Post by ShenmueAddict on Feb 11, 2005 23:57:35 GMT
Source: www.mcvuk.com/html/news/story.jsp?newsId=1929907
This is interesting stuff, if they create a UK dev team then good for them, we'd get some quality british made games aswell as the usual japanese ones!
28 January 2005 by Stuart Dinsey
SEGA Europe's determination to forge its way up the publisher league table could see the creation of an in-house development studio in the UK.
The company is already on a mission to increase its product portfolio, adding to Japanese and US-developed titles by seeking deals with leading third parties such as Sports Interactive.
A number of major new product acquisitions and further canny utilisation of existing Sega IP (OutRun 2 on Xbox was developed by Sumo in Sheffield) will be announced in the next few weeks.
However, Sega may even go a step further and look to tap into the UK's huge reservoir of games development talent by setting up a dedicated creative operation here.
“Yes, we’re considering the setting up of a Sega studio in the UK. There is no decision yet, but it doesn’t have to be a massive risk," Sega Europe's COO Mike Hayes told MCV.
"It all depends on how you model it. You can get a core team of experts together on a relatively low cost base, contracting out certain parts.
“We need not only high quality IP, but high quality core technology as well. Our major competitors already have it. We have it, certainly in Tokyo, but may want it in Europe too.”
Sega Europe also expects to launch its own budget range for consoles by the end of the year. This is at the planning stage, whilst the company waits for back-catalogue rights to games such as Crazy Taxi, Virtua Fighter and Sega Rally to revert back from various third parties.
Meanwhile, Sega has announced that it will publish World Championship Snooker 2005 on PS2, PC, Xbox and PSP this April.
SEGA Europe's determination to forge its way up the publisher league table could see the creation of an in-house development studio in the UK.
The company is already on a mission to increase its product portfolio, adding to Japanese and US-developed titles by seeking deals with leading third parties such as Sports Interactive.
A number of major new product acquisitions and further canny utilisation of existing Sega IP (OutRun 2 on Xbox was developed by Sumo in Sheffield) will be announced in the next few weeks.
However, Sega may even go a step further and look to tap into the UK's huge reservoir of games development talent by setting up a dedicated creative operation here.
“Yes, we’re considering the setting up of a Sega studio in the UK. There is no decision yet, but it doesn’t have to be a massive risk," Sega Europe's COO Mike Hayes told MCV.
"It all depends on how you model it. You can get a core team of experts together on a relatively low cost base, contracting out certain parts.
“We need not only high quality IP, but high quality core technology as well. Our major competitors already have it. We have it, certainly in Tokyo, but may want it in Europe too.”
Sega Europe also expects to launch its own budget range for consoles by the end of the year. This is at the planning stage, whilst the company waits for back-catalogue rights to games such as Crazy Taxi, Virtua Fighter and Sega Rally to revert back from various third parties.
Meanwhile, Sega has announced that it will publish World Championship Snooker 2005 on PS2, PC, Xbox and PSP this April.
This is interesting stuff, if they create a UK dev team then good for them, we'd get some quality british made games aswell as the usual japanese ones!