SEGA has acquired Amplitude Studios

AmplitudeSEGASEGA has announced today that they have acquired French developer Amplitude Studios. Amplitude Studios is responsible for the Endless franchise which span different genres but known for its turn based strategy. Amplitude Studios is working on Endless Space 2 which is set to hit Steam Early Access later this year.

Amplitude Studios wrote this about joining SEGA on their developer blog:

“Of course you could wonder, “Why Sega?” If you were to ask just Mathieu and I, we could easily answer with the words “Creative Assembly and Relic!” because we are HUGE fans of their games. The opportunity to join them is incredible for us, a real dream come true.

But the bigger reason why we wanted to join SEGA was how they treat their internal studios. Often, studios are controlled by a central department that dictates what games they should do, and how and when. But SEGA is a company that offers its support to the creators, positioning itself as a service provider, helping studios to reach their goals with only one objective in mind: Quality!”

SEGA Europe President and COO Jurgen Post had this to say about Amplitude Studios:

“To have the opportunity to add a studio with the growing reputation of Amplitude’s, to the SEGA family, is an exciting one and reinforces SEGA Europe’s position as a market leader in publishing high quality PC games,”

What are your thoughts on the latest acquired studio by SEGA? Do you think they did the right move tapping into the indie market? Let us know in the comments below.

Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle launches with exclusive shirt

HumbleBundleSonicHumble Bundle has just launched its Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle which will include a wide arrange of Sonic games for PC including retro and more recent titles.

This is what you get in the Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle.

Pay $1 or more:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive)
  • Sonic Adventure DX 
  • Sonic 3D Blast
  • Sonic CD

Beat the average (right now $9.00) also unlocks: 

  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode I
  • Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive)
  • Sonic Adventure 2 + Battle DLC 
  • More games coming soon

Pay $10 dollars and also get: 

  • Sonic Lost World
  • Sonic Generations + Casino NiGHTS DLC
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode 2
  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Plus Metal Sonic & Outrun and Ryo DLC)

Pay $35 bucks and get: 

  • Exclusive Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle Shirt

If you have never used Humble Bundle, the way it works is that its all tiers. So if you pay the $35 dollars for the exclusive Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle shirt, you also get all the games in the package. All games redeem on Steam.

What are your guys thoughts on this Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle? What tier is everyone picking up? Let us know in the comments below.

SEGA News Bits: Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap Remake Revealed

The 1989 SEGA Master System classic Wonder Boy III The Dragon’s Trap is getting a remake and dropping the III from the title. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap  remake is being developed by indie developer Lizardcube and being published by DotEmu. The game is set to sport beautiful hand drawn animation and so far it looks fantastic.

What are your thoughts on Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap reveal? Let us know the comments below and like always thanks for watching! If you like our SEGA News Bits videos, make sure to subscribe to us on our YouTube channel.

Review: SEGA Genesis & Mega Drive Classics Hub

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Expectations are a nasty thing. They can warp and twist and turn your perception of what something is, focusing instead on what it’s not. I had that sort of reaction to the SEGA Genesis & Mega Drive Classics Hub at first. But I sat back, and I thought about it, and I realized it wasn’t totally fair to judge it on the fact that it was a lackluster front-end with wasted potential. But then there came the other issues.

Genesis Classics Hub is not the worst presentation of an emulation machine I’ve ever seen, but it feels so below average that I wonder what the point of the upgrade even was. Hit the jump to find out why.

SEGA News Bits: Mega Drive Classics on Steam to support hacked ROMs

Just over a week ago, SEGA Mega Drive Classics on Steam was announced to have a free update that adds additional features to games you may already own. Features include a new hub from which you can access all your games from a virtual bedroom complete with a TV and a games shelf. While that is neat and all, what really caught our attention was the mention of modified and hacked ROMs being supported. If the game is in the collection, you are free to mess with the code and share your creations with the Steam world. Pretty crazy, right? Join George and Barry as they discuss this strange turn in SEGA being cool with us messing with their games. Check the updated SEGA Mega Drive Classics out today and tell us what you think of it in the comments below!

If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub to support Steam Workshop and modified games

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Following yesterday’s announcement of the SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub, an update to the existing collection of SEGA Mega Drive games which now places them in a hub world that resembles a kid’s bedroom, more details have surfaced. Those who saw the trailer noticed the mention of mods, and soon after it was confirmed that the hub will feature Steam Workshop support allowing players to share modified versions of games. More details on mod support is said to be shared sometime next week. It’s great to see SEGA embracing fans tinkering with their classic games. Once we learn more, we’ll be sure to share! The updated SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub arrives April 28th for Europe, word on a wider release is unknown at this time.

SEGA Europe announces free Mega Drive Classics Hub for Steam, releasing April 28

The latest episode of SEGA Central, SEGA Europe’s video series covering SEGA happenings in Europe, have just revealed SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub, a free Steam digital hub which allows for an updated way to view and access SEGA Mega Drive games available for the service. The hub is a digital recreation of a 90s kid’s bedroom, complete with an old TV, Mega Drive console, shelf of games and various SEGA collectibles. It also appears this European kid clearly was not a Fleetway fan and decided to import the Archie series instead. The hub also features various settings for both Mega Drive games and and the room itself. The hub is free and releases April 28th to Steam. No word on if the hub is a European exclusive or not, or if it will be retitled to Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Classics Hub if it ends up releasing to the Americas.

Also worth noting, SEGA Europe now has their own news page at www.sega.co.uk/news. Meanwhile, US news will continue to be posted at the SEGA Blog which will remain more US-centric. The division makes sense, given SEGA of America and SEGA Europe don’t always release the same products or have the same promotions.

After the break, check out the trailer for SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub.

Alien: Colonial Marines Overhaul Mod tries to fix the game

ACM_2016-03-25_18-08-54-942Alien: Colonial Marines was a big fat mistake, a game that should have never been released and earned SEGA (and developer Gearbox) lots of ill will from gamers due to the disaster that it was. From false promises in advertising to the game being rushed to store shelves to make a quick buck out of the license, Alien fans felt betrayed.

Well, if you still have the game on your Steam list, you might want to give TemplarGFX’s new Alien: Colonial Marines Overhaul mod a shot! The team went into the game to heavily re-balance it and make it fun to play. Want to see all the stuff they changed? Hit the jump or check out the moddb page to download.

Total War: WARHAMMER – Vampire Counts In-Engine Trailer

Far from home, an Empire Witch Hunter seeking the source of this corruption will soon find that there are fates in the Old World far worse than death. The Vampire Counts have arisen, and today in this brand new Total War: Warhammer in-engine trailer, they are unleashed.

Vampire Counts are the forth and final race to be revealed for the first of the Total War: Warhammer trilogy. Other races in the first game include; Empire, Dwarfs, Greenskins and if you pre-order Chaos Warriors. The combinations of all three games will eventually cover all major Warhammer races and much of the land combining into one epic game, Shining Force 3 style.

Total War: Warhammer releases 24th of May 2016, for PC.

SEGA Publisher Weekend kicks off on Steam with awesome deals on great games

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SEGA Publisher Weekend has kicked off on Steam, offering up great deals on several quality titles. The promotion, which can be found by clicking here, features a variety of games ranging from The Creative Assembly’s Total War: ATTILA and Relic’s Company of Heroes 2 to Valkyria Chronicles and Tembo the Badass Elephant. There are also bundles, including the Sonic Games Collection and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Master Collection. Discounts range from 50-75% off, so if you have been holding off on some SEGA steam games in hopes of a sale, now is the time to buy.

I personally would suggest Valkyria Chronicles and Tembo as well as the Sonic Games Collection and Total War Master Collection Sept 2014. Total War is one of those franchises I’ve always wanted to check out, and the bundles are a great way to experience it. I picked it up in a past promotion and loved it!

Viking: Battle for Asgard, Gunstar Heroes and Renegade Ops are free on Steam

phase-3-unlockedSEGA continues their Make War Not Love event by giving another three games away for free. This is their third phase of free games. This time they are giving away the following titles:

  • Viking: Battle for Asgard
  • Gunstar Heroes
  • Renegade Ops (plus DLC)

To get the games, visit this page, click “REDEEM PRIZE” enter your email address under the Previous Content banner. You’ll see the instructions “In order to redeem the prize bundle, please enter your email address below.” You will then receive an email asking to add you to a list for the free content. Please allow up to 24 hours for a unique Steam code containing this content to be sent to you. Gunstar Heroes will appear in your library as ‘Sega Classics Collection’.

Jet Set Radio, Hell Yeah! and Golden Axe are free on Steam

MakeLoveNotWarBundle1SEGA is giving away free PC games as part of their Make War Not Love event this year, which has been running for three consecutive years. SEGA promised PC gamers that the more they play, they more they win and they weren’t kidding. The following SEGA games are free to download (and own) on Steam:

  • Jet Set Radio
  • Hell Year! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit
  • Hell Yeah! Virtual Rabbit Missions (DLC)
  • Hell Yeah! Pimp My Rabbit Pack (DLC)
  • Golden Axe (SEGA Classic)

Download the bundle here. Outside of this, SEGA has also discounted Dawn of War, Company of Heroes and Total War games up to 75% off. According to the site tomorrow we will be unlocking Binary Domain, Alpha Protocol, Condemned: Criminal Origins, and Streets of Rage 2 for free. Even if you don’t have a gaming PC, its worth making a Steam account and adding these to your list. They are free after all.

Rumor: SEGA to bring games like Vanquish, Hatsune Miku and Virtua Fighter 5 to PC?

1866768Over at TSSZ News, site owner Tristan Oliver got himself cozy with a SEGA inside source who tells him that SEGA will continue to port to PC. Not that its a secret, considering that SEGA Europe openly tweeted as such but the interesting bit was what SEGA PC Ports they are considering.

According to TSSZ’s source, the lineup of upcoming SEGA PC ports will be extensive. One of the bigger titles that surprised me was the mention of Yakuza 0, but according to the source its just a idea the team has shot around and isn’t finalized.

According to TSSZ the following titles are ‘high priority’ SEGA PC ports:

  • Vanquish
  • Resonance of Fate
  • Hatsune Miku: Project Diva franchise
  • Virtua Fighter 5
  • Valkyria: Azure Revolution

Seems that SEGA won’t stop there as their source also talked about them wanting to port several Atlus games. So far SEGA has put out at least one PC port a year, so it might be quite awhile before we see all these titles.

So what do you guys think about this rumor? True or false? Any games not mentioned that deserve a PC port?

[Source: TSSZ]

Warhammer Total War: Savage Orc, Boar Boyz Big’Uns

Another new unit for the highly anticipated Warhammer Total War. Dressed in nothing but a rancid loincloth and tribal blue warpaint, the Savage Orcs are an intimidating force, even amongst other Orcs.

In Greenskin society, might makes right and bigger is always better. The very biggest Orcs earn the honoured title of ‘Big ‘Uns’ and Savage Orc Big ‘Uns are among the meanest and fightiest of the lot. Mounted on boar-back, they are almost unstoppable. These heavy hitters represent the most elite cavalry the Greenskins have to offer, and are some of the most formidable in the Old World.

Warhammer: Total War is set to released April 28th, 2016!

Total War takes over Humble Weekly Bundle

June 21st, 2010 @ 13:31:54
It seems that SEGA and The Creative Assembly are offering their titles once again as bundles on the popular ‘pay for what you want’ model of Humble Bundle. Not only that, you can set how much money goes to the publisher (SEGA), Humble Bundle and how much is given to charities. This bundle is supporting Special Effect: The Gamer’s Charity, Willow, Walking with the Wounded, and BLES.

Pay what you want (at least $1) you get: 

  • Medieval II: Total War Collection 
  • Viking: Battle for Asgard
  • Shogun: Total War Collection
  • Total War: Rome OST
  • Total War: WARHAMMER Illustrated Campaign Map
  • Total War: ARENA 30 Days Premium Account
  • Total War Battles: Kingdom
  • Total War eBooks