http://www.gamespot.com/all/news/news_6072275.aspx " Additional details on Sega' s new development studio structure
Sonic Team and other studios will be merged together.
Mainichi Interactive has revealed additional details on Sega' s development studio reorganization. Under Sega' s new studio structure, Sonic Team (Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star Online) and United Game Artists (Rez, Space Channel 5) will be merged to develop mainstream titles that are aimed at casual gamers. Hitmaker (Virtual On, Crazy Taxi) and Sega Rosso (Sega Rally, NASCAR arcade) will be merged to work on developing on new platforms. Wow Entertainment (House of the Dead, Vampire Night) and Overworks (Shinobi, Sakura Wars) will be merged to develop games on next-generation consoles that are aimed at audiences of all ages. Amusement Vision (F-Zero AX, Super Monkey Ball) and Smilebit (Jet Set Radio) will be merged to develop games that notably utilize movie scenes. Sega-AM2 will remain intact and continue to develop titles for hard-core audiences.
As reported earlier, a new studio dedicated to the development of sport games will also be established, consisting of staff taken from Amusement Vision and Smilebit. In addition, Yu Suzuki will become the president of another newly established studio that will be focused on the development of major titles. Sega also will create a company that will be dedicated to managing all the development studios and their financial resources."
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I' m actually not that upset by this news at all. In fact, I' m kind of eager to see what comes out of it. IMO, the ways they split up and merged companies seem to fit very well. Or, I should say that the games each company makes seem to suggest that combining said studios wouldn' t hurt the the quality of their games that much.
Take the merging of Sonic Team and United Game Arts. Sonic was made to appeal to mainstream gamers, and so was Space Channel 5. It' s hard to explain, but it' s almost as if these two companies are just natural fits for each other. Much like Smilebit will be a perfect match for Amusement Vision based on the games each company makes. However, I am a wee bit concerned as to what the hell " develop games that notably utilize movie scenes" mean. It sounds like they' re going to be either making licensed titles (WHICH WOULD SUCK REAL REAL REAL HARD!!!), or that they' re going to be making huge cinematic games like Jet Set Radio Future with the presentation of a Final Fantasy (only good).
In short, I think by merging the companies, the developers are going to have more talent to pool from and can make flat out " bigger" games because of this decision. Think if Sonic Team could now make the world of Phantasy Star Online 3 times bigger than what it is now and do it in the same amount of time because they have a bigger staff.
The merging will also help to minimize lay-offs and help to get their business dealing much more organized if Sega itself ever does decide to merge with another developer or allows itself to be brought out.
In the end, as long as SmileVision continues to make great games like JSRF, I' m good. As long as SonicArts continue to fill me with Sonic goodness, I' m happy. As long as Sega continues their tradition of setting the bar and not flowing it, I' m happy. And as long as Yu Suzuki remains Yu Suzuki, I' m happy.
The One, The only One,
- The Lotus One