Former President of Sega of America Peter Moore has opened up about the launch and death of Sega’s Dreamcast console. Reflecting on his own personal experiences with Sega, Moore revealed to Edge Game Changers how he didn’t know much about video games at the time of Dreamcast’s launch. He had previously bought his son a Sega Saturn, a purchase he recalled as “[…] the worst $500 I’d ever spent” as it was apparent to him there wouldn’t be much long-term support for the console.
Having been appointed to President of Sega of America, Moore shared how he dove into the brand to better understand it, especially when compared to its video game rival, Nintendo. He highlighted how Sega took pride in being “kind of irreverent, the anti-Nintendo” and how it typically skewed towards an older demographic in an effort to “differentiate themselves” in the market, in particular with its Dreamcast console.
When the console was first released, Moore stressed how it got off to a great start with a solid lineup of launch titles. Sega sold every unit, leaving retailers “clamoring” for more inventory. However, he explained how Sony’s PlayStation 2 did an undeniably successful job in creating “Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt” in Sega’s Dreamcast.
Although Dreamcast owners may love their consoles, Moore noted how the positioning and marketing acumen Sony employed during that time, especially around its vaunted Emotion Engine, “drove hard” against its competitors. It’s a marketing strategy Moore believes Sony has committed to with “just about every iteration of PlayStation since.”
According to Moore, game development time for Dreamcast games also became a “glaringly obvious” issue as Japanese game developers’ attitude seemingly revolved around “‘Let the developers figure out what they want to make – then they will let you, the subsidiaries, know.'”
He added how this disconnect in communication would occasionally see games presented when they were in an Alpha state. Only then would he be aware of what the development teams were actually creating and designing. Moore stated how Sega had nine development teams working on projects in this way, something he stressed just “doesn’t happen” in the modern world.
Despite this issue, Moore pointed to how Sega successfully opened up online gaming to a broader, more mature demographic with the Dreamcast. This audience, coupled with the rise in popularity of Grand Theft Auto, made it clear to him that “this was the way the industry was going.” However, the games being produced at Sega were deeply rooted in Japanese culture and didn’t reflect the growth and popularity of more adult Western games and tastes. “[…] everything involved samurai swords or ninjas or fish or fantasy. Yeah, well, we certainly saw it coming.”
Originally released in Japan in 1998, the console would arrive in the West nearly a year later, with Dreamcast releasing in America on Sept. 9, 1999, and in Europe on Oct. 14, 1999. It would eventually be discontinued on March 31, 2001, with Sega withdrawing entirely from the console business, though recent speculation suggests it may be interested in releasing a Dreamcast Mini.
Source: Games Radar (via Edge Game Changers)
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