happily filling out TPS reports and saying he can't go out because he's got to work Sunday too.
So.....Sega got married?
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Sega was that crazy friend of yours who was funny as hell and had so many good times with, and is now happily filling out TPS reports and saying he can't go out because he's got to work Sunday too.
So.....Sega got married?
To the wrong person, maybe...
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Re:I miss Sega (Score:4, Insightful)
Sega was like that crazy friend that would convince you to go out and blow all your money on strippers and booze. You would wake up the next morning with nothing to show for it except a splitting headache.
Sega went to rehab. The world is a better place because of it.
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Re:I miss Sega (Score:4, Insightful)
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That reminds me, when is the next meeting of the Enlightened Ones, we're supposed to be working on that plan to use those enormous Sega monoliths (SegaCD Original, Sega Genesis, topped by 32X) to summon Lord Hastur. [wikipedia.org]
Ia, Ia, Hasuturu phtagn!!!
Re:I miss Sega (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
Kudos (Score:3, Insightful)
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Goodbye Sonic. (Score:2, Interesting)
What he really means is... (Score:4, Interesting)
"Really what I tried to do was ride that train and make the most of that point in time...rather than just playing catch-up with everybody else, which is what we've traditionally done."
We were tired of being third to Nintendo and Sony all the time, so we just gave up and now produce rehashed versions of our old games on the new systems to make a living.
Too bad no one but /. was really interested in the dreamcast.
I always liked Sega.. (Score:3, Funny)
You had to be ballsy to use the Italian word for masturbation for a company name!
Sega no more (Score:3, Interesting)
Sega's console games division pretty much died with the Dreamcast. Their once flagship Sonic games have been reduced to a cash cow, just like Capcom's Mega Man games. But at least the newer Mega Man games aren't bogged down by ridiculously convoluted plot lines, horrible gameplay and the constant addition of useless characters that distance the series from its roots (i.e. PLAYING AS SONIC). It says volumes when the long anticipated sequel to "NiGHTS" had a muted reception. The best that long time Sega fans can hope for is that they don't screw up their old franchises too badly.
The Sega of today is Sega only in name, similar to that corporate mess they now call Atari. After the deal with Sammy, Sega's chief purpose is to lend whatever cache the name has left to a wide array of games like "Yakuza" and various licensed games (mostly developed by third parties) like "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk". Gone are the days when you could closely identify a game as being distinctly Sega - games like Panzer Dragoon, Space Harrier and the Shinobi series among others.
The good news is that Sega does release a lot of quality of arcade games - if you can find an arcade to play them in. The House of the Dead and Virtua Fighter series are still going strong, Sega has continued porting both series to home consoles. Just ignore the Sammy titles rebranded as Sega ones - like those darn deer hunting games.
Re:Sega no more (Score:4, Insightful)
But at least the newer Mega Man games aren't bogged down by ridiculously convoluted plot lines, horrible gameplay and the constant addition of useless characters that distance the series from its roots (i.e. PLAYING AS SONIC).
Uhm... which Megaman games are you playing?
The Megaman X series - Zero, Axl, and now the three girl-versions from Megaman X8?
The Megaman Battle Network/Star Force - Pokemon-Alike Series?
The Megaman Zero/ZX series - where you constantly switch between staff/gun/sword/shield/yoyo/etc weapon styles or which character you're mimicking?
Of all the modern ones existing today, NONE feel even close to being Megaman,or have anything other than ridiculously convoluted plot lines.
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Copper sega was the bomb (Score:3, Interesting)
http://flickr.com/photos/gilgongo/752902874/ [flickr.com]
3 bars, any position, paid 12 pence. Magic.
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