SEGA is not leaving the console market

[Barry the Nomad]

http://segabits.com/blog/2015/03/03/sega-is-not-leaving-the-console-market/


I figured George's article deserved its own thread.


The comments count is pretty insane, 34+ at the time of posting this!


Unfortunately, I am seeing a lot of readers missing the point of George's article. It's not about how SEGA handles IPs, or if Nintendo should buy them, or if physical games are better than digital games. It's about the simple fact that several major gaming sites are reporting blatantly false news.


The culprit? It seems all of these article stem from Japan Today: http://www.japantoday.com/category/arts-culture/view/fans-mourn-segas-exit-from-the-console-video-game-market


Who in turn credit Yahoo! News Japan who reported the very same press release we reported, which makes no mention of SEGA leaving the console market.

[Trippled]

You know this is unrelated, but I find japanese comments about Sega interresting.

While usually pessimistic in a typical gamer vein, they don't see them as a company in dire straits, because there, Sega is seen more as a congolomerate that has these big sellers in the Japanese market (Arcades and phones mainly)

[Mariano]

Unfortunately, I am seeing a lot of readers missing the point of George's article. It's not about how SEGA handles IPs, or if Nintendo should buy them, or if physical games are better than digital games. It's about the simple fact that several major gaming sites are reporting blatantly false news.

Unfortunately is always about this barry...at least in the internet, people just dont want to use their brains, they just want to sit there and smell their own farts.


Kudos to George by the way

[Mariano]

You know this is unrelated, but I find japanese comments about Sega interresting.

While usually pessimistic in a typical gamer vein, they don't see them as a company in dire straits, because there, Sega is seen more as a congolomerate that has these big sellers in the Japanese market (Arcades and phones mainly)

Japanese people in general are MUCH more respectful than many others cultures, i can bet than SEGA can be near bankruptcy and People over there would still supporting them and hoping for the best.

[George]

Thanks Mariano

Just got tired of people sending me clickbait articles. No big sites where doing their jobs (a few reported it correctly). As for the comments, they are what they are. I'm glad people care enough to comment but at the same time their comments have nothing to do with the article in hand. I guess thats how it goes with comments. I obviously stayed out of the conversation.

[Barry the Nomad]

Telling a SEGA fan that SEGA mismanages their IPs is like telling a Star Wars fan that the prequels were a disappointment or telling a Simpsons fan that the modern episodes aren't as good as the classics. WE KNOW!

[Trippled]

Japanese people in general are MUCH more respectful than many others cultures, i can bet than SEGA can be near bankruptcy and People over there would still supporting them and hoping for the best.

Nah not really, on the Internet, japanese anonymous people are the same as everywhere.

It's just that in the west people see Sega as SNK or Midway, which is far from the truth.

[Nirmugen]

I think the problem with people who wants IP revived or something is that they didn't try or at least search for all the games released by SEGA between 2001-present.

Yeah, you can found bad games but you can also found some really good ones that deserve attention and maybe just maybe you will find the answers about the failling of those games counting mismanaged IP's for sure.

[Aki-at]

One thing you need to keep in consideration is the Japanese gaming market skews to the side of mobile games too whilst in the Western there is a strong stigma actual mobile development in the hardcore scene.

Having produced multiple hits in that market, it's easy to see why people are more receptive towards SEGA now in Japan, but go back to the time of the Mega Drive or Dreamcast and their opinions may not have been so positive.

[George]

The funny thing is some hardcore gamers I know play mobile games regularly and still talk shit about mobile games. I wouldn't take what people say online about mobile games too seriously, they are a low investment and high return market now.

Will they die? Sure, maybe, in the future. So will consoles. So, business should do what they do best, strike while its hot.

If you ran SEGA, wouldn't you continue to make games for platforms where people are spending their actual money on?

[Mariano]

If you ran SEGA, wouldn't you continue to make games for platforms where people are spending their actual money on?

A lot of people dont understand this or dont WANT to understand, thats when you know when someome is a fan or not, if they support the company in the bad and good times, or when they only do in the good times.
These people are not fan of SEGA, they are fan of "winning".

[pirovash88]

A lot of people dont understand this or dont WANT to understand, thats when you know when someome is a fan or not, if they support the company in the bad and good times, or when they only do in the good times.
These people are not fan of SEGA, they are fan of "winning".

This isn't necessarily true. If Sega is developing shit games, then i'm not going to support that. I won't lie to them and make them think that they'll have my support even when they release crap like Sonic Boom.

As someone who doesn't mind Mobile Games, i don't mind this strategy, it makes business sense, but i also want to see some of these games in the States as well.

[Barry the Nomad]

A lot of people dont understand this or dont WANT to understand, thats when you know when someome is a fan or not, if they support the company in the bad and good times, or when they only do in the good times.
These people are not fan of SEGA, they are fan of "winning".

I think it's more the fact that there are people who were fans of SEGA during a certain era (namely the console era) and have since stopped following the company so much, but whenever big news hits - good or bad - that fandom is revived and they have an opinion. Now I'm all for differing opinions, but there is a difference between an opinion based on the facts and an opinion based on falsehoods and assumptions. I'm certain that Japan Today article was seen by several people who were once SEGA fans during the console era, or fans who simply don't keep up on the company, and with it being such big news (despite being untrue) people are going to have thoughts and opinions. Problem is a lot of what I've seen comes from the heart rather than the head, and what is being used to back up those opinions are inaccurate stats and news stories.


Like, I want a new SEGA console and a Shenmue III... but I know full well that a SEGA console is next to impossible and a Shenmue III would have to be produced differently from the way the first two were produced. SEGA cannot simply throw millions at an IP that has proven itself to be a risk. Not to say I'm a better fan than those who bemoan SEGA for not making another console or a followup to a risky IP, but I do think fans need to use their heads a lot more.

[Sharky]

That Shinobi100 guy is doing my head in.... He wants SEGA to be like Nintendo, suggesting to stick to the few IPs that were popular in the 80's and build on them like Nintendo did. And yeah Nintendo have a good thing going for them! They have their 10 or so very popular IPs and they make them well.
en
But if SEGA was doing that, we wouldn't have got 90% of SEGAS best games, Shenmue, Skies, PSO, JSR, Panzer Dragoon, Virtua Fighter the list is endless, SEGA works differently to Nintnedo, they constantly try new IPs, new ideas, and even if 95% fail, that's fine with me so long as we get those 5% of SEGA games that fucking rock.

Fuck Nintendos output, I like about 4 of their IP's, SEGA have more disused IPs that I love than Nintendo have IPs at all. And even if it takes another decade for SEGA to pump out another incredible instant classic like Shenmue, I'd rather have that than Nintendos business model of relying on the same IPs.

[Mariano]

This isn't necessarily true. If Sega is developing shit games, then i'm not going to support that. I won't lie to them and make them think that they'll have my support even when they release crap like Sonic Boom.

As someone who doesn't mind Mobile Games, i don't mind this strategy, it makes business sense, but i also want to see some of these games in the States as well.

I agree piro, my problem is with people than dont support the "good" things and just complain about what there is not in the "menu". For example i know some guys who dont stop asking SEGA to release shenmue 3 and then they say that SEGA hadnt release any good game since 2001...that people is the one i am quoting, because in my opinion is people that doesnt care about anything but them, this are the "not" fans.