Sega reorganization unveiled
Juan C. Jiménez
somewhat of a random pick:
http://www.gamers.com/news/1429918/
[BEGINS QUOTE]
Sega Reorganizes Development Teams
By: D. F. Smith July 23, 2003 11:11 AM PDT
Sega has completed the contraction of its development subsidiaries,
creating seven teams where there once were nine, reports Mainichi
Interactive. Some teams have been combined with others, but none have
actually been eliminated. Rather, Sega hopes to streamline and refocus
its teams in order to create more hit titles over the next five years.
The new structure works out as follows:
Sonic Team combines with United Game Artist.
This team will focus on popular titles for more casual gamers -- Sega
likely wants to balance Sonic Team's focus on mass-market games with
UGA's creativity.
Hitmaker combines with Sega Rosso.
This team is to focus on new types of games for new hardware.
Wow Entertainment combines with Overworks.
A rather odd fit -- the makers of House of the Dead combined with Sega's
premier RPG team -- but this group's focus is on games for all age
groups.
Amusement Vision combines with Smilebit.
A meeting of two extremely talented teams -- this team will focus on
creating movie-like experiences.
Sega-AM2 will remain independent, but with the departure of Yu Suzuki,
its focus will shift even more towards games for serious gamers,
especially fighting games.
Meanwhile, Sega will also create two entirely new teams. One of the two
new teams will focus solely on sports games, using staff drawn from
Smilebit and Amusement Vision (likely those responsible for the "Let's
Make A Pro Sports Team" titles and the Virtua Striker series). The other
will be headed up by Yu Suzuki, who has turned over leadership of the
AM2 division to Hiroshi Kataoka. Suzuki's new team will be built around
his hit properties, like the Virtua Fighter and Shenmue series. This
holds out the strange possibility of the Shenmue series continuing,
despite its commercial failure in the past.
Hopefully, these moves will help Sega more effectively direct the
considerable talent at its disposal. We'll continue to update with more
news on Sega's reorganization as it arises.
[ENDS QUOTE]
So, after all this is kind of a surprise, since it affects every one of
the studios (I would say including AM2, since its director is departing
and creating a new studio).
The pairings are curious, but I personally like the Smilebit-Amusement
Vision idea (the studio that offered the best recent Sega games with the
makers of the almost unbelievable F-zero), and the Sonic Team-UGA team
(because I think Sonic Team games needed new ideas and UGA needed a bit
more business sense).
And, in addition, I'm also glad of seeing Shenmue mentioned in the
future Sega plans.
--
Juan C. Jiménez
Ted
"Juan C. Jiménez" wrote:
>
> I have seen the news across all the major Internet sites, so I'm quoting
> somewhat of a random pick:
>
> http://www.gamers.com/news/1429918/
>
> [BEGINS QUOTE]
> Sega Reorganizes Development Teams
snip
The other
> will be headed up by Yu Suzuki, who has turned over leadership of the
> AM2 division to Hiroshi Kataoka. Suzuki's new team will be built around
> his hit properties, like the Virtua Fighter and Shenmue series. This
> holds out the strange possibility of the Shenmue series continuing,
> despite its commercial failure in the past.
snip
Anyone know if Yu Suzuki is taking a core team with him from AM2? If
not, won't he be crippled for awhile by having to whip a new team into
shape? If so, won't AM2 be further crippled by loss of talented workers
in addition to the loss of the studio head?
Eiji Hayashi
Juan C. Jiménez <jcjimh...@eresmas.com> wrote in message news:<MPG.198a0fe6f...@news.individual.net>...
> Sonic Team combines with United Game Artist.
> This team will focus on popular titles for more casual gamers -- Sega
> likely wants to balance Sonic Team's focus on mass-market games with
> UGA's creativity.
Don't know what to make of this one. If anything, its not really a
merger, but just Sonic Team getting more talent, since they're by far
the dominant studio.
> Hitmaker combines with Sega Rosso.
> This team is to focus on new types of games for new hardware.
This I could see. Again, its more the case that Hitmaker just got
bigger than a merger. This seems to be a good fit based on past
products.
> Wow Entertainment combines with Overworks.
> A rather odd fit -- the makers of House of the Dead combined with Sega's
> premier RPG team -- but this group's focus is on games for all age
> groups.
This one is definitely odd. The two team doesn't seem to have much in
common. Size and revenue wise Overworks is the more important of the
two, but unlike the two above, this one is more of a merger.
> Amusement Vision combines with Smilebit.
> A meeting of two extremely talented teams -- this team will focus on
> creating movie-like experiences.
This I could see coming, again, its more of a merger than a takeover.
> Sega-AM2 will remain independent, but with the departure of Yu Suzuki,
> its focus will shift even more towards games for serious gamers,
> especially fighting games.
I think back then we all predicted AM2 will be the least affected by
the reorganization.
> So, after all this is kind of a surprise, since it affects every one of
> the studios (I would say including AM2, since its director is departing
> and creating a new studio).
not really.. I had AM2, Hitmaker, Overworks, and Sonic Team in that
order as least affected, the result isn't exactly what I expected but
its close
Andrew Ryan Chang
>Sonic Team combines with United Game Artist.
>This team will focus on popular titles for more casual gamers -- Sega
>likely wants to balance Sonic Team's focus on mass-market games with
>UGA's creativity.
Interesting stuff. For pure style, Rez and SC5 had a lot to offer
the casual audience, I thought.
>Wow Entertainment combines with Overworks.
>A rather odd fit -- the makers of House of the Dead combined with Sega's
>premier RPG team -- but this group's focus is on games for all age
>groups.
I wouldn't say premier RPG team until they get past v1.5 of SOA...
And I'm a huge fan of SOA and one of the first to make excuses for any
shortcoming in the game.
>Amusement Vision combines with Smilebit.
>A meeting of two extremely talented teams -- this team will focus on
>creating movie-like experiences.
I'm curious about what this means. To me, AV and Smilebit's best
features are their emphasis on gameplay. I haven't seen F-Zero (and
admittedly, I'm not big on racers of any type) so AV means Super Monkey
Ball to me and Smilebit means JSRF, Gunvalkyrie, and Panzer Dragoon.
>Sega-AM2 will remain independent, but with the departure of Yu Suzuki,
>its focus will shift even more towards games for serious gamers,
>especially fighting games.
I almost wish they'd spread some of the art talent from the other
teams to AM2. I think the AAA titles from almost every other studio have
been prettier and more distinct, with a greater sense of individual
character than the solid but uninspiring art from AM2's.
>AM2 division to Hiroshi Kataoka. Suzuki's new team will be built around
>his hit properties, like the Virtua Fighter and Shenmue series. This
I'm not a huge Fighting Vipers fan, so I hope the move of VF from
AM2 to the new team means AM2 will develop some new fighting franchises.
BTW, I take it there was no mention of Wave Master?
--
And let's pretend that work isn't as boring and tiring and humiliating
as we all know it really is. Even then, work would _still_ make a mockery
of all humanistic and democratic aspirations, just because it usurps so
much of our time. -- "THE ABOLITION OF WORK" by Bob Black
Juan C. Jiménez
> Juan C. Jiménez <jcjimh...@eresmas.com> wrote:
> >Sonic Team combines with United Game Artist.
> >This team will focus on popular titles for more casual gamers -- Sega
> >likely wants to balance Sonic Team's focus on mass-market games with
> >UGA's creativity.
>
> Interesting stuff. For pure style, Rez and SC5 had a lot to offer
> the casual audience, I thought.
Um, SC5 for sure had some casual appeal, with its catchy music and
simple but engaging gameplay. However, it's true that Rez appealed to
audiences other than the traditional videogames public, but maybe those
audiences were also niches in terms of market (techno music lovers,
mainly).
> >Amusement Vision combines with Smilebit.
> >A meeting of two extremely talented teams -- this team will focus on
> >creating movie-like experiences.
>
> I'm curious about what this means. To me, AV and Smilebit's best
> features are their emphasis on gameplay. I haven't seen F-Zero (and
> admittedly, I'm not big on racers of any type) so AV means Super Monkey
> Ball to me and Smilebit means JSRF, Gunvalkyrie, and Panzer Dragoon.
And I would add that Smilebit also means some of the best art available
in any game. From Jet Set Radio to Panzer Dragoon (which they didn't
create though), and even Gunvalkyrie (which seemed to me more shallow at
first glance but after digging a bit into it revealed a very bizarre mix
of 1900s and space/future aesthetics) are absolutely top-notch in terms
of style.
I wouldn't say the same about AV, or at least until F-Zero, which has
truly impressed me in the style department, so I'm very positive about
this merger. And, by the way, am I the only one who reads "new Panzer
Dragoon RPG" when they say "movie-like experiences"?
> >Sega-AM2 will remain independent, but with the departure of Yu Suzuki,
> >its focus will shift even more towards games for serious gamers,
> >especially fighting games.
>
> I almost wish they'd spread some of the art talent from the other
> teams to AM2. I think the AAA titles from almost every other studio have
> been prettier and more distinct, with a greater sense of individual
> character than the solid but uninspiring art from AM2's.
I can't agree more with you about this, but... there's the exception of
Shenmue, which IMO is one of the prettiest Sega games and has a solid
art style. It's true that its art is not very inventive, but rather is
heavily inspired by general Asian culture, but it's great nonetheless.
But you are right, I have always wondered how Shenmue was designed
supposedly by the same guys who did all those other horrendous games
(aesthetic-wise).
> BTW, I take it there was no mention of Wave Master?
Apparently not, but they seemed to only make music for the games, so I
suppose they will not need to change their structure.
--
Juan C. Jiménez
Andrew Ryan Chang
>In article <bftcab$m71$1...@morgoth.sfu.ca>, arc...@sfu.ca says...
>> the casual audience, I thought.
>
>Um, SC5 for sure had some casual appeal, with its catchy music and
>simple but engaging gameplay. However, it's true that Rez appealed to
>audiences other than the traditional videogames public, but maybe those
>audiences were also niches in terms of market (techno music lovers,
>mainly).
Eh, just about everything's a niche in music these days.
[art & style ("verve")]
>I wouldn't say the same about AV, or at least until F-Zero, which has
>truly impressed me in the style department, so I'm very positive about
I'm quite partial to Super Monkey Ball. It's not edgy in a JSRF
way, or really technically amazing in any way (AFAIK) but it is completely
"of a piece" or coherent from characters to world to sound effects to
music. And I love it.
>this merger. And, by the way, am I the only one who reads "new Panzer
>Dragoon RPG" when they say "movie-like experiences"?
Oooh, interesting thought. But I would rather have the Skies of
Arcadia Overworks team do Sega's next big RPG.
Actually, I have no idea what Sega means by "movie-like
experiences". It could mean licensed action titles.
>> I almost wish they'd spread some of the art talent from the other
>> teams to AM2. I think the AAA titles from almost every other studio have
>> been prettier and more distinct, with a greater sense of individual
>> character than the solid but uninspiring art from AM2's.
>
>I can't agree more with you about this, but... there's the exception of
>Shenmue, which IMO is one of the prettiest Sega games and has a solid
>art style. It's true that its art is not very inventive, but rather is
>heavily inspired by general Asian culture, but it's great nonetheless.
I dunno. I didn't like the direction of the cutscenes very much
-- for the most part, they felt too gimmicky, too full of "stupid CGI
camera moves", you know? As for the art direction, I guess it was
realistic, but it rarely really moved me. (Haven't played Shenmue 2 yet.)
Animated and live-action movies can and do when done with care, and
certainly Grim Fandango on the PC side of games did. But with Shenmue, I
mostly remembered a normal Japanese teenager living a mostly normal life
with hints of the epic (murdered father, quest for revenge, 70 man battle,
mysterious family secrets) occasionally coming out.
--
"AAA is on the record against virtually every proposal for cutting
automobile pollution."
Juan C. Jiménez
> >> teams to AM2. I think the AAA titles from almost every other studio have
> >> been prettier and more distinct, with a greater sense of individual
> >> character than the solid but uninspiring art from AM2's.
> >
> >I can't agree more with you about this, but... there's the exception of
> >Shenmue, which IMO is one of the prettiest Sega games and has a solid
> >art style. It's true that its art is not very inventive, but rather is
> >heavily inspired by general Asian culture, but it's great nonetheless.
>
> I dunno. I didn't like the direction of the cutscenes very much
> -- for the most part, they felt too gimmicky, too full of "stupid CGI
> camera moves", you know? As for the art direction, I guess it was
> realistic, but it rarely really moved me. (Haven't played Shenmue 2 yet.)
> Animated and live-action movies can and do when done with care, and
> certainly Grim Fandango on the PC side of games did. But with Shenmue, I
> mostly remembered a normal Japanese teenager living a mostly normal life
> with hints of the epic (murdered father, quest for revenge, 70 man battle,
> mysterious family secrets) occasionally coming out.
I understand your points, and since I tend to talk about the Shenmue
series as a whole, I included the sequel as well. And, well, I liked
Shenmue I art, but now that you've made me think separately about both
games, I would say Shenmue 2 is quite better in terms of art. At least,
it contains a much bigger and diverse world (3 chapters with realistic
but totally different surroundings), and starts to show the Chinese
culture and myths elements more than the first game.
In addition, I would say they dropped the realism a bit in order to
introduce a more "colorful" world, and while it detracts from the "real-
life" experience, it turns into a gain in the aesthetics of the game.
The "stupid CGI camera moves remain" :-), but I would bet when you play
and finish Shenmue 2 you'll like it more than the first.
--
Juan C. Jiménez