Save sega in one move

[Gin]

The 90s, you're at the head of Sega and you're basically the one in charge. What would you do to save Sega with one decision?

It's also valid to make more than one decision, but it will be interesting to see what one thing could save Sega and keep it in console production.

I would cancel the Mega CD and move the CD games to Saturn (more than one move, but I think it would at least help a lot to have Sonic CD on Saturn)

What would you do?

 

[DarkTownStrutters]

Considering that Sega's downfall was mostly due to the people in charge, i would say that the only winning move is not to play, Stephen.

I would quit.

 

[ArcueidChaos]

accept the partnership with Microsoft for the Dreamcast 2

 

[Zerpina]

Life-size Figures of you're Favorite SEGA Character

 

[DunkeyKong]

Life-size Figures of you're Favorite SEGA Character
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View attachment 34059

 

[Glimbo]

Give Sega America full control.
This way the 32X wouldn't happen.
The Genesis/MD would have it's extra year of life which mean more dev time for the Saturn.
People wouldn't loose faith in Sega since the 32X never happened and Saturn is able to compete with the PS1.

 

[Jeff]

Scrap the Sega CD, and 32x and put Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix to Saturn and have Sonic Team to work on a new 3D Sonic game to rival Mario 64 instead of Sonic R and Sonic Jam, then have the Saturn a five year gap from 1994 until 1999 for the release of the Sega Dreamcast. Japan gets the console in June 23rd (Sonic's birthday) so they don't have to rush it out in 1998. While the US still keeps the 9/9/99 release date, ignore Sony's DVD PS2 sales and let Sega do their own thing, while partnering with Nintendo to manufacture arcade games from Nintendo's IPs and have Microsoft to help manufacture the Dreamcast 2 or a brand new Sega console with a built in DVD player instead of making the Xbox.

 

[Stingy Perry]

Make the Dreamcast backwards compatible with the Saturn that oughta make the guys at Nintendo go rabid crazy.

 

[TheShadowsega75Exaid]

Never launch the Sega Saturn way too early on May 11th, 1995 which pissed off Major Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy and fixed Sega of America's communication with Sega of Japan and listen to Tom Kalinske by releasing it on "Saturnday" September 2nd, 1995 as they supposed to and never hired Bernie Stolar.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Wait Sega of Japan, your American Branch CEO's ideas are the reason why Genesis was a rival for Nintendo in the first place, please don't ignore his ideas or he will quit with his replacement bein a Pointy Haired Boss IRL

 

[Nidstang]

Vectorman game on the Dreamcast

 

[Egg (McMuffin) Man]

I would keep the Sega CD around as there's no reason not to, but I would fire Tom Kalinske and hire someone competent as the head of SoA. Whoever replaces him would be kept on a tight leash and not allowed to give responses to the public that haven't been vetted through SoJ in order to prevent shit like "the Saturn is not our future". I might even let Tom stay, but he would need to know that he's not the boss and he doesn't make big decisions. Absolutely no 32X. I would tweak the Saturn hardware a bit towards 3D without sacrificing the option for it to be the ultimate 2D powerhouse, but also I would invest heavily in simple and convenient documentation to provide to software developers at third party companies and would especially invest into ensuring that this documentation had a high quality translation for western devs. I would do whatever I could to bring down the cost of the Saturn. And I would make sure that the marketing campaign of the Saturn was consistent in all regions and didn't do anything weird like the American marketing campaign did. I would shut down Sega Technical Institute. I would let Sonic Team take breaks from Sonic to make a few other games (like NiGHTS or Burning Rangers) and not require Sonic to have a mainline release every single year, but would also make sure that they know they have to come back to work on Sonic and that the next game wasn't going to be tasked to other dev teams. I would invest more into the relationship with Traveler's Tales.

And I would produce a new handheld device to replace the Game Gear. It would have a black and white screen and would be powered by two AA batteries. It would connect with the Saturn, and later the Dreamcast. It would play mini games downloaded from the main console like the VMU or PocketStation did, but would also have its own software available for purchase as cartridges. It would be compatible with various games in the arcade, not just from Sega but also from third parties. Later the VMU would be introduced as a low price alternative that is also compatible with the main handheld. There would be some sort of benefit for having both and connecting them together.

Also the VMU would be powered by AAA batteries instead of CR2032's. No other change would be necessary, as 4 AAA batteries can power it for around a year or so.

 

[ct9983]

Realistically, there wasn't any 1 move that saved them. What I would have tried was tried to separate the dreamcast from competing directly with Sony. Because that was their biggest mistake.

What do I mean? Keep up the arcade ports and more acriony exclusives.
Just tons of fighters, racers and action games.
Make sure all the ads paint dreamcast as an alternative, not a competitor. That's it. I don't think k anything else could have made a dent.

 

[Don Patch]

I'd try a bunch of things.. but hindsight is 20/20... this is going off what is know known about about the post-Sega world:

• Reign in the autonomy of Sega of America and create a unified platform and goals between regional markets
  Scrapped the 32x altogether
• Rethink the functionality of the Sega CD (maybe add more feature, tap/forge partnerships that allow for it...
  • maybe even scrap it... develop something akin to how nintendo added nifty chips to their carts... but really, that lil Motorola deal could only do so much)
• Listened to the damn engineers who said that 'arbitrarily adding a 2nd CPU to the Saturn' was a big-stupid-dumb
• Listen to Bernie... he had all the right ideas... and was told "no"
• Not make make deals in a hot tub in japan (go with the 3DFX Voodoo Dreamcast)
• and, if all that failed, take the 3DFX Voodoo console plans and designs and spin Sega of America off into it's own company
  • Leverage western developers to make for software... Like MS did... but not like MS, lol

 

[TofuTehSurvivor]

Never launch any handhelds.

 

[middler]

I would let SoA move forward with their teamup with 3dfX (blackbelt) and see what they would have made before screwing 3dfX and forcing out the Dreamcast without telling SoA.

Blackbelt was shaping up to be something quite amazing for the time. The Dreamcast could have lived on as the Naomi arcade system if they moved forward with Blackbelt.

And I say this as a true fan of the Dreamcast.

 

[medisinn]

Don't release the 32X, and don't screw up the Saturn launch in America by launching it early. Even aside from Sony eating their goddamned lunch by immediately undercutting them by 100 dollars, the surprise launch was not discussed with retailers beforehand. As such, it pissed off retail stores, which limited the visibility of Saturn games since fewer carried them. It also meant that a new, shiny console was available with basically no games at launch in the biggest market, and with the Playstation and N64 coming, gamers aren't willing to wait a few months for Saturn games. I think the Sega CD was fine for a novelty, but the 32X burned trust because it became obsolete and unsupported so quickly. That was strike one, and the Saturn's bungled launch was strike two. No wonder the Dreamcast wasn't more successful outside of Japan, the deck was stacked against it.

 

[prnzo x BOOZE-o ka-BEER-o]

send Sega Sanshiro~san to Sony's corporate to toss around Sega Picos n Sega Nomads strapped with taiko-drum-bombs to do Panasonic a favor n wipe out every blueprint of their upcoming polygonaL-market-monopolies n this pure infiLtrative stealth samurai horror scene wiLL shock n scare the big N into makin the N128 but by then it's aLLLLL too late. VirtuaL Boy ends up a sLeeper hit in this alternate-timeline. Don't ask how, I don't purport to be a rocket scientist... unless in this timeline, I am?? woaahhhh brvhhh D33P D3RPY LAY3Rzzzz *passes out cold for 17 hrs from the utter ungodly strain of nebulous possibility infinity blastage*

edit: also unfold a nefarious agenda-driven Sega ChanneL to malevolently gather the kids like in Halloween III: Season of the Witch... why? weLL, it's Sega, are their ideas fated to make a lot of sense? am I fated to make sense either? AN EMPHATIC *NO!! WE'RE NOT!!!*

in cLosing - sour gummi bears/worms are awesome. totaLLy relevant statement, ik.

 

[Pi-Man]

No Sega Cd and 32x.
Give Saturn longer support.
Upgrade DC with DVD support before release.

 

[Bonkers225]

Add a dvd player for the Dreamcast.

 

[HyperTurboFox]

Cancelled the 32X, Focus on the Saturn and release the Dreamcast in 2001 with a DVD Player.

Post automatically merged: Feb 28, 2025

Cancelled the 32X, Focus on the Saturn and release the Dreamcast in 2001 with a DVD Player.

That is all of my plan to save Sega, If I go back in time.

 

[Yousef]

Make Sonic R 2

 

[HyperTurboFox]

Not bad

 

[loopy]

Delete Shenmue 3, pretend it never happened. Release Shenmue 3 but good (fix the story). Also give Ed Annunziata the intellectial property rights to Ecco the Dolphin and fund Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe. Release Sonic Adventure 3 with a proper Chao Garden. Give Compile Heart full intellection property rights of all of Madou Monogatari back, and have them make a new Madou Monogatari game with Arle, Also do an HD-2D remaster of Madou Monogatari for Sega Saturn with English translation. Port Jet Set Radio Future like you did with Jet Set Radio in 2012. Revive the singleplayer Phantasy Star series. Sonic Shuffle 2.

 

[HyperTurboFox]

Delete Shenmue 3, pretend it never happened. Release Shenmue 3 but good. Also give Ed Annunziata the intellectial property rights to Ecco the Dolphin and fund Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe. Release Sonic Adventure 3 with a proper Chao Garden, do microtransactions if you need to (I will just pirate it so i dont care.) Give Compile Heart full intellection property rights of all of Madou Monogatari back, and have them make a new Madou Monogatari game with Arle. Port Jet Set Radio Future like you did with Jet Set Radio in 2012. Revive the singleplayer Phantasy Star series. Sonic Shuffle 2.

Isn't Phantasy Star 4 supposed to be the finale of the main single player games.