Sega is preparing for a digital non console future....

[Emmanuelf06]

All is there: http://mynintendonews.com/2015/01/30/se ... le-future/
"Sad news today as Sega has announced that it’s cutting 300 jobs and is restructuring its business model. The company says that it’s focussing its efforts on the popular mobile space and online PC games. Sega has also said that it’s cutting down on physical releases and will instead be concentrating on downloadable content. The company will also focus on their Sonic and merchandising businesses. The move comes about due to the inevitable sales failure of Sonic Boom on both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS."


Pretty sad...Could be the same with..capcom?

[SmashTheEchidna]

Heard about this just this afternoon.

It looks like it's finally happened. Sonic has crossed the point of no return. RIP.

[Bikdark]

iirc they're not being fired, they're being placed on forced retirement.

i don't know how the two differ, but it seems pretty non-scumbaggy

[Orange juice :l]

Here's hoping more franchises move to Steam.

[Jman]

While I do think that the loss of jobs is quite unfortunate, it's a good move in the long run.

Consoles are quickly becoming outmoded by the PC. Essentially, a PC is capable of doing anything on and beyond the capabilities of a console, its scope of games isn't locked by the manufacturer, and its software covers a much wider range than just games. In addition, the PC allows for the development of user based content and modifications, as well as community interactivity. In all honesty, the only real reason to buy a console is for the exclusives, but that means that your budget can only give you access to some exclusives and block you off from the exclusives of the consoles you just couldn't afford to buy.

I REALLY hate the marketing of exclusives because it's the reason why gamers can't get the fuck along and instead argue over which console has a bigger dick size.

I remember seeing an extra credits video called "Consoles are the New Coin Op". I was in disbelief at first, but they were right. I've grown less and less fond of console gaming over the years just because of how inconvenient, inefficient, and costly it is compared to PC gaming. Much to my surprise, I've been seeing "pay by the minute" console booths in arcades that I've gone to.

Despite the total flop that was Sonic Boom, it's really good that Sega is trying to modernize their approach and realize that the very free and open market that is the PC is a great direction to go.

[Emmanuelf06]

I agree for the PC, i dont play anymore on console or rarely, maybe, it's a good choice then ?
But can The games be on a physical support? or only by download?.....

For a lot of people, it's a weird thing.

But what can we think about the 300 guys who were "fired" ?....Not so positive?
It's never good I think. But if they put more sonic games on PC, i agree with that....

Compared to the 2000" years, PC is more and more bought by people who never used it (like the ipad thing <_< ... ) so, PC can be the future for some companies yeah.

[Yuri Sakazaki]

Here's a good breakdown thanks to this NeoGAF thread.

-Sega is continuing their refocus to digital games.
-As part of this, they're downsizing their Western publishing business (but not their Western development studios), and staff in their arcade game department in Japan. They're also transferring the staff they can to mobile/PC Online in particular.
-So far 120 layoffs have been announced at Sega West, primarily in Sega of America and some in Sega of Europe (this is the publishing business, not the studios).
-Sega intends 300 layoffs total, with a notable portion of that presumably coming from the arcade business in Japan.
-They're plausibly also changing what some of their staff work on - and we've certainly seen that over time from Sega - but that's not directly related to the layoffs we're talking about today. The layoffs are focused on business components that can't easily be transferred to digital, which are primarily retail publishing resources and physical devices like arcade machines.