Tag Archives: sega

Sonic Brand In For A Major Reboot, May Go The Skylanders Route?

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Sega is apparently busy rebooting the Sonic franchise after it was revealed earlier last week that the company has suffered huge financial losses. The rumour stems from TSSZ who state that the much-loved franchise could end up taking the Skylanders route with collectible figures providing a new form of interactive entertainment. Here’s what they have to say on the matter:

  • Sonic Team and Sega are looking to better monetize Sonic
  • Potentially “massive” and “total” reboot
  • Sega and Sonic Team are “committed” to the reboo
  • Speed, platforming, and surreal environments will remain
  • Sonic and Dr. Eggman’s rivalry will continue
  • Both characters may undergo a makeover
  • Everything else is up in the air and may see radical changes, including Tails
  • May birth a new universe and characters
  • New gameplay methods and gimmicks
  • Zones would be massively expanded and become their own world
  • Zones feature individual levels masked as missions
  • Idea likened to Burnout Paradise
  • Includes a brand-new engine
  • Photo-realism is of no concern
  • May aggressively pursue a collection model as part of the reboot
  • Targeting the young audience that enjoys physical collectibles
  • May require physical emblems and collectibles to unlock special features
  • SEGA inspired by Skylanders’ success
  • Physical toys and collectibles may have an interactive component with a new cartoon series
  • May offer classic characters in-game as DLC

Sonic The Hedgehog Co-Creator Hirokazu Yasuhara Joins Nintendo

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Hirokazu Yasuhara, a games industry veteran and one of the game directors for the early Sonic titles has joined Nintendo. Nintendo and Yasuhara have both confirmed the move, but neither will reveal what his new position is within the Kyoto based company. Yasuhara has told press that he will be working at Nintendo of America in Redmond, Washington.

Namco X Sega X Capcom’s Nintendo 3DS Game Site Is Counting Down The Hours

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We first heard that Namco, Sega and Capcom were planning to team up on an exclusive Nintendo 3DS game at the Nintendo Direct conference, but we haven’t heard anything since. Now it appears as though the official website for the project has been updated providing those who visit it with a countdown timer, which is due to expire in a week. Any guesses as to what the mystery project could be?

Sega Game Gear RPG Shining Force Headed To Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

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Shining Force: Sword of Hajya, is coming to the Nintendo 3DS virtual console according to a recent listing by the Australian Classifications board. Shining Force will be joined by Defenders of Oasis, a Game Gear RPG inspired by the Arabian Knights stories. Sega has yet to announced a date for either titles.

Check Out The Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure European Launch Trailer

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Sega has released the official launch trailer for the forthcoming 3DS exclusive Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure. Sega has teamed up with Nintendo to release the game in Europe and it’s scheduled to be released April 5th. Sega has announced that the game won’t be coming to North America until July 10th.

Sega Issue Press Release Regarding Its Devastating 7.1 Billion Yen Loss

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Yesterday I reported that Sega has decided to cancel a number of its projects and will instead focus on existing IP’s after the company posted an extraordinary loss of 7.1 billion yen. Sega has now issued a press statement regarding the critical situation which can be read below:

Due to the challenging economic climate and significant changes within the interactive gaming industry, SEGA has made the decision to consolidate its publishing business in order to focus on developing digital content and driving its existing IP such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and the Aliens franchise. This realignment of the business around existing and digital IP is a necessity to ensure that SEGA continues to invest and enhance its digital business offering, whilst reducing its reliance on traditional packaged goods.
As a result of the SEGA Sammy Board decision to consolidate the business, many of our internal functions will be re-structured and this could result in a number of redundancies within the publishing business across the Western organisation. The company will be entering into a re-structure phase to reflect the unprecedented change in our industry and to move the company forward appropriately.
The changes will position SEGA as a content led organisation, maximising sales with a strong and balanced IP portfolio across both packaged and digital distribution. The management team are confident that the proposed restructure will benefit the company and make it fit for purpose within the changing nature of the industry over the coming years.

Sega Is Preparing To Cancel Games And Concentrate On Popular IP’s

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Sega Japan has announced that it plans to reorganise its Western operations due to the financial losses the company has acquired. Sega plans to cancel some of its games that are currently in development and concentrate their efforts of popular existing IP’s such as the Sonic series along with Football Manager, Aliens and others.

Game Gear Games Coming To European 3DS Virtual Console This Week, Plus Mega Man 5 For Wii

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Nintendo UK and Nintendo Europe have announced that Game Gear games will be making an appearance on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console this week. Game Gear fans will be able to purchase Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble, Shinobi and Dragon Crystal. Nintendo UK and Europe have also announced that Mega Man 5 will be available on Wii Virtual Console.

Sonic Virtual Console Games Are Staying Put In Europe And North America

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Last week I reported that Sega were planning to pull its range of Sonic games from the Wii Virtual Console in Japan. Thankfully Sega has clarified that this will only affect users in Japan, and not Wii owners in Europe or North America. Sega refused to reveal why it was taking Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic & Knuckles, plus Sonic the Hedgehog on the Master System off the Wii Virtual Console.