SEGA News

Shinobi 3DS developer faces layoffs

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Griptonite games, makers of Shinobi on 3DS, Captain America on DS and many other portable games is hitting some tough times. The company, which has recently been aquired by Glu Mobile has had to make some cutbacks in order to maintain revenue. In this report from IGN, Glu Mobile CEO Niccolo de Masi gave the following statement.

We believe concentrating resources on fewer titles, with a greater centralized support infrastructure will accelerate revenue growth in Q4 2013 and beyond. We made over 20 new ‘games-as-a-service’ (GaaS) hires in Q1 and anticipate hiring at a similar rate throughout the year. Our goal is to shift headcount investment out of raw studio team volume and into our centralized GaaS functions. This rebalancing is expected to leave R&D costs approximately flat year over year. A reduction in force was commenced today to promote talent density throughout the studio, as well as fund over 80 new GaaS colleagues. This reduction is equivalent to circa 12% of the year’s starting headcount of 564 employees. Adding back forecast hiring we anticipate finishing 2013 with 582 Gluers worldwide.

Read the full article here.

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SEGA Pluto Back On Auction Block

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Have a couple of grand you want to burn on a rare piece of SEGA hardware? Roger Vega, a.k.a. kidvid666, has put his rare SEGA Pluto system up on eBay after its initial auction ended at $7,600, failing to meet its reserve limit.

The SEGA Pluto is a sub-planet SEGA Saturn variant, of which only two knowingly exist in the world. The system, while much larger than its model 1 and 2 Saturn brethren (and roughly larger than a combined Model 2 Mega Drive and Mega CD), features a built-in NetLink modem, enabling the system to connect to the Internet for web browsing and playing certain online-enabled titles such as Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition, SEGA Rally,  Saturn Bomberman, and Virtual On. Otherwise, the system is a typical U.S. NTSC Saturn.

Vega demonstrates in a YouTube video that the system, while fully functional, has a broken disc door that needs to have constant pressure weighing it down in order for the system to function properly. As of this posting, the auction is at $501 with over 21 bidders. It is set to end on May 10.

[Image courtesy of Roger Vega]

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SEGA, Gearbox Served Class-Action Lawsuit For Aliens: Colonial Marines

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Aliens: Colonial Marines drew ire from gaming fans due to its shoddy gameplay and overall lackluster production. The quality, or lack thereof, was so substantial that a lawsuit was filed in a Californian court on Apr. 30 by law firm Edelson LLC at the behest of Damion Perrine for false advertising.

Within the lawsuit, Perrine claims that builds shown off at events such as PAX and E3 were in no way indicative of how the final product would ultimately turn out. The suit further claims that the enforcement press embargoes, which were lifted the very morning of the game’s release, meant that game media could not alert early adopters of the disparity in quality between the demos and the final. It finally claims damages for players who pre-ordered the game or purchased the game on launch.

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SEGA.com gets a redesign – What do you think of SEGA’s new look?

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SEGA.com has undergone a much needed redesign! Dubbed “SEGA beta”, the site has been greatly simplified and broken into an easy to navigate grid. The search function has been much improved, with screens and videos given more prominence, as well as handy links to buy the games themselves and links to dedicated microsites. Interesting to note, at the bottom of the site is a breakdown of “Games”, “Brands”, “SEGA Store”, and “Company”. Beneath “Brands” is Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War and Aliens – three major SEGA West franchises. A visit to the European site adds Football Manager to the list. The Store, Blogs, and Forums retain their old designs for now.

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First 4 Figures Ryo Hazuki statue up for pre-order today – Exclusive edition revealed!

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First 4 Figures will be putting the Ryo Hazuki statue up for pre-order very soon, and in anticipation of this they have posted up a video detailing the statue. Or should we say statues? First 4 Figures will not only have a regular edition of the statue, limited to 750 statues featuring Ryo standing at 12 inches high on a city street base, but there will also be 350 statues in a Exclusive Edition featuring a special Phoenix Mirror base.

After the break, check out the full details. As soon as the pre-order goes live we’ll make sure to update this article with the prices.

Update: Pre-order here. Regular edition is priced at $169.99, exclusive edition is priced at $184.99.

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Free to play Puyo Puyo! Quest releases to the Japanese App Store

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File this one under “release this West, SEGA!”. The free to play iOS game Puyo Puyo! Quest has released to the Japanese App Store. Described as a puzzle RPG, the game has players challenging their friends to see who is the strongest player. The game appears to be a bit different than traditional Puyo Puyo titles, relying on teams, character cards, creating guilds, and utilizing power ups. While the game is free to play, there are some pay elements. The game looks just as bright and colorful as the excellent Puyo Pop Fever, fingers crossed that SEGA brings this west.

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The House of the Dead: Overkill – The Lost Reels arrives on the App Store

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Are you ready to kill some motherf***in’ mutants?

Hitting the App Store today for $4.99 is the mobile port of SEGA’s The House of the Dead: Overkill, dubbed “The Lost Reels”. Via the App Store description comes a slew of features:

DISCOVER THE LOST REELS
▪ Experience 3 goregasmic worlds full of carnage in Story Mode.
▪ In Papa’s Palace of Pain, Ballistic Trauma, and Naked Terror, you’ll be screaming ‘til your last breath.

DISMEMBER UTTERLY DISGUSTING MUTANTS
▪ Enjoy non-stop shooting action as you blow apart mutants for high-score thrills.
▪ See how long you can hold off the swarms of undead in Survival Mode.

REJOIN THE ORIGINAL CAST
▪ Isaac Washington: a hard-drinking ladies’ man who deals damage in droves.
▪ Agent G: an inexperienced but deadly assassin who keeps a steady hand under pressure.
▪ Varla Guns: the hottest stripper on the Bayou City club scene who enjoys the largest clip.
▪ Candi Stryper: an expert with her hands who knows how to reload.

FINGERBLAST ON THE GO
▪ Obliterate mutants with one of three control mechanisms optimized for your mobile device – Accelerometer, Virtual Pad and Frenzy Tap (unlockable)

UPGRADE YOUR ARSENAL
▪ Destroy mutants to earn Ka$h, the in-game currency, and upgrade your pistol to something that really blasts through flesh.
▪ Enhance your killing prowess with combo extenders, reload boosters, and other game-changing upgrades.

But that’s not all! The game also features some super sweet bits of SEGA fan service. Want to know the details? Hit the break for our impressions and stay tuned to SEGAbits and The Website of the Dead for our reviews.

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More SEGA All-Stars Packs heading to Samurai & Dragons

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Sega of Japan are releasing another set of Sega All-Stars card packs, but this time with even more lineup of franchises from Sega’s past ranging from Alex Kidd, Comic Zone, to The House of the Dead and Rub Rabbits plus with a couple of obscured IPs. According to the site, the first pack will be available today through May 8th and the second pack will be available from May 8th to May 22nd. Samurai and Dragons is free to download on the Japanese PSN for PSVita. So if you have a Japanese account and you have a thing for fan service from Sega, check the game out! Wish I had a Vita right about now. Hit the jump to see which SEGA franchise was represented in one of the packs.

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First4Figures releases Ryo Hazuki statue teaser trailer – “Let’s get sweaty.”

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Via our friends at the Shenmue Dojo comes a short, but sweet, teaser trailer for the first non-Sonic SEGA statue from First4Figures – Shenmue star Ryo Hazuki! Standing roughly a foot tall (final height has yet to be shared), Ryo is in his classic “wanna wrestle?” pose. First4Figures have also shared, via their Facebook page and in the trailer above, that more non-Sonic SEGA characters will be made into statues in the future, as part of a new SEGA All-Stars range. Who do you want to see? Ulala, Vyse, Orta, and Beat are on my wish list for sure.

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Indie SEGA Dreamcast game Sturmwind releases today!

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Indie developer Duranik’s Sturmwind, published by redspotgames, releases today worldwide for the SEGA Dreamcast! We’ll spare you from retelling the long history the game had in development, because today should be a day of celebration. The glorious undead console has a new game! Couple Sturmwind with Dux 1.5, and April is quite an exciting month for indie Dreamcast game fans. Sturmwind can be had as either a standard edition or a limited edition. You can also find the game for sale at Play-Asia – in either the standard edition or limited edition. Have you ordered the game? Have you played it? Share your thoughts below.

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SEGA holding a ‘illustrate a mascot’ competition

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Have you ever sat around the house saying that you could make a better mascot character than Sonic the Hedgehog? Well, now is your chance to put SEGA in their place. SEGA Raw (hosted by Nagoshi) will air live on NicoNico Douga and they want fans to submit designs for a mascot character that will promote the show.

They are looking for something that incorporates the spirit of SEGA. What will you win? All the products SEGA makes of your character and Nagoshi’s autograph. Want to know the rules? Hit the jump.

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HUCAST Games now shipping DUX 1.5, their Dreamcast shoot’em-up

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Hey, just because SEGA has pulled support for the Dreamcast over a decade ago doesn’t mean there aren’t new things to play on the device. HUCAST games actually released DUX in 2009, so if you think you have heard of this title before you aren’t mistaken. This is the new 1.5 version of the title.
So what is new in DUX 1.5 compared to 1.0? Well they have a new soundtrack, rebalanced gameplay and even the option to respawn instantly after death (which is a big deal).

If you bought the original, the team is willing to upgrade you to the 1.5 version for free. How? They say take a picture of your copy of DUX 1.0 with a current newspaper. Who buys newspapers? If you want to take them up on their offer, hit them up on twitter.

You can buy the game here.

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Insert Coin Clothing announces more SEGA designs – Sonic, Jet Set Radio and Space Channel 5!

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The folks over at Insert Coin Clothing have added brand new, and in one case revised, SEGA clothing to their collection. The new items include Sonic leggings, t-shirts featuring Sonic, Tails and Green Hill designs, Knuckles and Shadow hoodies, as well as a Space Channel 5 logo vest top and a revised Jet Set Radio Beat t-shirt which finally has the record icon on the back. You can view the full gallery here, or check out the images after the break. Insert Coin Clothing promises more details in the coming weeks. In the meantime, which new design is your favorite?

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Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed for Intel Ultrabook announced

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SEGA has announced Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed for Intel Ultrabook, the Ultrabook is a tablet/laptop hybrid. So Sumo Digital went in there and coded features to make use of the Ultrabook’s unique features like touch controls and ‘amazing’ tilt function.

“We tailored the game for the Ultrabook range to ensure we made the most of the hardware. We’ve specifically designed the user interface so touch can be used throughout. You can select modes, decide which track to play, and check out all the vehicles with a simple touch of your finger.” – Steve Lycett, Executive Producer at Sumo Digital

This is basically the PC version with tilt and touch controls added in. I hope for SEGA and Sumo Digital’s sake they don’t force Intel Ultrabook owners to re-buy the game to use these features, I hope its built into the old version of the PC game. Wasn’t there just an update a few weeks ago? Could have been in there.

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