SEGA acquire Sports Interactive

[boilermaker]

30 million GBP = $52.6 million, US dollars.



Wow, congrats to the Collyers! Please send EHM Head Researchers a pound of caviar in the mail.

[PSUColonel]

Yes, but who wants to go back to 6.5? I feel that type of a situation would likely destroy the franchise.

[DaveHorn]

Originally Posted by Twelvefield

DaveHorn, I completely and absolutely disagree with you on your topic. I believe that OOTPB needs a graphic, animated representation of baseball the way real baseball needs kids in the stands, peanuts and hotdogs for sale from the vendors, and endless summer days. I guess I'm not just your average die-hard OOTPB user for seeing that.

Twelve - this already exists and is done better by a handful of now unlicensed and one licensed product for consoles and handhelds. (XBOX/XBOX 360/PS2/PS3 soon/GameCube/DS/PSP). These best of these games are always ported or simultaneously released for the PC and have been available for years.

My point is that is a company like EA/Sega can't make a good baseball arcade AND baseball simulation game, how possibly could SI?

Baseball is still FULL of hundreds of things that happen in real life games that we diehards would salivate if we saw these things occur in our game logs. In addition to the dozens and dozens of things the game does but doesn't do or doesn't always do perfectly.

I'm sure I'm not speaking for 100% of the OOTP user's, but I bet I'm speaking for a vast majority when I say, we want the PERFECT baseball simulation not the perfect baseball game. And since you can never really be perfect, I can't foresee OOTP ever being so perfect that we begin asking for better gameplay graphics. We want every little nuance of the game coded and better AI LONG LONG before we want to see 2D/3D models of little simulation men running around the bases!

I read the new game doesn't even support sound (not sure if its accurate, but I thought I saw Kuffrey said that) and I give a big big cheer to that. That means that Markus/SI understand what we want. Instead of wasting time with idiotic things like sound that have nothing to do with the baseball simulation, they threw them out and said lets make our simulation better and not worry about cotton candy for the console generation.

I'm just glad its Sega and not EA or most other major PC game publishers. Sega is probably #2 next to Nintendo (I know not PC) as far as major software publishers who don't always follow the norm. They are innovative and take risks. Sometimes they win some and sometimes they lose some. For example, releasing FM 2006 for XBOX 360 is exactly what I'm talking about. I've never played FM, but I'll buy it and try it just based on the fact they are publishing it for the 360. Even if I have to import it, because I'll bet its not going to be sold on my side of the pond. FM 2006 must be the first simulation game ever released for any console ever. Its the first that I know of anyway.

[Bear54]

Originally Posted by Marc Duffy

Honestly, everything stays as it is. The future is bright.

Bright enough for an "American" pro-football simulation (FOF stylre but much deeper like OOTPBBM2006)?

[Jason]

Originally Posted by DaveHorn

I read the new game doesn't even support sound (not sure if its accurate, but I thought I saw Kuffrey said that) and I give a big big cheer to that. That means that Markus/SI understand what we want. Instead of wasting time with idiotic things like sound that have nothing to do with the baseball simulation, they threw them out and said lets make our simulation better and not worry about cotton candy for the console generation.

Sound is FAR from idiotic. Since when you play a game you see play by play on the screen it would be a great enhancement if you had the opportunity to have that done audibly as well. It could be an option you turn off. Maybe even something you can add as an "expansion pack." Either way, it's certainly not "idiotic" for a gamer who likes OOTP to want to see some audio included in the game.

[DaveHorn]

Ok, replace idiotic with "idiotic to me" Feel better?

I'm personally glad they are spending time on issues that I concern far more important than figuring out hard to find, hard to reproduce, potentially hard to fix sound bugs that have plagued earlier OOTP releases. For me, there are many many more baseball things that I'd like to see simmed or simmed more accurately, then I want to hear vague ambient noise that makes me "feel" like I am at a game. If you want sounds, go get or record the sounds from v6 or v5 and just play those in the loop while you play the new game.

You can't please all the people all the time.

But I personally am nothing but happy with almost every thing I've seen since SI has come into the picture.

[james17]

Originally Posted by ctorg

Weird. I thought Sega went bankrupt and out of business a few years back or something. So I initially thought this was an April Fool's joke or something. Apparently not.

Hey Ctorg, haven't seen you post in a while. Good to have you back!

Sega got out of the hardware business entirely but remains a software product company.

I have to agree with Malleus Dei. It's scary.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by Marc Duffy

Believe me, SEGA understand SI fully and are not about to start chopping and changing. The future is rosy, make no mistake.

Tell that to Access Software who used to produce the best Golf Sim on the market.

Tell that to 3DO who used to develop a darn good baseball game.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by DaveHorn

Ok, replace idiotic with "idiotic to me" Feel better?

I'm personally glad they are spending time on issues that I concern far more important than figuring out hard to find, hard to reproduce, potentially hard to fix sound bugs that have plagued earlier OOTP releases. For me, there are many many more baseball things that I'd like to see simmed or simmed more accurately, then I want to hear vague ambient noise that makes me "feel" like I am at a game. If you want sounds, go get or record the sounds from v6 or v5 and just play those in the loop while you play the new game.

You can please all the people all the time.

But I personally am nothing but happy with almost every thing I've seen since SI has come into the picture.

I'm with you on sound. I don't want time wasted on having the correct "cheering" when the bullpen AI is still in shambles, to take one common example. Less "fluff" (which sound most definitely is) and more stuff.

[james17]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

I do

Woops! I should have read farther along in the thread. If Markus still owns the game, then I'm happy.

[Zitofan75]

Originally Posted by james17

Woops! I should have read farther along in the thread. If Markus still owns the game, then I'm happy.

Me too.

Unfortunately we don't have too much control here. It's possible if we support the game then SEGA will let things ride. Heck, it might get better since they prolly have far greater advertising $$$ and reach in the stores, which is where Marc said he'd like future versions to go. Maybe this game would be a hit in other baseball markets and SEGA might have more reach to get it there than SI (not to knock SI but I'm only speaking from ignorance). And more players does not constitute a bad thing IMO.

Conversely, MD raises a valid point that when the big guy absorbs the little guy, the change affects the little guy far more and often has adverse impacts on the little guy's ability to function.

However, it seems that SI and SEGA have somewhat of a relationship now so SEGA may already know what they're getting and they may quite possibly (I know, hope) respect that. We'll just have to see.

Let's just say that it's better than the time a company I worked for was bought by a Billionaire (who owned a major department store in the UK, totally unrealted business BTW) more or less on a whim after watching one TV program about the sort of work my firm did. That didn't go over so well.

[treedom]

I agree 100% with the "sound is a waste of time" sentiment. This is a text sim...we don't need no stinkin' multi-media.

[Melo]

Originally Posted by treedom

I agree 100% with the "sound is a waste of time" sentiment. This is a text sim...we don't need no stinkin' multi-media.

however, purdy text colours would rawk!

[battists]

I would posit that there's just as much risk in the game being developed by a sole developer as there is in a big conglomerate snapping up SI.

To wit: what happens if Markus gets sick of coding baseball games? Seems every bit as likely as Sega flushing OOTP down the crapper.

[disposableheros]

Originally Posted by Marc Duffy

Honestly, everything stays as it is. The future is bright.

including OOTP and SI forums?

id hate to have to go over to the SEGA forums, but i can see why they would want that to happen.

[disposableheros]

Originally Posted by eriqjaffe

Does this mean that OOTP 2006 will be made available for the Dreamcast?

maybe. i see FM is hitting X-Box 360, so i dont see why not.

[cdheer]

So here's my $0.02 on this.

I sympathize with MD's comments, though I view them from a different perspective. Yes, big companies are soulless machines out to maximize profits. That's what they are supposed to be. Putting aside the "soulless" bit (since it's rather meaningless, or perhaps can have many different meanings to different people), a company is supposed to make as much money as it can, within certain parameters. It isn't supposed to break the law, of course...

MD, you felt that that environment was not for you, and I totally respect that. I work for a very large corporation, and it makes no bones about wanting to maximize profits. The key, IMHO, is whether a company can/will take a long term view on this. By that I mean sacrificing short-term gains in the interests of customer loyalty and goodwill -- keeping customers is cheaper than replacing them with new ones. Not all companies manage to do this...often due to pressure to increase share prices or somesuch.

Back to this deal. The fact that Markus owns the game is the ultimate insurance policy insofar as the Sega buyout is concerned. Worst case, Sega demands compromises and/or shuts down the OOTP line, so Markus walks away and we're back to where we were before SI. Best case, Sega's resources allow for increased marketing/promotion, causing more sales and profits. Markus is hopefully rewarded financially for the success and given any additional resources he needs/wants to further development of the franchise.

So, at this point, I see no cause for alarm.

--chris

[boilermaker]

Not to mention that the Collyers deserved this. If you ask me, I personally like it when people make things I enjoy and then they get rewarded for it.

SI has been under SEGA's blanket for, what, two years now, so they already have a track record and know what to expect.

Originally Posted by treedom

I agree 100% with the "sound is a waste of time" sentiment. This is a text sim...we don't need no stinkin' multi-media.

But I wouldn't mind a "Seeee-gaaaa" intro screen, a la the good ol' Genises/Sonic the Hedgehog days.

[mcgsports]

With Sega buying this game maybe we will get to see then live Play by Play and MLB License because doesn't Sega own Take Two! Just a thought! They might make an Video Game version!

[bleachercreature]

Well Said!!! I said this was going to ahppen. Little did I know it would be within a week of my post. Just like in every other situatio, Markus is one step closer to the door. The original developers are always let go. The company owns the title now. The original developer has no say. Me thinks, we just found out why the release is in June, instead of at the beginning of the season. We now know what the true focus has been. I went through the Cingular/ATT merger (as employee) Customer Service, and product quality suffered in the name of getting the merger done. That was all anyone cared about. (I'm talking about the suits here, not the little guy)

Originally Posted by Malleus Dei

Everyone who sells out says that because they're told to say that. (Sadly, some of them have been foolish enough to believe it: "No, really, you can deal with the Devil and keep your soul. Honestly! Would I lie to you?")

Everyone who sells out to the devil and thinks they can still keep their soul is inevitably mistaken.

What we have always, always, always seen in gaming is this:

1. Major company acquires studio which makes awesome niche products.
2. Major company guts studio which makes awesome niche products.
3. Awesome niche products are no longer produced.

We've been here before, Marc. It always ends in tears, because big corporations don't understand niche products, don't understand or approve of operating in small markets, view people (and entire studios) who make small-market products as costs which can be cut at the first opportunity, and are all run by blighted soulless dehumanized zombies who have only one goal: maximizing stockholder value (I walked away from the corporate world many years ago because of that last fact).

No offense, but you sound like every other PR guy for every other firm which sold out doing exactly what every other PR guy for every other firm which sold out was told to do: reassure the customers.

Been here before. Not buying it.