SEGASammy Report

[Mariano]

Another report, this one explain some other interesting things:


http://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/pdf/release/2015_4q_presentation_e_hp.pdf

[Trippled]

It would require alot of effort, but I would love if Aki-at made a report about the by now entire decade of the Sega Sammy Holdings existence (2005-2015)

Of course not as detailed as a single year report would be etc.

[Aki-at]

I think next year will be even better sales. For example I think the combination of having Total War and Warhammer together will boost the sales of the next entry. I think right now the highest selling one (under SEGA) is Empire with over 3 million units. I would beat that Total Warhammer will do over 4 million when its all said and done.

They're expecting sales decline next year. Only about 4 million units sold overseas.

Pretty much confirms Sonic NEXT and Warhammer are going to come out next fiscal year (April 2016 - March 2017) the following year would just be the calm before the storm (The fact that calm contains Yakuza 5 is all the better.)

[CrazyT]

Sega making huge arcade machines is the problem,  not the hardware (or games). In the end,  arcades will die out even in Japan.  Sega should really think about a exit strategy.

I have always seen the mobile market space as the replacement for arcade. Sadly its replacing almost everything..

[MadeManG74]

Is there a chance that a new Virtua Fighter could skip arcades altogether?

A chance, but I'd be extremely surprised, considering VF would be a relatively low cost/high return arcade machine for Sega. It's cheaper to bust out VF cabinets than fucking horse racing simulators or whatever, and I think that VF's brand is still reliant on Arcades. It's like a blockbuster movie, it makes more money on DVD than in theatres, but nobody cares about it unless it gets a cinema release to 'legitimise' it.

I think next year will be even better sales. For example I think the combination of having Total War and Warhammer together will boost the sales of the next entry. I think right now the highest selling one (under SEGA) is Empire with over 3 million units. I would beat that Total Warhammer will do over 4 million when its all said and done.

I also think the next Sonic the Hedgehog title by Sonic Team, which I assume will be on multiplatform titles, will do a lot better than Sonic Boom, which isn't a hard thing to beat. I will say 2 million is a easy to reach for number.

Then we also have the next Creative Assembly blockbuster title that SEGA has been teasing. Now that Creative Assembly has that in-house engine that ran Isolation, I assume cost/profit margin will be larger for the next title.

The only thing I'm scared of is what the Yakuza team will be working on. That is a series that has been constantly down (slowly). I think the team really needs to give the franchise a break and try to get a new passion project up and running (not a game like Binary Domain that has a agenda, like being 'world wide hit', just a game they want to do).

I also think mobile titles will be more focused, less titles that will more likely bring in more money. SEGA is really understanding the trends of mobile better than most Japanese publishers. I assume Sonic Runners will be huge, especially if they tie-in items and unlockables with the console game like most new triple A games are doing.

I agree Warhammer should be big. It's going to be a very different game too, so should maybe draw in new audiences not just with the license but people looking for fantasy games and the like.

Sonic being multiplat alone will help it sell much much more than a Nintendo exclusive.

I would really like to see Yakuza team work on something new. I would even love to see them make a new Streets of Rage game, just recycle the fighting engine from Yakuza with some minor changes, change the art direction, and make it more focused on pure action and fighting for example. Personal dream-wankery aside, there's a lot of potential for what they could do, even if they wanted to recycle engine/assets/gameplay.

I have always seen the mobile market space as the replacement for arcade. Sadly its replacing almost everything..

I've heard this argument a lot, and in some ways I see it, like the high volume low $ model, but done in a completely different way.

[JRcade19]

Biggest difference between mobile and arcade for me is that the arcade experience is seemless and compete, while the mobile experience is neither.

I can put some money into the arcade machine and probably beat the entire game if I'm good enough. On a mobile game chances are no matter how good I am at it, I will have to sink in dollar after dollar to get energy, get powerups, unlock new characters ect...I can't actually play many mobile games because designs are often just too jaggy like that.

[MadeManG74]

The thing for me is, I would always prefer a home port because I could avoid the 'It's really hard so you need to keep spending money' design. The exception was when the arcade machine was impossible to have at home because the graphics were beyond the scope of home consoles, or it was a social thing (Fighting games, racing games) or the cabinets were unique and exciting (Afterburner, Daytona 8 player link ups etc).

Mobile phone games offer the restricting gameplay and micro-payments but with worse graphics, worse controls and no face to face social interaction. They do have the portability aspect, but that's not enough to entice me when there are so many other portable entertainment options.

[Sharky]

I understand the trouble people have with the f2p model, but honestly I think it's still the best bet for SEGA's Arcade style games to make a return... Nobody is going to put down big bucks on a new 2D Fantasy Zone for example... But as a free to play game I can see millions of downloads if its as good as the usual Fantasy Zone games.

I think there are good ways to do f2p well... I think PSO2 does it VERY well... You don't need to buy anything to progress or play, its only for cosmetic shit like clothes and lobby animations and new voices... And while you can buy grinders and other power ups theres no need if you don't want too.

[MadeManG74]

I understand the trouble people have with the f2p model, but honestly I think it's still the best bet for SEGA's Arcade style games to make a return... Nobody is going to put down big bucks on a new 2D Fantasy Zone for example... But as a free to play game I can see millions of downloads if its as good as the usual Fantasy Zone games.

I think there are good ways to do f2p well... I think PSO2 does it VERY well... You don't need to buy anything to progress or play, its only for cosmetic shit like clothes and lobby animations and new voices... And while you can buy grinders and other power ups theres no need if you don't want too.

I don't think anyone can argue that there isn't money in the F2P model, but I think far more often than not it hurts the gameplay and quality. You need to design the game around locking out content or making it frustrating/dull to progress without spending money.

As I said, some arcade games did this too, but they traded it off with cutting edge graphics, unique experiences or social aspects (playing against friends, other people in person).

I haven't played PSO2 so I don't know how that works, but I'm sure there are examples of F2P done right.

[George]

I think everyone here is thinking of like 'clash of clan' models that are slowly being phased off. The issue with these models is that you have to have a 'established audience' to support the non-payers. I think I read somewhere that these big spenders are very low % of gaming audience. Regardless, there have been other models before that have worked really well, for example: Angry Birds and a few of those types of games. They give the user a free simple title that is easy to pick up and play and doesn't bother them with nonsense about paying to continuing.

Plus the full game without adverts is a dollar. So not all of them are the same, which people here are making it seem.

[JRcade19]

The F2P model isn't inherently bad for me. I've played plenty of good F2P games mobile or not, but it particularly difficult to find such at times among the legions of "FREEPAYMONEY" types that remain in the market at times.

If it were more like an arcade experience in which the game tried to incentivize you bluntly, but not in a way that completely blocks progress relative to what you can do in the game(Arcades contained everything, only thing you needed to pay for was lives which was fair IMO, given the rest of the game was in tact and progressive), I'm always up for such.

[Team Andromeda]

Sega making huge arcade machines is the problem,  not the hardware (or games). In the end,  arcades will die out even in Japan.  Sega should really think about a exit strategy.

? SEGA don't make the  huge advanced Arcade units it used too and these days even Namco is outclassing SEGA in the Arcades with some amazing tech with the Star Wars game and a new Battle Dome unit. SEGA seems just play it safe in comparsion and what the hells happend to its once might teasm like AM#1 and AM#3 ?

Sega made a profit, yeah sure there is the whole restructure cost but that has little to do with how Sega is performing

I though SEGASammy group posted a small loss overall ?


 

[Trippled]

? SEGA don't make the  huge advanced Arcade units it used too and these days even Namco is outclassing SEGA in the Arcades with some amazing tech with the Star Wars game and a new Battle Dome unit. SEGA seems just play it safe in comparsion and what the hells happend to its once might teasm like AM#1 and AM#3 ?


I though SEGASammy group posted a small loss overall ?

Star Wars Arcades are not new technology, Gundam Pods have been around since 2006, it's the same thing.

For the core gamer arcade market, Sega just launched Wonderland Wars and is already doing as well as Border Break, another hit by AM#1 like Sangokushi Taisen was.
Then there will Kancolle Arcade by AM#2, which will do well - tough not sure gameplay will look like, I think it might be a repurposed The World of Three Kingdoms (which looked cool, but just lacked attractive IP).

Then there are the neat casual machines like Edel Sunaba and Nailpri.

[Team Andromeda]

Star Wars Arcades are not new technology, Gundam Pods have been around since 2006, it's the same thing

Star Wars is displaying soem serious nice visuals, some of the best Arcade have seen in a while  . Namco pod isn't new, having the screen that that surrounds the player above and the sides is . The last time I saw SEGA take a risk and try something different with its Cabitents was with the Cycraft cabient

For the core gamer arcade market, Sega just launched Wonderland Wars and is already doing as well as Border Break, another hit by AM#1 like Sangokushi Taisen was.Then there will Kancolle Arcade by AM#2, which will do well - tough not sure gameplay will look like, I think it might be a repurposed The World of Three Kingdoms (which looked cool, but just lacked attractive IP

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Not much really , not when one looks at what AM#1 and AM#3 used to do . Sure AM#2 are class but even them aren't what they used to be and no doubt held back with Sammy focus on quick easy cheap productions

[Trippled]

Well, the golden age of arcades in general is over anyways. Impressive cabinets with impressive graphics are thing of the past, these days it's more about internet titles (kinda like an internet cafe in korea I would say)

But yeah Star Wars Arcade VS. Transformers by Sega, the Star Wars Arcade machine wins easily.