SEGA News

SEGA Japan opens up new subsidiary, SEGA Networks

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There are a lot of people worried with the new SEGA restructuring, they just announced that SEGA Europe & Australia will be distributing their games via a different company, had tons of fired employees. Now SEGA Japan has opened the doors to a new subsidiary, SEGA Networks.

SEGA Networks is going to be SEGA’s high-end game developer that will deliver games for smartphones and tablets. This falls right in place with SEGA’s plan on releasing more digital titles. How does this make you guys feel? Is lower budget, less risk taking digital titles better for SEGA? SEGA Networks CEO is Haruki Satomi and will be based in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward. The company will start with 211 employees.

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Renegade Ops free this week for Playstation Plus users

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Sony’s Playstation Plus service barely turned a year old last month and the selection of free games have just gotten better. Like check this out, this week you can download Renegade Ops, Gotham City Impostors and Pacman DX for free. The important game here is Renegade Ops. Enjoy the game, we did.

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SEGA teases new All-Stars Racing track – Stick Canyon from NiGHTS into Dreams?

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Update: It appears this particular image has long existed, as it shows up on a few NiGHTS fan sites. I assume it is a CG render from when the game released, or when it received a PS2 rerelease. So this is not an in-game screenshot. However, that does not discount the possibility that a NiGHTS track or racer will soon be revealed.

SEGA has updated their Facebook page with an untitled image of a desert that is half sand, half metal with cacti and nuts and bolts. Given that Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed is SEGA’s big game this year, and that Comic Con is approaching, could SEGA be teasing a reveal of a NiGHTS into Dreams track along with NiGHTS as a racer? It could very well be. In the meantime, I’ll slap the ol’ “rumor” tag on this one just to play it safe, but I’m pretty confident that it is Stick Canyon from the Saturn’s NiGHTS into Dreams. After the break, a comparison video of the original stage.

Continue Reading ➜

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PSO2 launches on July 4th in Japan, also… launch trailer

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If you haven’t been living in a stone cave, then you will know that PSO2 has been in beta for a while now and is way awesome. The game officially launches in Japan on July 4th. Additions to the launch release include an increase of the class level cap to 40, a new snow area, 3rd form of mag, and additional story missions.

If you didn’t watch the trailer above you should, nothing amazing for anyone who has played the game, but it’s still a super awesome trailer. Fingers crossed for US/EU announcement very soon. Would be nice to play this game in English.

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Creative Assembly says SEGA’s restructuring is exciting and they are already seeing benefits

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Creative Assembly has been going on a make a sequel to everything frenzy, now they are speaking out about SEGA’s recent restructuring. So what do they think about all the big changes and people losing their jobs? Their excited…

“It’s a tight family at Sega, so any talk of restructuring and refocusing is always a difficult time in any business and we’re always kind of mindful of that. But as a studio we’re growing to beyond 200 people at the moment and we’re still hiring, and we’re still looking to expand and we’ve got a number of really intense and interesting products on the horizon, both Total War and non-Total War and the refocussing at Sega on the distinct brand IPs, whether that’s Sports Interactive or Sonic or Aliens or Total War itself is really exciting for us as a studio, because we’re already seeing evidence of that improved support, that idea of really getting behind those IPs and really making the most of them.” – Brand director Rob Bartholomew

Creative Assembly does make a point, its always good for a studio to get more support. If only SEGA West cared this much about games like Anarchy Reigns and Rhythm Theft, right?

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Rome 2: Total War Officially Announced (Awesome Live Action Trailer)

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Rome 2: Total War has been officially announced! Rome 2 has been the most anticipated game in the Total War series since the original Rome released in 2004. The budget for Rome 2 is said to be 40% larger then that of Shogun 2.

I began playing the Total War series with the original Shogun: Total War but it was Rome that really grabbed me and made me a fan of this series. Needless to say Rome 2 cannot come soon enough.

Rome 2 will release for PC in 2013. P.S check out that fantastic live action trailer!

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Project X Zone releasing the same day as Bravely Default in Japan; Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen!

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Looks like RPG fans on the 3DS will have quite a choice to make this October. It’s being reported that SEGA’s mashup with Namco and Capcom, Project X Zone, will be releasing not only in the same month, but on the same day, as Square-Enix’s upcoming handheld RPG, Bravely Default.

Both titles will see release for the 3DS on October 11th in Japan, with no Western plans yet announced for either; given Square-Enix’s localization track record in recent years, however, Bravely Default’s Western release is looking a bit more likely.

Do you think it’s a smart idea to go up against Square-Enix? Or does Project X Zone have the brand name recognition to crush the new IP? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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Viking: Battle for Asgard Added to Steam Registry

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Sega and Creative Assembly’s 2008 game Viking: Battle for Asgard has turned up on the Steam registry and we assume will soon be available for purchase from the Steam store. This marks Viking: Battle for Asgards début on the PC having released exclusively for Xbox360 and PS3 in 2008.

If this is the beginning for Sega’s new digital strategy then I’m all for it. I absolutely loved Viking, Whilst flawed in some areas the game was full of potential and the epic battles were a thing of beauty. If this means we might get a sequel to Viking then I’ll happily double dip.

You can visit the Viking: Battle for Asgard EULA page HERE.

[On another note, I’m back! I’ve been in America for the past three months with limited internet access, hello again Sega fans!]

 

 

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Check out the first limited edition run of Project X Zone

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Here is the first edition run of Project X Zone. Looks pretty awesome, right? What do you get?

  • A 48-page full color book that includes all the various games, also promotional art and much more.
  • You also get the “Crossover Soundtrack CD” that comes with music from the game.
So how do you get it? Well, its only for the first print run, once the package runs out it will be gone forever. This version and the regular version will cost the same, so if you are planning on importing it, do that now.

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SEGA closes European and Australian offices

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Another sad day in SEGA land folks, SEGA has announced today that they will be closing their European and Australian offices. Koch Media will be the distribution partner for the European territories, except for Benelux, which will be handled by Level03 Distribution. Australia territory will be handled by 5 Star. SEGA UK will remain open as the European HQ. So it isn’t all that bad.

“SEGA is entering a new and exciting phase that will position the company as a content led organisation maximising sales with strong and balanced IP such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and the Aliens franchise. The company will benefit from a clear focus and realigned strategy for our digital business and packaged goods and we are confident that this will lead to a successful future.” – COO of Sega Europe Jurgen Post

This goes with the rumor they sort of predicted during E3, only that the rumor wasn’t 100% right. Actually still think the guy just guessed and happen to hit some of the mark. What do you guys think? Is this ‘new and exciting phase’ for SEGA or is this bad?

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Jet Set Radio HD achievements revealed – game to include JSRF tunes?

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Achievements for the upcoming release of Jet Set Radio HD have been revealed, and with them comes a hint towards a bonus that SEGA has yet to speak of. At the top of the list of thirty achievements is one titled “Back to the Future” with the description “Unlock all songs in the bonus menu”. To my knowledge, there was never a bonus menu that unlocked songs in the original game. There was a sound test, but that was complete from the start. No unlocking necessary. The achievement’s title mentions “future”, which of course was in the title of the franchise’s second game Jet Set Radio Future. Could SEGA be adding an option to play select tunes from Jet Set Radio Future? Or is it simply a nod to the sequel and nothing more? After the break, the full list of achievements.

Continue Reading ➜

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Project X Zone to include over 200 characters

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Now, just because they promise 200 characters, doesn’t mean there will be 200 playable characters. It just means there will be a ton of cameos, some will be villains others NPCs. If you haven’t heard about Project X Zone, it will feature characters from SEGA, Namco-Bandai and Capcom in a tactical RPG on the Nintendo 3DS.

I know what you are saying, “When is the game out?” Sadly, the game hasn’t been announced for release outside of Japan and I doubt it will make its way out of there. Namco x Capcom on the PS2 stayed Japan exclusive as well.

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New All-Stars Racing Transformed details revealed

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Coming out of Las Vegas Licensing Expo 2012 are some new details on the upcoming SEGA mascot mash up racer. The game has been confirmed for two new platforms, iOS and Android, which join Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC, 3DS and Playstation Vita in the list of confirmed platforms. In addition, it has been confirmed that the Wii U, 3DS and Vita versions of the game will have unique features specific to the platforms. Finally, downloadable content has also finally been confirmed for the game.

We should get a better idea of the game’s features come Comic Con 2012, where new characters are expected to be unveiled. Until then, stay tuned!

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English version of The History of Sonic book coming courtesy of Udon?

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GoNintendo has stumbled upon a pre-order listing on Amazon for Pix’N Love’s The History of Sonic book. The fact that there is an English language version isn’t a surprise, since Pix’N Love confirmed that one is in the works earlier this month. What is a surprise is that the book is not being sold on Pix’N Love’s English site, and that the book looks to be published by Udon Entertainment. Udon Entertainment, for those who don’t know, is a Canadian based publisher responsible for gaming art books both original and imported including the Valkyria Chronicles 2: World Artworks book and the upcoming The Eyes of Bayonetta art book. So has Pix’N Love left the English language duties to Udon? Seems like it. The English translation already exists, as it was approved alongside the French translation several months ago. So at most, Udon would have to handle printing and perhaps a slight redesign to the cover to accomodate their logo. Pix’N Love estimated that the book would sell for between $45 and $50, and the MSRP on Amazon matches that guess at $49.99. However, Amazon currently lists the book for a cool $32.14. The release date is tentatively October 9, 2012. An Amazon.co.uk listing also exists, however a price is not given. The UK release date is listed as September 19, 2012.

A big thanks to Tracker the Doggy for the heads up!

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Platinum Games “CONCEPT MOVIE” gets English subtitles

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Awhile back Platinum Games posted a Japanese behind the studio video, giving fans access to what they do. Sadly the video was all Japanese, but there was promise that they would be translating it to English for people like us. Well, here it is. Enjoy!

I love seeing developers make videos like this. I know bigger publishers always do this, I just wish SEGA would do videos like this. I’m a nerd, I like to have more information about games. Sue me!

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