Sonic team must be so happy right about now...
According to Dengeki Online, Phantasy Star Online, Yuji Naka's wondrous online RPG for the Dreamcast has garnered another award. At the Sixth Annual Animation Kobe, Phantasy Star Online received the Best Network Media award, adding to it several awards received from various coventions including TGS and GDC.
I bet Sonic Team's awards shelf is just bursting right now.
Source: IGNDC
From DCIGN:
According to a press release today, major Japanese pachinko maker Sammy has purchased 90% of stocks in Sega's subsidiary SI Electronics for 134 billion yen (roughly USD$1.08 million). With this purchase, Sammy acquires SIE as a direct subsidiary and strengthens the relationship between Sega and Sammy. SIE will be responsible for research and developing the LCD chips to be used in future Sammy pachinko and pachisuro machines.
Sammy is one of the largest pachinko/pachisuro machine makers in Japan, responsible for roughly 78% of total pachisuro machine sales and 8% pachinko machine sales in Japan. With other recent acquisitions, Sammy has been attempting to expand into other areas of the amusement/entertainment industry, including softwares for the PlayStation, cellphones, and other platforms.
Sega, on the other hand, is one of the oldest console gaming software development houses in the world. The sale today is one of many changes with the recent pull out of the hardware home gaming industry by Sega. SI Electronics was responsible for many major components in Sega's Dreamcast entertainment system.
Boring? Probably, but hopefully someone will find this news interesting. :)
Source: DCIGN
It's every video gamer's dream, a channel devoted to video games 24/7
Begone, Gamepro TV! It's time for some real video game TV watching.
Comcast has announced that they are working on an all new television channel dedicated to video games, 24 hours a day. The idea came about from former E! Entertainment Television operator Debra Green and former Disney animation team head Charles Hirschorn, and the channel will be called G4. It should launch sometime next year, and will feature 24 hour programming dedicated to video game fans. No, not including any sort of Mario Bros. Super Show reruns, thank goodness.
Thanks to TVInsite.com for the scoop!
Yes that's right. If all goes well in about a year people will able to sit in front of their TVs and get video games 24/7! Hopefully things will work out and video game fans will get an entire channel devoted to time. About time huh?
Source: Sega Dojo
Swirlvision has put up screens and info on the next Bleemcast game, Tekken 3! Check it out here.
From FGN:
Sega R&D AM2 game development department was merged with CSK Research Institute last year to be an independent company according to Sega's strategic decision. AM2 is a leading brand of the arcade game and is now eyeing the field of home videogame development.
The company said, "By taking this occasion, we decided to change our company name by adapting these honorable 'Sega' and 'AM2' brands and restart for goal with refreshed spirit and exiting enthusiasm for success."
According to Japanese reports, CSK will be announcing reorganization plans of the company at the end of the fiscal year. Specifics have yet to be revealed, but insiders suggest that there's a possibility of two of CSK's major divisions, Sega and ASCII, being sold off. These rumors have been follwed up by ones suggesting that Microsoft could swoop down on Sega. Don't you love the Internet?
Probably not tremendous news for most folks, but probably worth putting down.
Source: FGN Online
Well, this news may disappoint some, but at least this is for a good reason...
Although Phantasy Star Online would most likely be completed by GameCube's launch, Naka-san is reconsidering having the game as a launch title. The reason is that Nintendo's online plans will not be set in stone yet, leaving the user without online capabilities - which as you know is a major part of the game. Props to CCB's Game Review for the scoop.
The page mentioned above is in Japanese, just so you know. Anyway, told you it was a good reason.
Source: SwirlVision
The following somewhat major news is from SegaWeb:
We've been reporting for months about the rumors that Sega and Nintendo have teams working on a title featuring the companies respective mascots, Sonic and Mario. After a long silence, Peter Moore has commented on the matter to IGN.
"I think that's just wishful thinking," he said about the rumored project. "But if I got a phone call at four o'clock this afternoon from Japan that said they were doing it, it wouldn't surprise me in the least. We have a great relationship with NCL all the way to Yamauchi-san, who has great regard for Sega and what we've done over the years. There is also an incredible mutual respect, particularly between Naka and Miyamoto. So, yeah -- have we done anything? No. Are they talking about it, I'm sure. Have we announced anything? No. Might we? I bet you that we do."
If that sounds a bit like Peter is leaving the door open for announcements at Spaceworld, you are not the only one.
When asked specifically about Sonic's appearance in Super Smash Brothers Melee for the GameCube, he commented, "Wouldn't surprise me at all if Sonic were to show up in Super Smash Bros. Melee. It wouldn't surprise me at all if two of the greatest videogame development talents in the world sat down and said, 'Hey, we've got to do something together.'" But it's just a rumor at this point. There is nothing definitive. And I'm not holding anything back. But with that said, I've got to believe that conversations are being had."
While far from being a confirmation, we can take Mr. Moore's hedging comments as an indication that the project, in whatever shape it will eventually come in, will happen possibly as soon as Spaceworld, now only three weeks away. We'll have more on this story one way or the other then.
Looks like we're all waiting untill Spaceworld...
Source: SegaWeb
These articles from Kidscreen and Lion Gate Studios' website.
Kidscreen reports:
...DIC has signed an exclusive distribution deal with Lions Gate Home Entertainment (a division of Lions Gate Studios) to distribute its library of programming in North America. For DIC, the multiyear deal represents its first step back into the home entertainment realm since Heyward, newly named DIC president Brad Brooks and investment company Bain Capital bought the company back from Disney in November. Though DIC had planned to start releasing its shows on video and DVD in the spring, the process of choosing a distribution partner took longer than expected, says Don Gold, executive VP of home entertainment. Ultimately, though, selecting Lions Gate became a no-brainer. "Lions Gate was the most enthusiastic about our shows, and put together a plan that would allow DIC to be the focal point for all of its children's programming," says Gold. As per the agreement, Lions Gate will release DIC's catalog, which includes some 2,500 half hours of programming, on VHS and DVD through its Trimark Home Entertainment division. Starting in August, Trimark will bow with best-of episodic collections for Sabrina: The Animated Series and the Ivan Reitman-produced Mummies Alive! on VHS and DVD, and will follow up with releases for Madeline in September. Gold says the two companies will work closely to aggressively market DIC's titles, and the partners plan to tie in promotionally with The Learning Company for video releases of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and with Sega for Sonic the Hedgehog, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Though DIC's agreement with Lions Gate covers North America only, Gold says the company has begun negotiating separate deals with a number of distributors outside the U.S. to distribute DIC's shows on DVD/VHS internationally.
This from Lion Gate Studios' Website news page:
June 6, 2001 DIC ENTERTAINMENT PARTNERS WITH LIONS GATE IN NORTH AMERICAN HOME ENTERTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION DEAL (Burbank, CA. - June 6, 2001) - DIC Entertainment has inked an exclusive North American distribution deal for its extensive library of award-winning animation with Lions Gate Home Entertainment, it was announced today by Don Gold, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Home Entertainment at DIC, and Peter Block, President of Home Entertainment, Acquisitions and New Media at Lions Gate. Under the deal, Lions Gate will distribute the diverse library of properties within the DIC catalog, which is the second largest library of American animation in the world. The deal marks an important step in the growth of both companies. For DIC, it is the first distribution deal for the Worldwide Home Entertainment division since DIC CEO Andy Heyward, along with Bain Capital, purchased DIC back from Disney in November, 2000. For Lions Gate, the partnership represents a giant step into the business of distributing children?s programming. By virtue of the deal, DIC will become the primary supplier of animation titles to Lions Gate. While Lions Gate will oversee the distribution of DIC?s extensive catalog of programs, the artwork, packaging and marketing of all releases will be a cooperative effort between both companies. The first releases on VHS and DVD slated for August are ?Sabrina, The Animated Series,? based on the hugely popular WB series starring Melissa Joan Hart, and ?Mummies Alive!,? the Ivan Reitman-produced animated series. The planned DIC releases over the next several months include ?Madeline,? ?Sonic The Hedgehog,? ?Carmen Sandiego,? ?Inspector Gadget,? ?Action Man,? as well as numerous other titles. ?Home Entertainment represents a significant source of revenue for any entertainment company, and I could not be more pleased that Lions Gate aggressively and enthusiastically pursued this distribution agreement. They have an exceptional sales staff, an innovative marketing team and a management staff marked by integrity and trust,? said Don Gold. Peter Block said, ?DIC has an extensive catalog of animated titles that have tremendous recognition and brand awareness across all generations, and we are honored that DIC has chosen Lions Gate as its distributor. DIC has a fantastic management team in place and has been a Company that continues to re-invent itself, and these factors were extremely important in our decision to distribute DIC titles. This is a key acquisition in building our sell-through catalog to the heights we believe it can soar to, and we look forward to our continuing relationship with DIC.? Lions Gate Executive Vice President, North American Home Video Sales and Operations, Ron Schwartz added, ?This acquisition will provide the powerful boost in our sell-through business that we?ve been looking for. As a home video company, we?ve had much success in the sell-through arena, but we?ve never had the opportunity to distribute such a wide array of quality children?s product. We are extremely pleased that DIC has placed their confidence in our hands.? The deal was brought to Lions Gate by Guy Stodel, Lions Gate?s Vice President of Acquisitions. The deal was brokered on Lions Gate?s behalf by Peter Block and Ron Schwartz. Negotiating the deal on behalf of DIC were Don Gold and Matthew Erramouspe of O?Melveny & Myers LLP. Lions Gate develops, produces and distributes a broad range of motion picture, television and other filmed entertainment content through its four operating divisions ? Motion Pictures, Television, Animation and Studio Facilities. The distinctive Lions Gate brand is recognized as a symbol of original, cutting-edge, quality entertainment around the world. DIC Entertainment was purchased in November 2000 by Andy Heyward in partnership with Bain Capital, LLC. DIC Entertainment is a leading children?s entertainment company focused on developing, producing, distributing, and merchandising children?s animated programming worldwide. Since its founding in 1983, DIC has produced over 100 series and 3,000 episodes, averaging over 145 new half-hour episodes per year for the last ten years. With approximately 2,500 episodes, DIC?s catalog is one of the largest and most valuable libraries of children?s animation television programming in the entertainment industry, boasting beloved evergreen brands such as Inspector Gadget, Madeline, Sailor Moon, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, Action Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Super Mario Bros. DIC?s programs are watched by approximately 25 million kids in the US each week.
Making good on the promise made a month ago, Other-M #11 is out without any unsightly delays. This marks the eleventh issue in fifteen month - an unheard of achievement among Sonic fan-comics. Don't miss out on this extra-long, turning-point issue! Other-M
I visited my local Suncoast today and asked about the Sonic DVD. Apparently, it has been pushed back from End of July/Beginning of August, to End of September/Beginning of October. The man did not know what the dvd was specifically. (SatAM, AoStH, SU, etc...) SO, I guess we won't know until it comes out, and I guess that won't be for a while. :(
check out ebays item #1172312044..There is 113 mint comics for sale to the highest bidder!
For those of you who can do Softimage, Sega of Japan has an opportunity for you.
If there's a dream of every SEGA fanatic, it's working for within the school of Sonic. We've all dreamed of being Yuji Naka's "gopher", or Yu Suzuki's "coffee guy"... okay, maybe not. But if you're serious about joining up with SEGA and have some skills in - oh let's see here - Softimage, two new job openings are available at SEGA of Japan for animator and designer in SEGA's new R&D center for TV, movies, and multimedia. Of course, this requires you to also (1)read and speak Japanese and (2) move to Japan, but think of the bright side: you could always drop by and go karoaking with Anoop.
OK, so you'll have to go pretty far...
Source: DCIGN
Well, good news for you Sega Stock savvy folks...
Bloomberg news has posted a brief interview with Stephen Auth, global portfolio manager at Federated Investors Inc. in which he discusses the state of the Japanese economy and the opportunities it presents to investors. Noting that the Japanese stock market is at an all-time low, he warns that it may be difficult to single out individual companies to invest in; he does strongly recommend mutual funds as an alternative.
When pressed for exceptions, he specified Sega as one of only three companies he could name as being in a strong position. "In addition to software games, they are also going into a major restructuring, exiting the hardware business, going from a loss-making situation to a profit one," he said. Sega's stock is valued at a respectable $4.05 despite four years of large losses.
If the company turns a profit this year as they plan, it could move upward rapidly. Auth also mentions Nintendo as a strong buy, no doubt buoyed by the successful launch of their Game Boy Advance system and strong buzz on the upcoming GameCube. Notably going unmentioned was Sony, whose stock has dropped 50% in the past year, including a $5 drop today on poor earnings news.
Source: SegaWeb
Big info from FGN Online regarding the DC price cuts in Europe:
Sega's next-gen console looks set for a further two price drops before the launch of Xbox and Gamecube later this year ? but only in the U.S. it seems. The system currently retails for $99.99, but in an attempt to clear out inventory, two price cuts are now expected before the holidays.
We received word from an anonymous source that Sega will cut the price on August 12 to $79.99, the new All Stars Sports Pack will sell for $99.99 featuring NFL 2K1 and NBA 2K1. The price is then expected to plummet one last to $49.99 around the turn of the year ? that's almost the price of a game!
Sega U.S. has yet to officially announce the deal, and is refusing to be drawn on the subject in the U.S. Thankfully though, bigwigs at major retails firms can?t keep quiet about it. Speaking to the Hollywood reporter, Doreen McKenzie, director of merchandising and videogames at Babbage's, revealed, "After the initial price drop to $79.99, Sega has told us that it will further reduce the price to $49.99 either around Christmas or early next year, depending on how much inventory it has left over."
It's a different story in Europe however. Dick Francis, Managing Director for the firm that now handles all things Dreamcast, told FGN Online, "Planet Distribution has no intention of lowering the price of Dreamcast from ?99.99. We have been very happy with our hardware sales figures and on software, especially from the game Sonic Adventure 2."
He continued, "We have strong support from retailers and excellent sales into the consumer. Planet Distribution has exciting marketing plans in place for Christmas. Dreamcast has shown exceptional performance to date and we categorically have no intention of lowering the price from ?99.99."
Well, if things hold as the firm says, European Sega fans may not be too happy come X-mas...
Source: FGN Online
i got screwed a women
News from SegaWeb.com
Forget about 'smart chips', the coolest credit card on earth has just been unveiled.
Sega of Japan has announced a partnership with Visa to produce a special edition credit card. Two versions will be available, one featuring Sega's mascot, Sonic and the other featuring Sega's network subsidiary, Isao.net (think the SegaNet of Japan).
While certainly only available in Japan, the cards are very eye-catching and a must for Sega fans living there. Our readers living in Japan can sign up for the cards over here. Be warned, however, the presence of Sonic on the card might motivate you to shop even faster than usual.
Ben Caton
Is dangerous when armed with credit cards.
Source: SegaWeb.com
News from SegaWeb.com:
As part of Sega's new software-oriented business approach, they will be bringing the critically acclaimed PSO to the GameCube along with a host of improvements. The first title was a hit with gamers worldwide due to the fact that players across the world could play co-operatively in teams of four. Unfortunately it didn’t deliver the goods in the offline mode for those that didn’t have an Internet connection. This game was meant to be played online, you have to do this to fully appreciate what the game has to offer. I suppose that’s why it wasn’t called Phantasy Star Offline.
hello im not really a reporter for Sonic HQ but i do have news for all ou sonic fans.....i just wanted to tell u that the site SonicBoy Productions is bringin back Sonic COM a sonic site that closed down back in 1994-95 (not sure) well i am going to try my best to restore the old Sonic Com site to it's former glory =) well that's it for now sonic fans if you wanna kno more information please feel free to email SonicBoy41@aol.com ro go to www.geocities.com/sonicboy2k for further information thanx peace out!!!!!
Since we've heard Yuji Naka say numerous times that he's interested in the GameCube hardware, and that there might be a possibility that Sonic Adventure 3 could be made for it, wouldn't it be cool if Chao Adventure 3 was made to be used with the GameBoy Advance (since it is supposed to be able to link up to the GameCube). Much more could be done on the GameBoy Advance than a VMU (like color and depth). Just a thought though, may not happen but would be cool.
An impressive launch for SA2 seems successful, as it catches a position on the top selling US games, despite the fact it was only there for a few days last month. The list follows:
1) Super Mario Advance (GBA, Nintendo)
2) Twisted Metal: Black (PS2, SCEA)
3) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (GBA, Activision)
4) NBA Street (PS2, EA Sports)
5) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (GBC, Nintendo)
6) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC, Nintendo)
7) Sonic Adventure 2 (DC, Sega)
8) Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA, Konami)
9) F-Zero Maximum Velocity (GBA, Nintendo)
10) Mario Party 3 (N64, Nintendo)
Note the impressive showing from Nintendo, as well.
Source: SegaWeb
Very important news for users of the Dreamcast's on-line capabilities. Hopefully, good news...
Sega.com announced today that they have partnered with EarthLink, and will now provide all of the content previously available exclusively through SegaNet to gamers outside the network. EarthLink effectively becomes SegaNet's "preferred ISP", similar to how AT&T was before SegaNet launched.
Current SegaNet accounts will be converted to EarthLink accounts seamlessly, with a new monthly price of $19.99. How this affects customers who purchased a Dreamcast with the SegaNet rebate was not addressed. "EarthLink can provide the speed, reliability and customer service that gamers want to be competitive online," said Marc Connor, who holds the interesting title of Director of Strategic Partnerships & Alliances, Sega.com.
This is a distinct change from Sega's original plans for their gaming ISP. Early last year Sega of America president Peter Moore told gamers.com, "What SegaNet will provide is a direct hub network for SegaNet subscribers... rather than being routed all around the Internet as I might be on, let's say, EarthLink or MSN."
The alliance sounds as if SegaNet is being brought into the EarthLink fold, most likely driven by lower numbers of paying subscribers than Sega had anticipated; the merging of ISPs has become common as of late, such as NetZero's recent purchase of Juno. The new partnership will bring much higher exposure to SegaNet while providing over a quarter million new monthly customers to EarthLink.
Also stated in the release is the first official comment that SegaNet will expand to other systems sooner rather than later. The statement specifies that "as new consoles come online later this year, Sega.com plans to open its high-speed network to a wider audience of online gamers." Since the PlayStation 2 is the only console set to go online this year (pending a shock announcement from Nintendo), we can take as a given that Sega and Sony's recently announced network partnership will extend beyond Japan.
There you have it, everyone.
Source: SegaWeb
I'm not so sure if everyone knows but i just recentlty found the location of Big in the Cannon's Core level. He appeares during Rouge's part. Big is at the top of the switch on the ceiling dancing around. You can reach him by climbing the pillars to the top then climbing the center ceiling peice. stef___
After speaking with Ken Penders at the San Diego Comic Convention, I gained some valuable insight into the Sonic Universe.
