The End of SEGA
The continuing decline of our once beloved Sega.
Sega are doomed. As you can read elsewhere on this site, we at FlatBatteries hold Sega in the highest regard... or at least, we did, once.
Many years ago, Sega were at the forefront of video games. They produced games like Outrun, Shinobi and Sonic. Then they moved onwards and produced more recent classics like Crazy Taxi, Jet Grind Radio and, of course, the almighty Shenmue. Their games were fun, accessible and instantly satisfying. But now they produce pure tosh like Billy Hatcher and endless sports simulations and sequels.
So what's happened? As has been well documented, Sega were close to financial ruin after the failure of the Dreamcast. In order to survive, they withdrew from the home console market and decided to retool and concentrate on software publishing.
From the off, signs were not good. As mentioned in a previous editorial (14/10/2003) Sega were keen to emulate the approach of Electronic Arts, and become the Japanese equivalent of the American giant. That was never going to have a happy ending, was it?
For their short term survival, Sega needed to churn out quick-fix titles, with a focus on movie and sports licenses. Financially speaking, this has worked well for Sega, but there is no sign of a return to the Sega that we know and love. So what's the point? Truth is, they are simply not Sega anymore.
Sega will certainly be unwilling to take any real risks on all-new concepts, and it seems unlikely that they will return to classic games like Nights or Jet Grind Radio. In truth, they have become another corporate name that leeches off a fine tradition, in much the same way Atari plays on it's past reputation.
It gets worse, though.
As some of you may recall, Sega had entered into an agreement with Microsoft when they developed the Dreamcast. The agreement saw the Dreamcast utilise Microsoft's Windows CE. Certainly, at the time, this seemed to be a major coup for Sega, as do all Faustian pacts. But when it became clear to Microsoft that they had backed the wrong horse, they swiftly broke their ties with Sega and effectively signed the death warrant of the Dreamcast.
"What treachery," I hear you cry. Indeed it was a betrayal of gargantuan proportions. But once bitten, twice shy, right?
Not Sega. Instead, they start publishing some of their most desirable titles on Microsoft's console. If you pardon the phrase, Sega have become Microsoft's bitch and they have become beholden to the X-Box. It seems to have reached the point that Sega have become so subservient that there is no need for Microsoft to buy them. Sega already do as they are told.
And so it seems that Outrun 2, a jewel in Sega's crown, will appear on X-Box only. And the same can be said for Virtua-Fighter 4. So eager to please are Sega that they have been tricked into holding a fire sale by their new masters in America. And so Sega's arcade division, traditionally it's heart beat, is now nothing more than a test ground for future X-Box titles.
The truth is that Sega are no longer in a position to say 'no' to Microsoft, the company that betrayed them.
So what happens when they stitch you up again, Sega? Fall back on your reputation? That very reputation is being eroded even as we speak. Sega are finished, at least as one of the true icons of the video game industry.
