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[entremet]

I'm an old school Sega fan back their original arcade days. But of late it seems their IP catalog is basically underused, ignored, or limited by region--PS02/Yakuza.

I'm aware of their restructuring and their focus on a more lean catalog, but let's look at these example.

-Sonic, their flagship IP, flounders for years, get some decent games family in Generations and Colors after the catastrophe that was Sonic 2006 and then its back to garbage with Sonic Boom. There seems to be lack of real quality control here.

-Shinobi is basically dead after some really well done PS2 games.

-Yakuza is being milked to death

-PS02 still has no international release.

-Super Monkey Ball started very promising on the Arcade/Gamecube and the series just has gone down ever since.

-Valkyria Chronicles, as now many PC gamers are finding out, was amazing new IP last generation that was then moved to the a technically inferior platform and currently MIA. Hopefully, the PC port revives the franchise for higher fidelity platforms. Or we get a remake of VC2 for PC/Console.

There are some bright spots, such as their PC support. But with a company with such a storied past, it seems they are shells of their former glory.

It appeared that moving to 3rd party created more risk for them as company, so they stopped being as experimental. It makes sense since platform holders make money not just off game sales, but hardware and licensing cost.

It's also why I think if Nintendo went 3rd party, goodbye anything but Mario.

It seems Sega lacks vision is just playing super safe.

 

[mrlion]

-PS02 still has no international release.

Actually it does its released to SEA and its fully translated to English.

 

[Arc Christelle]

Pretty much lack of vision + confidence in IPs. Same thing plaguing various other Japanese devs.

 

[Shion]

Because SEGA's management is a joke.

 

[kaioshade]

Actually it does its released to SEA and its fully translated to English.

Outside of Asia. Sega doesnt give a shit.

 

[BlackBuzzard]

SEGA's management is just trash.

 

[entremet]

When fans are begging you to release games, you know you have a problem.

 

[The Horror the horror]

SEGA is like that degenerate gambler, always finds himself in a hole and the moment he lucks out and makes upward progress, he doubles double down on stupidity and ends up in a bigger hole.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Sega lost

Sorry IrishNinja

 

[Ban Puncher]

And now Sega controls Atlus.

Be afraid.

 

[Off-Kilter]

I remember reading a while ago that SEGA is one of the few publishers that post consistent profits even during down-years for most of the industry. I imagine its because management is quite frugal. They don't exactly break the bank when they fund third party studios, and they don't take unnecessary risks with their internally developed properties. If they know a game won't sell, they just won't make it at this point.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Sega has some of the greatest ips ever, but they don't give a shit about them. Quality isn't something that matters to them.

 

[Hexa]

I think you mean "Why have pretty much every major Japanese publisher managed their IPs so badly?"

 

[DigitalDevilSummoner]

SEGA's management is just trash.

I'm gonna stand over here.

And now Sega controls Atlus.

Be afraid.

MegaTen themed Pachinko with Hatsune Miku sounds incoming.

 

[Mesoian]

Outside of Asia. Sega doesnt give a shit.

This is the real answer. They don't trust people outside of Asia to make big decisions regarding the market and the people in charge don't understand why gamers were attracted to certain games at certain times. So as long as their games break 300k in Japan, everything else is gravy. If they can cash in checks from well made CAD games on PC, all the better.

I never thought I'd say it, but Sega needs Bernie Stollar to make decisions.

 

[Arc Christelle]

Sega lost

Sorry IrishNinja

So Sega's like the Nas of Gaming? Except less consistent?

Spoiler

I love Nas.....

 

[threelights]

Well... Sega of Japan seems to be doing pretty well.

Sega over here... Let's just say I fear for the localization of future Atlus titles.

 

[Raw64life]

That deal Sega cut with MS in 2002 to make a dozen OG Xbox exclusive games single handedly killed half a dozen IPs.

 

[ReyVGM]

Because the "Miyamotos" that Sega had are no longer with the company.

 

[KojiKnight]

I remember reading a while ago that SEGA is one of the few publishers that post consistent profits even during down-years for most of the industry. I imagine its because management is quite frugal. They don't exactly break the bank when they fund third party studios, and they don't take unnecessary risks with their internally developed properties. If they know a game won't sell, they just won't make it at this point.

This... people give Sega too little credit. What consumers want (and what they think they want) often comes at a huge cost, and Sega isn't in the market of taking big risks... Which is why VC's launch on steam is both miraculous in a way AND a great thing because now Sega isn't going to see Steam as a risk, but an asset going forward.

 

[Shadow Hog]

Outside of Asia. Sega doesnt give a shit.

It's like the Saturn all over again. Only caring about Japan and almost completely ignoring the West, to their own detriment.

 

[entremet]

Generation 6 Sega was pretty amazing.

All their Dreamcast stuff:

Jet Set Radio
Chu Chu Rocket
PSO
Samba De Amigo
Crazy Taxi
Space Channel Five
Rez
Skies of Arcadia

Then their stuff on the other platforms:

Gamecube--Super Monkey Ball 1/2, F-Zero GX, PSO expansions
Xbox--Panzer Dragoon Orta, JSRF, Crazy Taxi High Roller, Outrun/Outrun Coast 2 Coast
PS2--Yakuza 1/2, Shinobi/Nightshade, Space Channel 5 part 2, Rez 60FPS edition

 

[jimi_dini]

They are still following their 90's slogan: Sega does what Nintendon't

 

[Relix]

Well they have been downhill since 1995 so its impressive they are still alive. There's that!

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

And now Sega controls Atlus.

Be afraid.

All I want is for them to leave Etrian Odyssey alone, I swear to god if they mess with my favorite series.

 

[Sami+]

Because SEGA's management has been trash for decades.

 

[LegendofLex]

Because that's what happens when first-party studios no longer control the ecosystem.

 

[entremet]

All I want is for them to leave Etrian Odyssey alone, I swear to god if they mess with my favorite series.

Did you play 7th Dragon on DS? It was every much like Etrian Odyssey but I was never released in America of course.

It had the same director as the EO series.

 

[120v]

most of the IPs in their vault would would require pretty hefty budgets to have a modern iteration, unless they were all mobile or something

not that they have managed their IPs particularly well, but the reason for like 90% of those rotting away is $$$

 

[Tizoc]

No talk of SEGA and its management is ever complete without mentioning Kim Kalinske-
http://www.sega-16.com/2006/08/marketing-the-genesis-segas-advertising-1989-1996/

 

[Occam]

The comapany that now owns Sega's intellectual property and even uses Sega's name is not the Sega who created all those amazing games in the 1980s and '90s.

 

[Old Gimlet Eyes]

They are doing great with company of heroes 2. Constant updates and expansions of quality content.

 

[CO_Andy]

Sega has done an admirable job rereleasing their old classics.

 

[Nairume]

I think part of their problem with at least Sonic (and this probably extends to some of their other stuff) is that they never really locked down what exactly Sonic is supposed to be as a game. Obviously the spinoff stuff is free to be different in the same way that Mario gets thrown at every genre and does fine, but the core Sonic games seem to have been suffering a long running V) identity crisis from the very beginning.

 

[Clefargle]

I'm convinced sega management just doesn't care anymore

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

Did you play 7th Dragon on DS? It was every much like Etrian Odyssey but I was never released in America of course.

It had the same director as the EO series.

I know, I just hope that EO being already a well stablished series in the west makes it more viable. Hell, maybe we can get the the 7th Dragon games if Atlus markets them.

 

[MrCunningham]

Because SEGA's management is a joke.

This is basically how Sega has always been. Great talent ruled by poor management.

No talk of SEGA and its management is ever complete without mentioning Kim Kalinske-
http://www.sega-16.com/2006/08/marke...ing-1989-1996/

Kim Kalinske?

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

Every part of Sega except Sega knows what it's doing.

 

[Coffee Dog]

I am fairly sure that SEGA either doesn't know what made Generations better than previous 3D sonic games, or realizes that sales-wise it just doesn't matter.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

OP, you could ask that about any non-Nintendo Japanese company.

But it does sting especially heavily with Sega considering their amazing history and prolific, illustrious IP catalog they had.

Here's to hoping they'll manage to turn things around.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

This... people give Sega too little credit. What consumers want (and what they think they want) often comes at a huge cost, and Sega isn't in the market of taking big risks... Which is why VC's launch on steam is both miraculous in a way AND a great thing because now Sega isn't going to see Steam as a risk, but an asset going forward.

Sega has seen Steam as an asset for a long time (they have several of the most popular PC franchises out there like Football Manager & Total War). It's more accurate to say that hopefully this means that Sega will see Steam as an asset for their more Japanese-oriented games.

 

[entremet]

Sega has done an admirable job rereleasing their old classics.

I'd give them that.

I love playing a perfect port of Daytona at home finally.

 

[aeolist]

do they even have development talent anymore? wanting franchise games from a publisher with no good people to make them is kind of putting the cart before the horse

 

[HyperOne]

Outside of Asia. Sega doesnt give a shit.

Which should surprise noone considering how they treated PSU. Reskins of old weapons instead of actually giving us the art. Years behind events. Years behind dungeon releases. Next to no S3 dungeons.

It is sad, I would be one of the first to jump on PSO2 if it came out. Having it fully translated and NOT bringing it over is just a slap in our face.

 

[Bust Nak]

It appeared that moving to 3rd party created more risk for them as company, so they stopped being as experimental.
...
It seems Sega lacks vision is just playing super safe.

Go to NPD thread, Ctrl+f "Alien." Then come back and give SEGA a reason not to play it safe.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

IF you want more shinobi get a 3ds, the exclusive shinobi game, and shinobi III 3d classics are great

 

[Cosmo Clock 21]

Actually it does its released to SEA and its fully translated to English.

Not to mention the recently released Chinese version of PSO2, two markets where F2P MMO markets remain strong. I wonder if Sega is looking at the expatriate English population on the Japanese servers and thinking it's not worth it.

Face it, in order for PSO2 to have any meaningful impact on the west and not crater like the last two times they attempted to release online PS games here they need to actually make money doing so. The JP version releases content at a breakneck pace as far as localizability goes, and they'd need to have the cash flow to keep up with the content. Do you really expect the SEGA of America of 2014 to be able to handle this? How many of the people begging for an American release are actually willing to shell out the $15/mo for a premium account, actually willing to whale out with microtransaction cash money to roll the cosmetics gacha? This is the dilemma Sega faces.

 

[Silky]

Why didn't you buy Shinobi 3D? That game was amazing.

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

Go to NPD thread, Ctrl+f "Alien." Then come back and give SEGA a reason not to play it safe.

Maybe Sega should give a shit next time and not permanently damage the IP by outsourcing it to shitty developers, which is what they love to do here lately.

 

[Slayven]

Because Sega patented mismanagement. They made it an art form.