Skip to main content

Namco calls for Sega decision

In a public statement, Namco points out that “half a month has elapsed since we put forward the merger proposal in mid-April… We have concluded that we should confirm the other’s intention in order to establish the stability of the two companies’ business conditions.”

However, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun is reporting that Sammy, which had previously announced plans to complete a merger with Sega in October of this year, is furious that Sega is considering Namco’s offer, as its merger bid was seen as a done deal.

“[Sega] has betrayed and embarrassed us,” a senior executive at Sammy is quoted as saying. “We don’t really care [if the deal goes through] any more.”

The deal between Sega and Sammy was brokered by CSK, an information services company which is a major shareholder in Sega. Sega and Sammy had been seen as closely related companies in the past, thanks to the friendship between Sammy president Hajime Satomi and Isao Okawa, the CSK founder and Sega chairman and president, who passed away about two years ago.

It was originally planned that Sega and Sammy would work out details of the merger by the end of March, with an official deal being signed in May. The talks with Namco, not to mention Electronic Arts’ continued interest in establishing a business tie-up with Sega, may not only have delayed this process – they may have caused sufficient bad feeling between the companies as to rule out any further progress on the merger entirely.

For Namco’s part, it is still adamant that its offer is the best hope for Sega’s future. “We have to do something, or Sega will go under,” according to one Namco official. “Namco is Sega’s best partner because we are in the same industry.”

“Sega has apparently come back to the negotiation table after seeing its stocks fall,” another is quoted as saying. “We are serious about this and we wouldn’t even mind Sega acquiring us.”

If Namco and Sega do merge, The Japan Times reports that the combined company would be the largest game software publisher in Japan, with annual sales of 350 billion Yen – well ahead of Konami, whose sales for 2002 were 250 billion Yen.

Source: Gameindustry.biz

Editors' Recommendations

Ian Bell
I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?
Alien: Isolation studio is making a shooter about stealing Sega merch from the rich
sega announces flashy sci fi shooter hyenas game reveal

Sega has announced Hyenas, a flashy, new sci-fi multiplayer first-person shooter that comes courtesy of European developer Creative Assembly, the creator of Total War and Alien: Isolation.

Hyenas stole the show at IGN's Summer of Gaming showcase on Wednesday, showing off a trailer packed with gunfights on the ground and in zero gravity -- as well as some Sega Easter eggs. The game pits five teams of three against each other as they shoot and steal their way to become the best space pirates in the universe.

Read more
Sega will delist classic Sonic games ahead of Origins
sega to delist digital versions of classic sonic games the hedgehog 2 title screen

Sega has announced that it is delisting digital versions of all the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games. According to a press release published on Tuesday, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD will be delisted from digital game services on May 20.

The company said that all those games are being delisted in preparation for the release of Sonic Origins, which is slated to come out on June 23 -- the first time since 1991 that a Sonic game was released on that exact date. However, it was careful to note Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will remain available through SEGA Ages on Nintendo Switch, while the latter Sonic game will still be playable on the Sega Genesis via Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Read more
Sega rebooting Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, report says
A skater standing above graffiti in Jet Set Radio.

Sega is planning on rebooting two of its classic franchises in an effort to find its own Fortnite, according to a report from Bloomberg. Citing people familiar with the company's plans, the report claims that the massive Japanese publisher is currently in the early stages of developing new Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi games.

Sega's unnamed Crazy Taxi reboot has reportedly been in development for over a year, with Sega planning to release the game fully in another two or three years. It's not clear how long the upcoming Jet Set Radio game has been in development or when it will launch. However, both projects are in such early stages that they could both still be canceled, leaving their fates up in the air.

Read more