Sega Goes Third-Party, Nintendo Ties Announced
Sega drops out of the hardware race to become a software-only
firm -- and looks to the competition.
January 30, 2001
Hardware player and giant publisher Sega made the announcement today that
everyone in the industry was expecting it to make. The company, in an official
release, said it plans to gradually remove itself from the industry as a
hardware competitor and instead focus its efforts as a multi-platform,
third-party publisher. Specifically, Sega announced its support for Sony's
PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance handheld. The firm also
confirmed that in an effort to accelerate the transition from hardware
manufacturer to third-party software publisher, it would drop the
price of its Dreamcast console to $99 effective February 4, 2001,
incidentally the same price that Nintendo 64 retails for now.
"Sega is a company that has always dared to innovate and push
this industry forward," said Peter Moore, president and COO,
Sega of America. "Sega will continue to do so with its new
strategy, and the result for consumers will be what you would
always expect from a `rules-breaker' like Sega - a library of
pioneering, jaw-dropping content now available any way you want
to play."
Sega still plans to support Dreamcast through the year with more
than 30 new titles, some of which will remain exclusive to the
console. However, the company will also publish its first wave
of cross-platform software, including Virtua Fighter 4 for
PlayStation 2, which sources say has been designed from the
ground up to accommodate Sony's next-generation console.
Meanwhile, Sega also plans to introduce Sonic the Hedgehog
Advance for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance handheld, as well as
versions of ChuChu Rocket and Puyo Puyo.
The company offered no details in regards to its support of
Nintendo GameCube, but Sega officials told IGNcube that the
publisher is currently negotiating with Nintendo to support the
console. It's quite possible, in fact, that Sega of Japan, in a
deal with Nintendo Co. Ltd., is unable to announce any GameCube
projects at this time due to Nintendo's traditionally quiet
attitude. And if you need further proof that Sega will be
backing Game Cube, look no further than the Sonic featured logo
we've featured in this article -- it was created by Sega!!
"We have an incredible line-up, key opportunities with other
non-gaming devices and a huge combined installed base worldwide
for next generation platforms," continued Moore. "With this in
place, Sega is well positioned to become the world's dominant
interactive software publisher and the leading network
entertainment company given our online strengths."
It is, without doubt, a very sad day for Sega as a hardware
company, but also the start of a new era as Sega the third-party
software publisher comes to Nintendo!!!
