SEGAbits Forums
Gaming => General Gaming Discussion => Topic started by: ROJM on June 24, 2013, 08:48:03 am
-
We all seen Sega has become more involved into the PC market and how that market has grown for them and the wise choices in studio acquisitions and licenses that they have recently purchased. Even in japan Sega's marquee RPG franchise PS0 2 has done well in the notoriously small PC market in that country. And the coming release of COMPANY OF HEROES 2 may also be another money maker for Sega as well.
Apparently Sega is considering porting their PC franchises like TOTAL WAR onto the PS4 and XBO, this may be something that they want to do when the first batch of WARHAMMER games are released as well to capitlise on the license. The last time Sega did this was with FOOTBALL MANAGER when the 360 and PSP was first released, but it didn't continue for whatever reason.
I'm just wondering since the whole PC investment has obviously paid off for Sega than what they invested in console development, would it be better for them just to release other big titles for PC first and then port them to console afterwards or not at all, instead of the other way round? I heard certain games that were made for console but then released for the PC market did slightly better in sales than their original console counterparts. And in a way PC development is still slightly cheaper than console development as well. What do you think?
Here's the original article....
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/rome_ii_total_war/news/sega_considering_porting_total_war_and_strategy_line-up_to_ps4_and_xbox_one.html
SEGA is considering porting its "big strategy properties" to next-gen consoles if the systems are a success.
Talking to MCV at E3 last week, SEGA West boss Jurgen Post explained that "if next gen consoles become as successful as people say we can look to move some of our big properties on PC over to those machines".
SEGA owns three major strategy IPs, including Football Manager, Company of Heroes and the Total War franchise.
All three series are typically only released on PC, bar a brief stint of experimenting with Football Manager on Xbox 360 in the mid-00s.
SEGA's next big strategy game, Company of Heroes 2, is due for release on PC next Tuesday, June 25. Check back at 2pm this afternoon to find out what we think of it.
-
I think that out of all the available consoles, the PC is perhaps the safest platform. Especially with STEAM.
Even free-to-play games like Spiral Knights seems to be bringing in some good cash.
It might not be the future, per say, but at least it's a good enough fallback. Though, the thing to take into account is that SEGA seems to have a stronger grip on the RTS market. While it's still a bankable genre, it's slowly becoming sort'of a niche market.
The RTS genre, love ir or hate it, is a small market compared to what it was in it's golden years when Command & Conquer and Starcraft were big.
Sure, have different genres, but always port them to PC. Hell I bought Hell Yeah and Sonic Adventure 2 through Steam. I normally reserve these for my 360, but they are good enough for Steam.
-
With the major succes SEGA has on PC, I personally think expanding on that would be a smart move. Company of heroes and rome 2 literally don't leave the top 10 top seller list on steam. And rome 2 has been there for weeks and weeks.
I would personally love for any game to be multiplat with PC. From sonic games to yakuza, but wonder if that type of game really has a big audience on pc. It's mostly PC genres that do well on PC. Like western RPG's(skyrim/witcher), First person shooters, MMORPG's and RTS
When it comes to more console games like sonic racing transformed or a binary domain. It seems they don't do that well on PC. But I am not very sure about the numbers. I like that the online community for BD is a lot more active though
-
that new sega west president kinda irks me just saying. whenever he talks it's like he doesn't even know that Sega exists beyond Sonic/RTS/Aliens
-
When it comes to more console games like sonic racing transformed or a binary domain. It seems they don't do that well on PC. But I am not very sure about the numbers. I like that the online community for BD is a lot more active though
That's what got me thinking, because BD sold better on the PC/steam end but its really hard to compare to the console versions due to the pricing the game had on the PC. If this game was released on PC first i wonder if the outcome would have been different.
-
SEGA has had success in the PC market, but as you've said it has been largely due to acquisitions. The Total War series was already successful when SEGA started publishing the franchise, Football Manager had already see a decade of success under Eidos (though it was known as Championship Manager), and Company of Heroes had the benefit of THQ's support.
In short, while all of these games have done well for SEGA, they would have done well for ANY publisher that picked them up. So I'd say that this has less to do with SEGA being very good at selling games to the PC market and more to do with SEGA simply being smart enough to acquire winners for that market.
SEGA definitely HAS a future in PCs, but I'm not sure if that really is there future. Unless there future is just Total War, Football Manager, Relic's stuff, and any other big PC devs SEGA picks up. I think the major issue for SEGA has always been a lack of faith in their own franchises outside of Sonic and Yakuza. I've never seen any other SEGA IP get the kind of advertisement that, say, the original BioShock or Deadspace got. Until SEGA is willing to take THAT kind of risk and actually back some of their other IPs with serious advertisement dollars, their future isn't any one platform: it's just wherever their big IPs already do well.
-
Maybe some franchises outside of PSO will go F2P
Namco is doing it with Tekken and Ridge Racer
-
I'm a PC gamer, so I hope so. Tons of Japanese SEGA games I want on PC but I also want them to release their PC back catalog on Steam! But also bring out the newer SoJ games on PC, give me Virtua Fighter, give me Yakuza, Vanquish, Bayonetta, etc.
Tons of PC gamers still want Vanquish on PC in particular.
-
@TaroYamada.
I'm a gray importer IE i buy a lot of japanese games as well as western games, Sega japan's history with the PC is odd but interesting because they released a number of arcade titles for the PC in japan as well as continue certain console titles/franchises onto the PC platform. To me its an evolution of something that they have been striving for since the mid nineties. I also agree that VANQUISH would be perfect for PC,to be honest i think sega should have made the game an exclusive for PS3 instead of multiplatform because its the type iof gsame that appeals to the PS3 audience rather than the 360 audience who is spoiled for FPS games,anyway.
@Nuckles
Well to be fair Sports Interactive seperated from Eidos and made a deal with sega to just publish their version of Championship football aka FOOTBALL MANAGER, but when the sammy money came in(yes it is good for something) Sega Europe took their chances and made the offer and they accepted. The point i'm making is, yes these games would sell regardless of who is selling them but Sega is selling them and they have improved their growth in this market because of it. This is a market that they have actually made sensible business decisions and it has paid off for them. Much more than the western makeover focus that they tried to do with games such as GOLDEN AXE BEAST RIDER and other failures. And the lessons of that adventure is yet to be learnt.
@Trippled
The last time they tried to do that with was SAKURA TAISEN, I manage to get a copy of the chinese MMO but its a headache to play. |Not really a proper ST game either.
-
One original creator spoke upon making a Online Jet Set Radio.
F2P Multiplayer Jet Set Radio? Could be good
-
One original creator spoke upon making a Online Jet Set Radio.
F2P Multiplayer Jet Set Radio? Could be good
nothing F2P is ever good.
-
DC Universe Online isn't bad at all.
-
Neither is spiral knights, which seems to be a lot more inspired by pso than pso´s follow up itself. Great game that keeps on improving. There will be mag esque "pets" added soon.
It can be done right if the devs arent idiots
That's what got me thinking, because BD sold better on the PC/steam end but its really hard to compare to the console versions due to the pricing the game had on the PC. If this game was released on PC first i wonder if the outcome would have been different.
It's hard indeed. I can't tell if the growth of PC audience is underestimated or not. I sometimes have a feeling it is, and that next gen may feel the consequences of that since PC is so much more convenient than consoles if you allow yourself to invest a little bit into it. But it's just a thought
-
If I was going to play a PC game, then it would not be a game made by Sega. I know that seems strange since I'm on this website. I just think they have not really created console gaming and arcade gaming experience as well as they used to. If they started making only PC games, then they should at least leave console gaming on a high note.
-
As Taro said, I would love to see more Sega games ported to PC. I've been focusing on PC a lot over the last year of so, and it's really become my main platform. I'll still buy games on console when it's the only option, but when given a choice i'll go PC all the time.
I think all genres have a home on PC, since you can essentially emulate a console perfectly with 360 Controller support on most games and big screen mode if you really want to play on a TV.
-
. If they started making only PC games, then they should at least leave console gaming on a high note.
I don't agree . SEGA should do what it did in the DC days and port a lot of its games over, more so has most games are developed on the PC in the 1st place (before made to run on the console) and with both the PS4 and XBox 1 being so PC like - I think it makes perfect sense for SEGA west and Japan to port their consoles games over to the PC . In fact I wish SEGA would be like EA, Ubi, Take 2 and have all its major games multi platform across the major consoles and even the PC.
Its a win win for fans and with Steam and the like its not such a massive risk either in terms of distrubution
-
Neither is spiral knights, which seems to be a lot more inspired by pso than pso´s follow up itself. Great game that keeps on improving. There will be mag esque "pets" added soon.
It can be done right if the devs arent idiots
It's hard indeed. I can't tell if the growth of PC audience is underestimated or not. I sometimes have a feeling it is, and that next gen may feel the consequences of that since PC is so much more convenient than consoles if you allow yourself to invest a little bit into it. But it's just a thought
It probably isn't totally underestimated or Sega wouldn't be investing in that market so much but they could explore a bit more with some other titles other than acquired ones.
-
If you go by sales, it looks like the PC market is leveling off and tablets of various sizes and styles are where the real growth is. It could just be that PCs and laptops are plenty powerful for what most people use them for (email, the web, Netflix) and people no longer have much motivation to keep buying a new PC every few years. I'm interested to see if, as Windows 8 matures, it can kind of bridge those markets.
-
I don't agree . SEGA should do what it did in the DC days and port a lot of its games over, more so has most games are developed on the PC in the 1st place (before made to run on the console) and with both the PS4 and XBox 1 being so PC like - I think it makes perfect sense for SEGA west and Japan to port their consoles games over to the PC . In fact I wish SEGA would be like EA, Ubi, Take 2 and have all its major games multi platform across the major consoles and even the PC.
Its a win win for fans and with Steam and the like its not such a massive risk either in terms of distrubution
EA, Take-Two Interactive, and Ubisoft are all third party companies that distribute video games to consoles and PCs almost equally. I do not know of a single third-party company that only has games on PC. If that was the case, then it would be a second-party gaming company. That would mean that they only distributed games for one console and one company.
-
Now that PS4/Xbox One are basically PCs, porting games back and forth should be way cheaper/simpler. No need to leave consoles.
-
Now that PS4/Xbox One are basically PCs, porting games back and forth should be way cheaper/simpler. No need to leave consoles.
But different game machines have different niches. In theory, converting between Lindbergh and the other last gen arcade cabinets with their respective consoles should not have been a problem. It seems, back in 05, that was a big deal for Sega. It still took over half a decade to convert HotD 4.
-
EA, Take-Two Interactive, and Ubisoft are all third party companies that distribute video games to consoles and PCs almost equally. I do not know of a single third-party company that only has games on PC. If that was the case, then it would be a second-party gaming company. That would mean that they only distributed games for one console and one company.
I'm wanting SEGA to be more like Ubi and Take 2 . I wish SEGA was multi Platform for the consoles and the PC - That way all fans are happy
-
I'm wanting SEGA to be more like Ubi and Take 2 . I wish SEGA was multi Platform for the consoles and the PC - That way all fans are happy
I agree with that. I also think they should be like Square Enix because they focus on consoles and slightly on PC games.
-
CNN report on sega's PC investment...
FORTUNE -- Back in the 1990s, Sega was on top of the video game world. Its Sega Genesis was giving Nintendo a run for its money thanks to a blue hedgehog that could run at supersonic speeds and a library of addictive arcade franchises like Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and Outrun. But a series of console hardware missteps, beginning with the Sega Saturn and ending with the Dreamcast, a beloved system that was almost immediately out-performed by Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox, resulted in Sega exiting the hardware manufacturing business for good.
Now Sega (SGAMY) is undergoing another revamp. After years of developing its franchises, including the still-popular Sonic the Hedgehog, across all platforms, the company is targeting the global PC games market. Sega has been investing more heavily in the PC gaming space of late. The company recently acquired Relic Entertainment and its World War II-based real-time strategy (RTS) franchise, Company of Heroes. Sega published Company of Heroes 2 on June 25.
On September 3, Sega will publish the ninth installment in the Creative Assembly's bestselling RTS franchise, Total War: Rome II. The series has sold over 7 million copies worldwide and has remained a critical favorite with the discriminating PC gaming press. The Total War franchise has sold over 3.4 million copies in the U.S. according to video game tracker NPD Group, and Total War: Rome has a U.S. installed base of 876,000. Sega plans on capitalizing on the global market this fall. According to Rob Bartholomew, brand director at the Creative Assembly, Total War: Rome II has the biggest marketing budget in Total War history.
"Total War: Rome II out scales any previous war game we've ever made before," said Mike Simpson, studio director at the Creative Assembly. "Our budget for this game was 40% larger than we had for Shogun 2. The gameplay campaign, itself, is around four times the size of Shogun 2's campaign. The game has 700 battlefield units for players to use and 9 playable factions to command with different cultures, weapons and tactics. It's an undertaking of a completely different step."
Three of Sega's core game pillars (Company of Heroes, Total War and Football Manager) are PC-based and Sega owns the developers (Relic, Creative Assembly and Sports Interactive) behind these franchises. "PC is a very important part of our business," said John Cheng, President of Sega of America. "Total War sold 2 million units last year without a tent pole release and the upcoming Rome II had over six times the number of pre-orders in its first official week compared to Shogun 2, making it the fastest selling pre-ordered title in the series." He added that Football Manager 2013 became the fastest-selling game in the history of the bestselling annual franchise, passing one million Steam activations in May of 2013 (reaching that milestone almost five months earlier than its predecessor).
Jesse Divnich, vice president of Insights at video game research firm EEDAR, believes Sega's focus in the PC space is a wise strategy because the market is smaller, but also less crowded with competitors, and overall presents a better opportunity for Sega. "With the launch of the next-generation home consoles, we'll see a lot focus shift away from core PC gaming from the major publishers, which will leave a lot of room for Sega to make some moves," said Divnich. "When the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 launched in 2005 and 2006, many thought the PC gaming industry was on its last leg. They were wrong."
Video game research firm Newzoo has forecast that globally more money will be spent on games played on the PC screen than on the TV screen as the game industry transitions to next generation consoles. According to Peter Warman, founder of Newzoo, game revenues generated through PCs represent 39.2% ($27.6 billion) of the global market this year versus 36.7% ($25.4 billion) for the TV screen. Market segments that make up the PC revenues are online social and casual gaming, massively multiplayer online (MMO) games and PC boxed and downloaded games.
Sega faces multiple obstacles in the console business. The game publisher has come under fire from gamers after partnering with Gearbox Software on a sequel to 20th Century Fox' Aliens movie called Aliens: Colonial Marines. The game was lambasted by critics, earning a Metacritic score of 43 (PS3), 45 (PC) and 48 (Xbox 360) out of 100. Californian gamer Damion Perrine filed a class action lawsuit against the publisher and developer for "false advertising" because the gameplay footage that was previewed at international trade shows was different from the final version that shipped to consumers. American law firm Edelson LLC is handling the ongoing litigation.
"Certainly the Aliens: Colonial Marines brand took a hit with its 2013 release onto consoles, but it is unlikely to impact Sega's overall brand image," said Divnich. "Consumers tend to punish the game's brand more than the publisher's brand. It's no different than in movies. Just because The Lone Ranger was a box office flop, doesn't mean people will think twice about the next Disney movie."
Sega also has aligned itself with its once-rival Nintendo (NTDOY). While many companies, including Electronic Arts (EA), Bethesda Softworks and Take-Two Interactive (TTWO), have abandoned Nintendo's struggling Wii U console, Sega has expanded its partnership to bring exclusive new Sonic Lost World games to the device (and Nintendo 3DS) this fall. Sega and Nintendo have had success with their on-going Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games franchise, which features characters from both game worlds. Global sales of that franchise have surpassed 12 million copies, according to Divnich. It remains one of the bestselling franchises on Nintendo's platforms.
Cheng believes this relationship with Nintendo will help drive both hardware sales for Nintendo and software sales for Sega. The Japanese company continues to release Sonic games for mobile devices like Sonic Dash. "Sonic's role at Sega has never been more important," said Cheng. "He is a much loved character and a highly valued global brand that performs incredibly well in areas such as mobile, clothing and toys. We look forward to expanding the brand further into other areas outside of games."
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/08/08/sega-is-refashioning-itself-as-a-pc-game-maker/?source=cnn_bin
-
It's a sad state...
-
It's a sad state...
What's sad? Total War being more successful than ever, Football Manager being more successful than ever, Sega having a steady income?
-
He probably means the fact that none of those top selling titles were originated by Sega and were acquired by them.