Isao Okawa worried over the future of Sega. The future was bleak. Dreamcast had failed, billions lost, the very existance of Sega was in doubt, and he was dying. He thought long and hard how Sega could save itself, and he realized if couldn't. And so, on March 16th, 2001 he gave back all the money he had ever made at Sega. Giving all in life and death, his gift of billions silenced calls for bankruptcy, saved the value of the stock, saved employee retirements, and bailed Sega out of the failed Dreamcast fiasco. Simply put, without him there would no longer have been a Sega. With his final gift of the fruits of labor of his entire life, Sega would be spared and live, to flourish and regain its lost glory. Sometimes there is no happy ending. What remains now is a re-sold, fragmented remnant of the dream that was Sega. Sega has struggled with money, re-releases, poorly rated titles, department splits and team dissolution. And now those who literally grew up at Sega, who knew the dream first hand, are gone. People worked for years at Sega knowing that they could leave and make much, much, more money. Yet they stayed and believed. I suppose that was part of what made Sega what it was. It was like Nintendo, it was a vision, a team. I think people fondly remember the Sega vs. Nintendo days because it was team versus team. Nintendo heavyweights against the Sega juggernauts. Both companies took the transition to next generation poorly. Missteps abounded. Sega released too early, too weakly, burned its bridges with some companies with Saturn and never really recovered. Nintendo wouldn't give up on the fat cash made from special cartridges and heavy royalties. So why has one withered and one remained strong? Decisive leadership. Sega was well known for taking too long to make basic decisions, and bad decisions. Some people reading this are probably still wondering who Isao Okawa was. The leaders of Nintendo on the other hand are as well known as the programmers. The iron hand of Hiroshi Yamauchi set direction; damn what others thought, it was going to happen. Right or wrong, having faith in your decisions and committing yourself to them is important to the mental strength of those working there. So what do you do when you have no one to believe in? No one you can trust to act decisively? If you have waited long and hard and endured? There comes a point when one realizes that only they still remember and hold true the dream. Epiphany. It is time to leave with those who still remember, to save what you can. If no one will lead, then I will. I wonder if Isao Okawa, sick and with not much time left, had contemplated the future of the company that he loved. Saw with the clarity possessed by those with nothing left to lose the successes and the glaring failures, and thought long and hard what he could do to save his life's work. And so, instead of imploding over debts there would be survival. All those who worked at Sega would not be scattered to the wind, but would have one more chance try to bring back the company. To rise like the phoenix. However, the one thing that Okawa couldn't change was the leadership. So now, those who remember the dream are leaving. But they leave not under the cloud of bankruptcy; rushed out of buildings, the works split off and sold to the highest bidder. The leave without duress, they leave with direction and the ability to bring those who remember with them. Isao Okawa unknowingly succeeded and failed at the same time. Sega never learned to change, but the people there had time to. As teams begin to leave Sega , they take with them that rescued dream. Now free to make their own decisions, that ability is perhaps ultimately Okawa's final gift.
The good old Nintendo Vs Sega days....i think nothing marked my console, the heck my computer life as much as running every 1st of the month to buy the console newspaper and check who got the best games reviewed. Boy, that was a grea time with Sega..too bad it ended, but you know, a great game does never last long enough.
Wait...so Yuji Naka has left Sega? When did this happen? EDIT: Nevermind. Saw the news article over on next-gen.biz Wow.
08/05/2006 Publisher contributes 10 per cent of Prope's startup capital Yuji Naka, the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog and head of Sonic Team, has left SEGA to set up a new studio which will be partially funded by the publisher. The studio has been named Prope - a Latin word which, according to the official website, means "beside" and "near future". "We named our company Prope in the hopes of bringing game entertainment much closer to users, establishing closer ties between users and us, and creating near future entertainment," the website reveals. SEGA will provide 10 per cent of the studio's startup capital, which is being launched as part of its program to support "Independent Game Creators." The publisher is also allowing Naka to take 10 members of Sonic Team with him. There's no word on whether the move will affect the development of the first next-gen Sonic game, currently in the pipeline for PS3 and Xbox 360 under Naka's direction. Prope's first projects also have yet to be revealed.
I hope that we will see quality games beyond the fame and arrogance that seems to plague most succesful designers these days. No offence, but Sonic Team did make some lame titles this generation (Sonic Riders for example), as someone would except so much more from the people behind the blue hedgehog. On the contrary Traveller's Tales is oddly back on track (I admit hating them for Sonic 3D)
Is that picure of Sega's japan place? Nicely written, btw. I hope this maybe means good Sonic games if anything.
I wouldn't dare think that Sonic Team won't be able to make Sonic titles. It's more likely that Naka won't be doing any more Sonic titles than the other way around.
http://www.sega.com/corporate/corporate.php?item=pr_20060508b Saw this....sorry if I'm just repeating stuff
I sincerely hope they do manage a turn around. I think the next gen Sonic and the new Phatasy Star Online game have the chance to regain hold on all the old Sega fans who've since drifted.
Sony charging $600 for the PS3 AND Yuji Naka is leaving Sega? This is the begining of a good E3, amirite?
Hes not going very far. . . "SEGA will make a 10% investment in PROPE, Ltd. and will be the company's exclusive global publisher. This landmark announcement between SEGA and Mr. Naka is the first arrangement to emerge from SEGA's Game Creator Independence Program, which will be organized to promote entrepreneurial business spin-offs with its internal development talent."
The way the industry is heading is sad. I can't blame him for leaving, as Sonic games have been average lately (crap if you count Shadow).
Regarding Shadow and Sonic riders it must be asked whether Mr.Naka himself was to blame for pitching the ideas. I often wonder if it's the team to blame, or the designer? (usualy not having a clear idea of tha gameplay, just a "cool idea" - and from my experience in comming up with game ideas, many things that sound cool play rather boringly)
What's wrong with Sonic 3D? Far better than that shite called Sonic Spinball from Sega US. It is a shame that Yuji Naka has left Sega but I guess it's for the best. Ever since Sonic Adventure 2 Sonic Team have been lacking. Puyo Puyo Fever anyone ? Compile must have been sobbing when they saw what Sonic Team had done to their classic title. Yakumo
Man is so sad a guy like Okawa ends up like this. Why he gave everything he had worked for, just to save a company? is that Honor? Dunno maybe the phrase "Mean people succeed" is true after all. I know I'm always saying "is ironic.." but how could describe this? The creative SEGA was going straight to hell, and the new crappy SEGA is just about to beat EA, where's the logic on that?:shrug:
Who cares :shrug: . whether he is making games for sega or another company, it isnt like he committed seppuku or anything. I was pretty pissed when interplay was dissolved but the people that made those classics went on to make great games after interplay failed. Its just business. I do think that that Isao Okawa was pretty dumb for giving all that money back, he probably should have just pulled the plug on sega and restarted with a smaller company that just made games.
Hopefully Yuji still maintains the rights to NiGHTS... for knowing the newSega... otherwise there would always be the lurking chance that they might butcher the franchise just make a quick buck. By the same token, given what he was saying about Air NiGHTS back in the DC days, I think he could make a splendid game of it now with the Wii. But it is sad to see the man leave. Now I guess all they really have left from the old old days is Yu Suzuki (well, as far as big names go). But Sega is but a shadow of a shell of their former glory. Sadly...
