Sammy Buys Shares, Angling For Sega Takeover

cdneng2 writes "Following failed merger talks earlier this year, it seems like game developer/pachinko giant Sammy has made a bid to acquire 22.4% of Sega shares. Sega's former parent company CSK sold its shares to Sammy, Japan's largest pachinko machine maker, who also has a game development subsidiary. The article mentions: 'Sega managed to rebuff its most enthusiastic suitors [including Namco, possibly EA, Microsoft] in a determined effort to remain independent', but it seems their efforts may be failing. The piece also notes: 'Sega officials are believed to have been particularly unhappy about a merger with Sammy due to the shady image of the pachinko industry in Japan'."

Comments

Pachinko/Pachislot

[FesterDaFelcher]

Off Topic, but here is a great presentation on how pachislot/pachinko works, if you dont know. Great Engrish too.
Sammy Pachinko Virtual Tour

Re:Nintendo?

[DLWormwood]

The game's Hanafuda, sometimes called Go Stop in Korea. Nintendo still makes non-video game stuff in Japan, including playing cards. That page is Japanese, but there are enough pictures for anyone to figure out where the links go.

Re:Already Merged

[simoniker]

Slashdot? Well, show me that story from a respected news source, and then we'll talk, buddy!

Uhm, just kidding. It seems that the 'actually merged' talk going on early this year was actually 'haven't signed the papers yet but we're going to, honest!' - and eventually, they didn't sign the papers.

Re:Pity about Pachinko's reputation...

[DLWormwood]

It's just gambling... I don't see the appeal?

"Officially," Pachinko's a redemption game, like Skee-ball. The skill element is adjusting a dial to determine how far into the playfield individual balls are ejected. A good player can usually look at the wear and pin arrangement to determine which machines are more likely to pay out. (Parlor operators are always hammering and bending the pins to thwart such efforts.)

The "seedy" rep comes from two aspects...

• On most machines, there's a special hole or bucket that triggers a mini-game. This is usually some variation on slots. Pachinko machines tends to be rather noisy when this happens, making a parlor sound much like a Las Vegas casino.
• Most prizes that are redeemed can usually be taken to a nearby pawn shop and sold. Many shops and parlors are said to have "below board" ties that encourage this, leading to weird exchange rates and cash values for seemingly worthless trinkets.