FWD IGONLINE:"Atari abandons Jaguar" u.a.
Alexander Wiggert
hier ein Forward der IGOnline Pronto News. Fuer die Atari User duerfte vor allem
der erste Teil interessant sein:
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November 9, 1995
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Update on Atari Reconfiguration Update
(News Update: 11-9)
A reliable source in the Jaguar community (who wishes to remain anonymous)
has sourced IG Online the following update on Atari Corporation's recent
activities. "What Atari appears to be up to is the abandonment of the
Jaguar in favor of becoming a PC development house. However, they are very
busy right now pushing the remaining stock of the Jaguar hardware. What
they have done is to lay off almost the entire Jaguar development and
technical support crew including Bill Rehbock, Norman Kowalewski, and
others, many of the guys behind Club Drive and other works of art. They're
not closing their doors.
Key employees from Scott Sanders, Don Thomas, Greg and Sandy La Brec to
August Liguori remain and will be there for some time. Atari does have $50
million in the bank and plenty of ideas about how to [use] it. Apparently,
John Mathieson has quit as well, which pretty much guarantees there will
never be a Jaguar 2 ("Midsummer").
Contracts for Jaguar applications into mid-1996 remain intact though many
CD (but not all) projects were canned. The real issue here is Atari's long
term strategy. Now that they've dumped most of the deadweight, what are
they going to do next? I don't think any one will know until past Christmas
as at their current size, they do not have the staff to do anything but
push the remaining Jags out the door."
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Multi-Platform Online Game Network Discussed by Sony, Sega
(News Update: 11-9/95)
According to a report in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, five major players in
the consumer games and telecommunications industries have been in talks to
start a game console-based online network. Sony Corporation and Sega
Enterprises Ltd., two of the partners, are best known in the game world for
their continuing PlayStation versus Saturn machine rivalty, Japan Victor
Corporation (JVC) and Yamaha Coporation are known for their consumer
electronics and participation in past Sega projects, and Nippon Telegraph
and Telephone Corporation (NTT) is a leading telecommunications provider in
the land of the rising sun. No final agreement has been reached.
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Rumor: Atari Corporation in Hard Times
(News Update: 11-9)
According to several sources connected with Atari Corporation, makers of
the Jaguar 64-bit game system, operations have come to a near-halt at
Atari's American offices in Sunnyvale, California. Sources speaking on
condition of anonymity report that employees (from the Vice Presidents on
down) who were arriving for work last Thursday morning were told that they
should leave the facility and not return. IG Online will have additional
news on this story in the days to come.
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Time Warner Announces New Lineup
(Update: 11-3)
Added to Time Warner Interactive's upcoming game lineup are several
big-name titles that gamers will be happy to see available, and the latest
release dates are also quite encouraging. November 14th is Primal Rage day
for three platforms (Saturn, PlayStation and Jaguar CD), and November 15th
will bring Last Gladiators: Digital Pinball for the Saturn, Zoom's Zero
Divide for the PlayStation, and T-MEK for PC CD-ROMs. November 30th will
bring Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars to the SNES and PC CD-ROM
formats, December 1 will see the release of a PC CD version of RBI Baseball
'96, December 15th will have Kawasaki SuperBike Challenge for the SNES and
the Jag CD version of Wayne Gretzky, and December 22 will close out TWI's
year with a Windows '95 version of Silent Software's Return Fire. January
31, 1996 will bring Primal Rage to the Mac CD, and February 9th will have
both PlayStation and Saturn releases of Return Fire.
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Domark and ICI Split
(Update: 11-2)
Following IG Online's interview with Bryan Walker at Domark regarding the
company's upcoming game Confirmed Kill, Interactive Creations, Inc., the
company responsible for the Internet's first major multiplayer air combat
sim has split with partner Domark Software, Inc. over differences in
product promotion and marketing.
In several articles about Confirmed Kill, ICI was inadvertently left out,
both by Domark, who was responsible for promoting the product, and
consequently the authors of the articles. Robert Salinas of ICI said, "We
had talked with them about [the problem] for a while, but we finally said,
'this is enough.' "
Domark has expressed "shock" at the break-up, and it is likely that some
legal wrangling will occur over trademarks involved. The name Confirmed
Kill belongs to Domark, but all the code belongs to ICI, though CK was
originally based on a now heavily modified Domark graphics engine. In fact,
a whole new graphics engine will debut with new version .93, set to be
released on the Internet November 2nd.
ICI has announced it will continue its work on Confirmed Kill, but has
plans to change the name, possibly to something similar to "Warbirds"
pending a copyright search. ICI has also increased its workforce to twelve
employees from three to handle the increased workload.
Domark, meanwhile, has said that it still plans to develop its own
multiplayer air combat simulation, though no details have been announced.
Stay tuned for developments.
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Nintendo Controller Details Discussed
(Update: 11-2)
What's the last and mostly undiscussed component of the Nintendo64
controller? Well, there is a hollowed-out area and connector on the
controller's back side, which was indicated in IG Online's first controller
illustration by a hump on the controller's top. The hollowed-out spot is,
according to a source who has used the controller, "a largish rectangular
recess with a socket for a card-edge. It isn't a card slot... it's more of
an expansion bay, larger than the Sony Memory Card." While speculation has
led many to believe that this will be a memory card port for the
Nintendo/Ultra 64, others are claiming that it could be used for all sorts
of serial device purposes, including immersive goggles, headphones or other
items of the sort. Without something attached to the port, the controllers
are disarmingly light but, again according to our source, are extremely
comfortable and versatile.
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Nintendo, Netscape Team Up for Ultra Editing Service
(Update: 11-2)
Nintendo Co. Ltd. in Japan announced today that it will work with Netscape
Communications Corporation, developers of the popular World Wide Web
navigator software Netscape Navigator, to develop an Internet service that
will allow Nintendo 64 owners to edit their games via modem. No details
were announced on the means by which the games will be affected by
modem-downloaded changes, but the changes have the potential to be more
profound than just simple text revisions. The service will be tested in the
Japanese market prior to any American debut, and prices have not been
announced for either the service or a modem peripheral.
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Capcom's Most Recent Release Schedule
(Update: 10-31)
What follows is Capcom USA's most recent release date list for the SNES,
Saturn, PSX, PC CD-ROM and Macintosh. Internal rumors also have Capcom's
new domestic R&D department readying two extra titles for First and Second
Quarter 1996, respectively: Major Damage and Werewolf: the Apocalypse.
Japan November 22 X-Men: Children of the Atom Saturn
USA December 15 Mega Man X3 SNES
USA December 15 Final Fight 3 SNES
USA December 15 Breath of Fire 2 SNES
USA January 2 DarkStalkers PSX
USA January Fox Hunt PC, Mac, Saturn, PSX
USA January D&D Tower of Doom Saturn/PSX
USA February 1 Street Fighter Alpha Saturn/PSX
USA February 15 Night Warriors Saturn
USA February 15 Buster Brothers Saturn/PSX
USA February Warriors of Fate Saturn/PSX (Maybe Earlier)
USA March 1 Resident Evil PSX
USA March War of the Gems
USA Unknown X-Men: Children of the Atom Saturn/PSX
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Sega Claims 3DO and Matsushita Connection Proves Death of Sega Involvement
(Update: 10-31)
Tying together strings from several separate events, Sega of America's Mike
Latham explained today that the M2 chipset acquisition agreement between
Matsushita and 3DO was a good sign that Sega's involvement in M2-related
projects is nothing more than rumors. Months ago, when discussions were
taking place between Sega and Matsushita (and IG Online hosted a chat
session in which it was mentioned by Sega that Matsushita would likely be
releasing a Saturn-compatible game machine), Matsushita was apparently
considering either an investment in Saturn technology, an acquisition
of//investment in Sega Enterprises, Ltd., or licensing/purchasing of the
M2. Days later, when IG Online reported that the deal had been placed on
the back burner, Matsushita was still being wooed by the 3DO Company, which
eventually sold the M2 chipsets and designs to Matsushita for $100 million.
According to Mr. Latham, the 3DO-Matsushita deal makes it highly unlikely
that Matsushita -- a company seriously interested in holding a large part
of the video games market -- would want to share their expensive new toy
with Sega, a company that turned it down once before. We haven't closed the
book yet on this one, but that's the latest we're hearing.
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Namco Updates Plans for Museum Series and Other Games
(Update 10-31)
Details concerning the nostalgic Namco Museum Packs are just starting to
take shape. Namco has made commitments to release the "Museum Packs" in
their current Japanese form, and won't disturb their content. Namco USA has
made committments to release Museum Pack #1 sometime after Christmas, and
will release packs #2 and #3 in 2-3 month intervals providing that sales on
the first are brisk enough. Museum Pack #1 contains a mix of U.S. and
Japanese hits such as Pac Man, Galaga, RallyX, Super RallyX, Bosconian, and
Toy Pop. In other news, Ridge Racer Revolution will hit Japanese shelves on
December 7th, and unlike other U.S. PSX games, Tekken appears to be right
on schedule, shipping on November 7th.
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Sega Announces Partnership with Fujitsu
(News Update 10-30)
Sega Enterprises Ltd. of Japan announced today that it would work with
Fujitsu Co. Ltd. on its previously announced Internet Saturn peripheral.
Fujitsu will provide access for Saturn users to the Nifty-Serve information
network.
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Sony Hits 300,000 Mark with PlayStations
(News Update 10-30)
PlayStation sales continued to climb with Sony's announcement today that
the PlayStation has sold 300,000 NTSC machines to date and 1,000,000 game
titles. Sony's announcement comes following a PlayStation launch which
pre-sold over 100,000 machines to consumers.
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GoldStar Adds 3DO System 32 Price Advantage
(News Update 10-30)
Dropping the price of their System 32 3DO package to the lowest total cost
for any CD-based next-generation console, GoldStar today announced that
purchasers will be able to obtain their 32-bit hardware for $249.99 -- a
$50 rebate over the original $299.99 price -- and along with a free second
controller (worth an additional $30).
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Atari Announces Titles Ready for Production
(Update: 10-28)
Four CD titles will be in production for the Atari's Jaguar CD-ROM
peripheral in the weeks to come, and three cartridge titles are also in the
near-term future of the Jaguar, said Atari Corporation's Sam Tramiel in a
press release. Battlemorph, Highlander, Myst, and Baldies will all be ready
for debut on CD-ROM, and I-War ("an action-adventure game"), Missile
Command 3-D (a title formerly planned for use with Jaguar VR) and Fever
Pitch ("a fast action soccer game.")
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3DO Company Shuffles Executives
(Update: 10-26)
The 3DO Company has opted to promote and switch around some of its
executives following the departure of their Senior Vice President of
Software Engineering, Don Jaworski. Chief Operating Officer Hugh Martin has
been promoted to President of the company, replacing Trip Hawkins in one of
his three former posts. Hawkins will remain as Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of 3DO. Paul Milley, the company's Vice President of Finance, has
been moved up to the position of Chief Financial Office, and Steve Fowler
has been promoted to V.P. of Operations and Service from his position as
V.P. of Developer and Customer Service.
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Sony Plans New Sales Announcement, Notes Key Release Dates
(Update 10-26)
Sony will be making an announcement within the next 3-5 days on the subject
of PlayStation sales, which IG Online has been told "will make [Sony fans]
very happy." Additionally, Sony is said to be within days of an
announcement on the English-language release of G-Craft's RPG title Arc the
Lad, and is in the production phase for Destruction Derby, WipEout, and
Jumping Flash, all of which are currently due for release by "the first
week in November," according to a Sony spokeswoman. WipEout could
conceivably make it out before the end of the month of October.
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Sega Holding VF2/Virtua Cop/Sega Rally Preview in NYC
(Update: 10-26)
Sega will be previewing its three hottest internal releases, Virtua Fighter
2, Virtua Cop, and Sega Rally, in New York City in the next few days. IG
Online will be there with a full report -- what a Halloween!
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Matsushita Pays for 3DO M2 License in Form of Cash Infusion
(News Update: 10-25)
Panasonic's parent company Matsushita announced today that it has purchased
an exclusive 64-bit M2 hardware license from the 3DO Company for $100
Million plus royalty fees, an up-front lump-sum figure that gives the small
hardware innovator a much-needed cash infusion. Under the terms of the
agreement, the 3DO Company all but hands over entirely its M2 technology to
Matsushita, which gains the right to sub-license the M2 chipset out to
companies such as Goldstar. The 3DO Company will become, ironically, a
non-exclusive licensee to its own technology, allowed to develop coin-op
and general-use software for the chipset, as well as development tools.
Matsushita plans to release a M2 game console in Autumn, 1996,
substantially later than was originally thought by industry insiders, and
other companies' licensed M2 hardware will likely follow after the debut of
Matsushita's machine.
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Rumor: U.S. Gold Developing Series of Sports Titles for 3DO M2
(News Update: 10-25)
The latest word from sources close to the 3DO Company is that U.S. Gold, a
long-time developer of interesting if not hugely popular sports and action
titles, will be announcing their support for 3DO's M2 platform in the form
of some 64-bit sports software. Whether U.S. Gold, a name more well-known
in Europe than abroad, will stick to its roots and release European
favorites and Olympics-licensed titles is unknown at the present time.
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Nintendo's Latest North American Release Schedule
(October 23, 1995)
1. Donkey Kong Country 2 -- December -- Super NES
2. Mario Clash -- October 16 (Available Now) -- Virtual Boy
3. Vegas Stakes -- Early November -- Game Boy
4. Killer Instinct -- Early November -- Game Boy
5. Wario Land -- Early November -- Virtual Boy
6. Golf -- Early November -- Virtual Boy
7. Panic Bomber -- Early December -- Virtual Boy
8. Vertical Force -- Early December -- Virtual Boy
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Rumor: Sony Licenses Namco NeGcon Controller
(Update: 10-22)
A reliable source close to Namco Hometek has informed IG Online that Sony
has agreed to release Namco's NeGcon (Neji-con) controller for the
PlayStation in markets outside of Asia. The NeGcon is a twisting controller
with special pressure-sensitive buttons, allowing players to wring the left
and right sides of the controller as they would a towel, steering the
on-screen car or object as it might actually react, and also recreating
acceleration and braking mechanisms similar to those in real automobiles.
NeGcon controllers have been on sale in Japan for roughly $50 U.S. for
roughly one year. A United States release date has not been announced.
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Rumor: Sega, 3DO Said to Have Consummated Deal
(Update: 10-20)
Following up on a rumor first reported in IG Online at the conclusion of
the Los Angeles Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sega and 3DO are said to
have finally inked a deal to bring 3DO's next-generation 64-bit M2
processing technology into Sega consumer devices. While the full extent of
the deal remains elusive, several sources close to IG Online have indicated
that the months of negotiations have been intentionally kept low-key, all
in an effort to prevent media outlets from voicing potential pricing,
compatibility, and technology concerns regarding Sega's current 32-bit
Saturn console.
While highly respected officials at Sega of America have continued to deny
having any interest in 3DO's new chipset and have gone so far as to explain
that Sega examined the technology and found it wanting, multiple sources
outside of Sega now claim that the deal has taken place. Sega's strategy is
said to be one that serves several purposes: first, allows it to trump
Nintendo's 64-bit Ultra 64 as the most powerful game architecture on the
market; second, places Sega in a position where their combined M2 marketing
and manufacturing muscle (alongside Matsushita/Panasonic, Goldstar and a
third partner) would be enough to wipe out even Sony; and third, would wait
until the price of the core Saturn hardware is low enough that potential
buyers would not choke when investing in an upgrade. With the core Saturn
price at $299 and the debut of the Ultra 64 only months away, Sega could
well be in a position to make these moves.
What may complicate the situation and make things sound more implausible is
the fact that both 3DO and Sega have already been in negotiations to link
their products to the personal computer market, 3DO pursuing a
PC-compatible partner for M2 and Sega signing with Nvidia to provide
content for Nvidia-chip-compatible boards such as the Diamond Edge
Multimedia card. Merging technologies at this point could bring into
question both companies' future loyalties to their partners. While owners
of Saturn consoles would likely laud Sega for acquiring technology more
powerful than their competitors', the company is said to be concerned that
others would balk at the idea of picking up an expansion module so soon. If
that wasn't enough, long-standing rumors that Sega has been interested in
leaving the hardware business may also contribute to making this deal more
complex than has been imagined... if the deal truly is to happen at all.
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Rumor: Virtua Fighter 3 to Increase Background Interactivity, Include True
Combo System
(Update: 10-20)
Sources inside Sega have been hinting that the company's AM2 division has
been taking player input on features from the older Virtua Fighter titles
which could potentially be improved in their upcoming fourth (including VF
Remix) installation in the series. Concepts under consideration at the
moment include allowing players to interact with background scenes -- say,
picking up a lamp post and swinging it at an opponent -- and including a
deeper system of combination attacks.
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Acclaim, Taito Enter Western Hemisphere Distribution Pact
(Update 10-19)
Acclaim has entered into a 'right of first refusal' agreement with
Yokohama-based Taito Corporation whereby Acclaim gains the first right
within the Western Hemisphere to distribute or turn down any Taito home
video game. Under the agreement, Acclaim will distribute two Taito games in
December, Jupiter Strike for the Sony PlayStation and Galactic Attack for
the Sega Saturn, and -- as was formerly the case with Midway/Williams
titles -- can pick and choose future Taito games for home console release.
Games that Acclaim has passed over can be optioned out to other companies,
a situation which occured notably when Acclaim chose not to release
Midway's Total Carnage and the property was licensed by Midway to T*HQ.
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Sega Enterprises Sets Sales Target and Price for "Internet Saturn" Modem
Connection Kits
(Update 10-19)
Sega Enterprises Ltd. of Japan intends to sell 300,000 units of its 20,000
yen ($200) "Internet Saturn" peripheral within one year of its Spring 1996
launch. The communications hardware and software will enable owners of the
Sega Saturn hardware platform to gain immediate access to the Internet, and
will presumably include keyboard and telephone interfaces along with
terminal software.
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Nintendo Lowers Virtual Boy Price to $159.95
(Update 10-19)
Nintendo of America, responding to somewhat sluggish sales of their new
Virtual Boy hardware, has dropped the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price
(MSRP) of the machine to $159.99 -- a $20 decrease -- in an effort to move
more units of hardware. Nintendo attributes the price drop to an improved
dollar/yen ratio. Five "first-party" games have also been mentioned as
forthcoming from Nintendo itself, two of which (October's Mario Clash and
November's Wario Land) were in-house productions, and three of which
(November's [T&E Soft] Golf and December's [Hudson Soft] Panic Bomber and
Vertical Force) were third-party titles acquired by Nintendo for domestic
release.
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Sega Releasing New Virtua Fighter CG Portrait Discs in Japan
(Update: 10-18)
Sega's promotion with the gold VF CG Portrait disc was successful enough in
Japan that they're expanding the series. A series of Portrait discs is
being released, one for each character, which also feature a music track
from the VF "Image" album to go along with the pictures. The first two
discs, featuring Jacky and Sarah Bryant, should be available presently,
with discs featuring the other characters to follow in the coming months.
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Acclaim Changes Gears on Mortal Series
(Update: 10-13)
Acclaim Entertainment has decided to proceed with plans to release their
PlayStation translation of Midway's Mortal Kombat 2, and now intends the
product to ship in November. A Sega Saturn translation of Mortal Kombat 2
will follow in December.
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Acclaim Acquires Probe and Sculptured
(Update: 10-11):
Acclaim Entertainment has announced the impending full acquisition of key
third-party software developers Probe Ltd. and Sculptured Software, both
past collaborators on big-name Acclaim releases from Mortal Kombat to Alien
3 to Batman Forever. The purchase will add over 250 people to Acclaim's
in-house development force and, if past successes from the companies can be
regarded as proof of concept, will increase the proportion of quality
software coming from Acclaim in the near future. Acclaim's move also calls
into question future plans by WMS Industries to release future 8- and
16-bit translations of their arcade software, as much of the downgrading
conversion work on Williams and Midway titles has been handled by
Sculptured and Probe in the past. Doom and Mortal Kombat 3 ports currently
in the pipeline at Sculptured will be finished according to schedule.
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Nintendo, 3DO Step Up 64-Bit Rhetoric
(Update: 10-4/95)
New Nintendo advertisements have started to run overseas, and they're not
just for Killer Instinct and Yoshi's Island. An eight-page Nintendo Ultra
64 advertisement has appeared in the European gaming publication Consoles
Plus, each page showing off a profile of the Ultra console and telling
players that they'll want to ignore 32-bit hardware in favor of Nintendo's
new 64-bit machine. No software pictures were shown in the advertisement.
For their part, the 3DO Company has started to affirm the possibility that
some variation on the 64-bit M2 will be marketed at a $299 price point, as
reported from a discussion with 3DO's Trip Hawkins in the October 2nd New
York Times. The New York Times article was not specific on whether $299
would buy a standalone "M2 console" or a "M2 upgrade peripheral."
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Sega of America Drops Saturn Core Price to $299, VF Remix Package to $349
(Update 10/3/95)
In the face of strong competition from Sony Computer Entertainment of
America, Sega of America dropped the price of their Saturn system to $299
-- a price officials at Sega were labelling nearly impossible only months
ago given the high component costs for Saturn parts. Citing the stronger
U.S. dollar and improved production abilities as means by which the price
was trimmed, Sega also announced that a Virtua Fighter Remix- packed Saturn
will sell for only $349. (Virtua Fighter Remix has now been priced by Sega
of America as a standalone title at $69.99, presumably to maximize the
apparent value of the VFR-Saturn package.) The core Saturn hardware pack
will include no full games but will come packed with playable "Bug!" and
"Panzer Dragoon" samples.
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Rumor: Sony Purges Employees Over Jewel Case Flop
(Update: 10-1/95)
PlayStation watchers may notice that Off World Interceptor Extreme's
packaging looks substantially different from the Sega CD-style "jewel
cases" used for the initial slate of PS launch titles... why is that? Well,
Sony is just now making the transition to their new style of PlayStation
game boxes following what is claimed to be a typical Silicon Valley
pre-launch blunder: a trustworthy source alleges that someone at Sony
Computer Entertainment was involved in a romantic relationship with someone
whose company makes CD-case manufacturing equipment. Sony was thus
indirectly influenced to purchase a case-making machine, which did not
perform properly prior to the PlayStation's launch, and Sony was thus left
to use something else. They picked Sega CD jewel cases and were forced to
completely change the packaging of the games --this, without the permission
of the games' makers. When Sony's executives were in the midst of their
employee katana-swinging (reported earlier in IG), some of the people
responsible for the packaging mistakes were among those cut by the blades
of higher management.
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Archives of Older Prontonews
* August 1995
* September 1995
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---------------> schnapp <---------------
Bye,
Alex
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e-mail: ale...@ai.inka.de
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