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Sammy Finally To Purchase Sega
roadies writes "USAToday/Reuters has a story indicating that Japanese videogame/slot machine company Sammy is finally going to acquire Sega, following 'an unsuccessful attempt last year'." Gamesindustry.biz notes regarding the stock deal, worth $1.4 billion: "[Sammy president] Satomi-san, who will be president of the new merged company, has previously expressed his desire to see Sega focusing increasingly on the arcade market, and hopes to use the company's development talent and wealth of intellectual property to build on the success of Sammy's low-cost Atomiswave arcade system", and it's also argued: "The Sega acquisition will also give Sammy a strong base from which to build its overseas operations."
It would've been much bigger than their news about The Matrix Online or Phantasy Star Universe.
Well, now we are probably going to be down another game developer. They really are dropping like flies today between acquisitions and bankruptcy. In their attempt to purchase Sega a year ago, didn't Sammy express an interest in getting Sega out of the gaming business and focusing more on their Pachinko gaming machines? The nostalgia behind Sega kind of makes this hurt.
http://www.tomandemily.com
If this fucks w/ Shenmue 3, heads will roll, I'm not kidding.
[o]_O
If Sammy so much as lays a finger on Yuji Naga, Sonic Team, or anything in the Sonic franchise, then more heads will roll. Hiroshima will look like a firecracker in comparison. I will give them a new definition for "seppuku." And I will beat the ever-loving crap out of every goddamn Sammy executive, then shove flaming piles of their own yen up their asses.
No you won't.
But yeah, it looks like this might be the end for Sonic, not to mention many of Sega's other franchises. RIP, Sega. Maybe Sammy will sell franchise rights to Nintendo or something, but I won't be holding my breath.
Rob
I'm not really sure how this arcade thing will come into play in the US. I don't think there are very many arcades left here, although that DDR thing seems to be popular and I look forward to dropping $20 on a machine one day to try and get the hang of it.
Did either of you actually think this through before making wild guesses or stupid, racist comments? Why would Sammy buy SEGA to gut it of its key franchises? That's ridiculous. I imagine SEGA will continue to have a lot of freedom to do as it pleases, including making Sonic games, will get some much needed cash from pachinko king Sammy, and Sammy will slowly use SEGA to enter the game market. If I'm not mistaken Sammy develops Guilty Gear X; Sammy probably wants to consolidate pachinko style gaming and video games into one business both conceptually and on site (makes sense, especially in a Japanese context) and SEGA is a well known, quality developer who needs some cash.
Again, I ask you, how would it make sense, considering those facts, that Sammy would gut SEGA?
"There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
I've waited so long :(
So many possible flames, so little time. I had a hard time picking, too.
Well, Sonic Team and Sega's other 6 subsidiaries will "begin integrating back into Sega"
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http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/05/18/news_6098
I don't see how this is much of a problem. Granted, Sammy will probably send Sega farther into the arcade market, but if you look at it, would you rather send a flailing brand into a sector that they were forced to pull out of years ago, or one that they're still dominating in in the country that you so happen to be based in? Sega has a much more stable arcade department, and it would probably be smarter financially for Sammy to go ahead and send them into the sector that Sega seems to know best. At least we aren't losing the brand entirely.
Or perhaps because the Sega brand has some leverage in the US, still, while Sammy really doesn't, Sammy could bring pachinko parlors over to the US? If they did it under the Sega label, it might deface the brand a bit, but Sega's already taken a beating.
If I'm not mistaken Sammy develops Guilty Gear X
I'm afraid you are mistaken. Sammy is only the publisher of the Guilty Gear series. The actual developer is ARC System Works of Japan, which according to their english company profile also lists SEGA as a customer of their products.
"[Sammy president] Satomi-san, who will be president of the new merged company, has previously expressed his desire to see Sega focusing increasingly on the arcade market"
Tell me, how well do you think Sonic would translate to the arcade? Keep in mind that now-a-days the arcade scene is dominated by rhythm and fighting games. Or how about a game that would never possibly work in an arcade, like Phantasy Star or Shenmue?
I agree that there would normally be no reason for Sammy to gut Sega, but when the president of the company says that he wants to turn Sega into primarily an arcade developer, things don't look good on that front.
Rob
Following the precedent of SNK Playmore... Segammy Sammyga Semmy Samga
Sega has already released Sonic arcade games in the past, and yes, one of the games was a fighting game.
See, my point was that if Sammy keeps Sonic, any Sonic game that comes out from now on will likely be very different from the Sonic games that we're used to. It won't be the same franchise that people have grown attached to anymore.
Regarding some genres like RPGs and lengthy adventures not being suited for arcades, you might be surprised to see what concepts can "work" in Japanese arcades.
I already know that the Japanese have some weird concepts when it comes to gaming, but how likely do you think it is that they'll be translated to English-speaking audiences?
Rob