Sega Aims For Hardcore Wii Gamers
Simon Jeffery, president of Sega of America [http://www.sega.com], is trying to make a splash in an underserved and rarely-discussed market segment: The hardcore Wii gamer.
Speaking to EA [http://venturebeat.com/2008/08/14/qa-an-interview-with-segas-simon-jeffery-monkeying-around-with-iphone-games-and-the-wii/]. And staying so profitable. EA has the size and magnitude, but their profits are gone. They have big overhead too. Activision Blizzard is raining money now."
Interestingly, despite the legacy of the Nintendo-versus-Sega console wars of years gone by, Jeffery sees future expansion on the Nintendo platform as key to Sega's continued success, particularly with mature, hardcore games, an area that has thus far gone largely neglected. "The Wii is a very cost effective platform to experiment with," he said. "There is a lot of crap coming out for the Wii in general. But if it's not a good game, it doesn't sell. That flood of crap will die down as publishers become more coherent."
"The Wii is a great opportunity for hitting hardcore gamers," he continued. "No one is doing that. With Xbox 360 [http://www.sega.com/platinumgames/madworld/EnglishUK/index2.html] to do that."
Asked about constant assertions that the Wii is simply a passing fad, Jeffery said such beliefs had been "very much disproven," adding, "People do play with the Wii like crazy for awhile. It gathers cobwebs. Then they bring it out again. But kids are such a big part of the gaming community now and they're demanding Wiis from their parents. Those kids will shape the future of gaming and they're not a fad. Sony [http://www.microsoft.com] have to think about how to make their experiences more gaming in that way."
While MadWorld, a Wii-exclusive title set for release in early 2009, may give Nintendo more credibility with the hardcore crowd, it has also inevitably Mediawatch-uk [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/85609] called for the game to be banned and said it would "spoil the family fun image of the Wii."
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Simon Jeffery, president of Sega of America [http://www.sega.com], is trying to make a splash in an underserved and rarely-discussed market segment: The hardcore Wii gamer.
Speaking to EA [http://venturebeat.com/2008/08/14/qa-an-interview-with-segas-simon-jeffery-monkeying-around-with-iphone-games-and-the-wii/]. And staying so profitable. EA has the size and magnitude, but their profits are gone. They have big overhead too. Activision Blizzard is raining money now."
Interestingly, despite the legacy of the Nintendo-versus-Sega console wars of years gone by, Jeffery sees future expansion on the Nintendo platform as key to Sega's continued success, particularly with mature, hardcore games, an area that has thus far gone largely neglected. "The Wii is a very cost effective platform to experiment with," he said. "There is a lot of crap coming out for the Wii in general. But if it's not a good game, it doesn't sell. That flood of crap will die down as publishers become more coherent."
"The Wii is a great opportunity for hitting hardcore gamers," he continued. "No one is doing that. With Xbox 360 [http://www.sega.com/platinumgames/madworld/EnglishUK/index2.html] to do that."
Asked about constant assertions that the Wii is simply a passing fad, Jeffery said such beliefs had been "very much disproven," adding, "People do play with the Wii like crazy for awhile. It gathers cobwebs. Then they bring it out again. But kids are such a big part of the gaming community now and they're demanding Wiis from their parents. Those kids will shape the future of gaming and they're not a fad. Sony [http://www.microsoft.com] have to think about how to make their experiences more gaming in that way."
While MadWorld, a Wii-exclusive title set for release in early 2009, may give Nintendo more credibility with the hardcore crowd, it has also inevitably Mediawatch-uk [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/85609] called for the game to be banned and said it would "spoil the family fun image of the Wii."
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