This was actually posted over at Gamasutra an hour ago and seems the article was taking down. The article was about how SEGA Networks has been investing money in Western mobile developers this month, some of the studios being ‘up and coming’. As you know, SEGA has been trying to focus on the ‘free-to-play’ market, even recently made a deal with Gumi so that they could bring their Japanese mobile games to America. They are the ones that have published the popular Chain Chronicles.
So what studios has SEGA Networks invested money in?
- Demiurge Studios: A Boston based studio that made Marvel Puzzle Quest (and a ton of other games) is now owned by SEGA. Studio founder Albert Reed will take a executive role at SEGA and work on running the studio.
- Space Ape Games: SEGA has a majority stake in a UK-based developer that created the F2P title Samurai Siege. The developer recently announced that it raised $7 million dollars in funding, is preparing for its second F2P title that SEGA Networks will release in Japan.
- Ignited Artists: Is a new developers studio based in San Francisco. As of now they haven’t released a game.
Since SEGA Networks released Super Monkey Ball on the Apple app store in 2008, they have put out over 85 mobile games and if the way things are going forward mean anything, is that they will continue to grow the business. Their last mobile studio they purchased was Hardlight Studios that have delivered the massively successful Sonic Dash and Crazy Taxi: City Rush games. If anything in the story changes, we will keep you updated.
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So Sega Network is mobile and Sega games is consoles correct?
Yes, used to. Though its going to change with the new restructure that is going to happen soon:
“A key man in this new company will be the son of Sammy founder Haruki Satomi. The young man has risen from the ranks of SEGA America, helping to establish SEGA’s digital content business (Some of his earlier pieces of business and green lighting Guardian Heroes for Xbox 360.) and recently was head honcho over at SEGA Networks. Now Satomi is set become CEO of SEGA Games Co., LTD, effectively making him the top man at the games division. SEGA’s famed producer Toshihiro Nagoshi continues to helm the producer of director, now both at SEGA Games Co and SEGA Interactive, the latter being the new name for SEGA’s arcade division.”
SEGA will basically be Games/Arcade with mobile/digital being part of it.
Aki did a good article on that here:
http://segabits.com/blog/2015/02/12/sega-sammy-q3-2015-time-for-change/
Here is a image of the restructure:
http://abload.de/img/segaisurt.png
As far concerns the studios “Ignited Artists”, I found their LinkedIn page, and although still thin It’s live, with the logo and the statement:
“Ignited Artists is a hardcore mobile gaming studio based in San Francisco, California. What separates Ignited Artists from other mobile gaming studios is our obsessive talent-focus: We see Ignited Artists’ organizational policies, practices, and culture as a sea change for the games industry.”
To me seems quite promising …
Does this restructure essentially guarantee that the retail 3D Classic Compilation will never come to the West?