Topic: Yu Suzuki no longer with SEGA and SEGA will never consider making consoles again

[Flames_of_chaos]

  Full interview here

What do you think is the importance of names in the industry right now? Sega had a lot of its name developers in Japan go away. Right now, there's Toshihiro Nagoshi, and not a whole lot else, though you do have the Platinum guys to rely on right now. But is it important right now, or is it not? It seems to be for some companies.

SJ: I think it is still important. We're still working with [Yuji] Naka. The Prope relationship exists. They're building content. Nothing's been released yet, but we still work with them. The Platinum relationship is definitely part of it. We want to work with big-name people.

But part of that is not just because they're a name. It's because we know they're going to build great games, and that's the most important part. [Ed. note: Prope is ex-Sonic Team head Yuji Naka's independent Tokyo studio. No titles have been announced since its formation in 2006.]

Can you give any more details on the Prope thing? Does he have an actual studio now?

SJ: There's not much being talked about right now or announced on that yet, so we probably can't say anything, other than we're working with Naka-san still.

Speaking of names, what has happened to Yu Suzuki?

SJ: Last I heard, he was doing some online stuff in China.

He's spearheaded an arcade racing title. Is he just really off in his own world?

SJ: Yeah. He's kind of his own man right now. Every now and again, he'll come up with an idea, and I don't think anything has come out of that yet, but we're still working with him. He's not an employee anymore, but...

I wasn't sure if he was still actually a Sega employee.

SJ: Not as far as I know.

Here's a ridiculous question that of course I must ask. Would Sega ever return to the console market?

SJ: No. A categorical no.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

lololololololo shenmooo is DED

[Bill Aurion]

Considering all he is known for is Virtua Blighter and Shenboob, I don't think anyone really cares...

[Ian Sane]

Considering all he is known for is Virtua Blighter and Shenboob, I don't think anyone really cares...

What about...

Space Harrier
Out Run
Virtua Racing
Virtua Cop
After Burner

Years from now let's say Miyamoto has left the spotlight.  Would you want people to say "WHO CARES?  All he's known for is Nintendogs and Wii Music. lol"?

I figured Suzuki had stopped working for Sega a while ago.  And I question how any sane person would think Sega will ever make another console.  Sega doesn't even really exist anymore.

[Bill Aurion]

I was trying to bait fans of the series I mentioned, but you ruined it...Thanks a lot, Ian! >=|

[Morari]

I'll never get to see Shenmue III now!!!

To be fair, I probably wouldn't have seen it anyway, as it most likely would have come out on the 360. I had to import the PAL version of Shenmue II for my Dreamcast when it was released. Definitely one of the best consoles ever made.

[NWR_insanolord]

If you read the interview it says that while he's not technically a Sega employee he still does stuff with Sega, so more Shenmue is still possible. At least I hope that's what it means.

[Flames_of_chaos]

And I question how any sane person would think Sega will ever make another console.  Sega doesn't even really exist anymore.

A lot of sega fanatics were hoping for a console on 09/09/09

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Sega Dream Gear super portable.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Sega Dream Gear super portable.

Sega DreampachinkoCast

[NWR_pap64]

Considering all he is known for is Virtua Blighter and Shenboob, I don't think anyone really cares...

What about...

Space Harrier
Out Run
Virtua Racing
Virtua Cop
After Burner

Years from now let's say Miyamoto has left the spotlight.  Would you want people to say "WHO CARES?  All he's known for is Nintendogs and Wii Music. lol"?

I figured Suzuki had stopped working for Sega a while ago.  And I question how any sane person would think Sega will ever make another console.  Sega doesn't even really exist anymore.

In my honest opinion, I didn't know who Yu Suzuki was till Shenmue was released.

Shenmue was perhaps his biggest opus, the one game that would shine in his arcade titles record. The problem was that it was TOO ambitious.

If I were to work in a videogame company and pitch an epic I would keep it at just one title. Develop the story in its first chapter. If the game is a success, then the story can continue in the sequel.

Planning trilogies in this day and age is a major gamble. And you have games like Shenmue who will never be finished.

I still wanted to know more about sailors...

[Luigi Dude]

If anyone wants to know why Yu Suzuki isn't with Sega anymore, it's because the company pretty much Gunpei Yokoi'd him.  Even though Suzuki was such an important figure at Sega, the Shenmue games lost Sega a lot of money.  And because of this, he was send to an office where he wouldn't be involved with making anything major again.  Just like Yokoi was send to an office after the Virtual Boy failed.

That's pretty much how Japanese companies punish major employees.  Instead of firing them, they just put them in a room where they can't do anything, until the employee eventually quites.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Considering all he is known for is Virtua Blighter and Shenboob, I don't think anyone really cares...

What about...

Space Harrier
Out Run
Virtua Racing
Virtua Cop
After Burner

Years from now let's say Miyamoto has left the spotlight.  Would you want people to say "WHO CARES?  All he's known for is Nintendogs and Wii Music. lol"?

I figured Suzuki had stopped working for Sega a while ago.  And I question how any sane person would think Sega will ever make another console.  Sega doesn't even really exist anymore.

In my honest opinion, I didn't know who Yu Suzuki was till Shenmue was released.

Shenmue was perhaps his biggest opus, the one game that would shine in his arcade titles record. The problem was that it was TOO ambitious.

If I were to work in a videogame company and pitch an epic I would keep it at just one title. Develop the story in its first chapter. If the game is a success, then the story can continue in the sequel.

Planning trilogies in this day and age is a major gamble. And you have games like Shenmue who will never be finished.

I still wanted to know more about sailors...

You are right about planning games or even movies as trilogies is a huge gamble. Not only that but if it is not continued it does the fans a great disservice who support the game or movie. Shenmue was a great series IMO but I will never see the completion of the story which makes me feel as if something was stolen from me. It makes me wish that most games were self contained with maybe only a hint of a possible sequel while not being forthright about it.

[nickmitch]

And I question how any sane person would think Sega will ever make another console.  Sega doesn't even really exist anymore.

A lot of sega fanatics were hoping for a console on 09/09/09

Why??

[KDR_11k]

If anyone wants to know why Yu Suzuki isn't with Sega anymore, it's because the company pretty much Gunpei Yokoi'd him.  Even though Suzuki was such an important figure at Sega, the Shenmue games lost Sega a lot of money.  And because of this, he was send to an office where he wouldn't be involved with making anything major again.  Just like Yokoi was send to an office after the Virtual Boy failed.

That's pretty much how Japanese companies punish major employees.  Instead of firing them, they just put them in a room where they can't do anything, until the employee eventually quites.

Don't western companies do the same thing when an employee has a contract that makes firing difficult or expensive?

[Flames_of_chaos]

And I question how any sane person would think Sega will ever make another console.  Sega doesn't even really exist anymore.

A lot of sega fanatics were hoping for a console on 09/09/09

Why??

10th anniversary of the dreamcast?

[vudu]

A lot of sega fanatics were hoping for a console on 09/09/09

Personally, I'm hoping for a Nine Inch Nails album that doesn't suck. 

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

If anyone wants to know why Yu Suzuki isn't with Sega anymore, it's because the company pretty much Gunpei Yokoi'd him.  Even though Suzuki was such an important figure at Sega, the Shenmue games lost Sega a lot of money.  And because of this, he was send to an office where he wouldn't be involved with making anything major again.  Just like Yokoi was send to an office after the Virtual Boy failed.

That's pretty much how Japanese companies punish major employees.  Instead of firing them, they just put them in a room where they can't do anything, until the employee eventually quites.

Don't western companies do the same thing when an employee has a contract that makes firing difficult or expensive?

I BELIEVE YOU HAVE MY STAPLER

[Morari]

A lot of sega fanatics were hoping for a console on 09/09/09

Personally, I'm hoping for a Nine Inch Nails album that doesn't suck. 

What NIN album has sucked? I think we can all agree that With Teeth was a little tamer than expected, but that's about as bad as it has gotten. Year Zero was absolutely great and The Slip was certainly good enough.

[nickmitch]

And I question how any sane person would think Sega will ever make another console.  Sega doesn't even really exist anymore.

A lot of sega fanatics were hoping for a console on 09/09/09

Why??

10th anniversary of the dreamcast?

Lame reasoning.

[vudu]

What NIN album has sucked? I think we can all agree that With Teeth was a little tamer than expected, but that's about as bad as it has gotten. Year Zero was absolutely great and The Slip was certainly good enough.

Perhaps suck wasn't the right word.  How about disappointing? Nothing Trent's done in the past decade have been as good as The Downward Spiral or The Fragile.  It's kind of funny how Trent's best work since 2000 has been on Niggy Tardust.

I agree that Year Zero is a step up from With Teeth.  And, while I enjoy The Slip, it's certainly uneven; plus short--only seven "real" songs, and one is so quiet you can't even hear it unless you're surrounded by total silence.

[Nick DiMola]

Perhaps suck wasn't the right word.

Nope pretty sure suck was the right word.

[NWR_pap64]

Considering all he is known for is Virtua Blighter and Shenboob, I don't think anyone really cares...

What about...

Space Harrier
Out Run
Virtua Racing
Virtua Cop
After Burner

Years from now let's say Miyamoto has left the spotlight.  Would you want people to say "WHO CARES?  All he's known for is Nintendogs and Wii Music. lol"?

I figured Suzuki had stopped working for Sega a while ago.  And I question how any sane person would think Sega will ever make another console.  Sega doesn't even really exist anymore.

In my honest opinion, I didn't know who Yu Suzuki was till Shenmue was released.

Shenmue was perhaps his biggest opus, the one game that would shine in his arcade titles record. The problem was that it was TOO ambitious.

If I were to work in a videogame company and pitch an epic I would keep it at just one title. Develop the story in its first chapter. If the game is a success, then the story can continue in the sequel.

Planning trilogies in this day and age is a major gamble. And you have games like Shenmue who will never be finished.

I still wanted to know more about sailors...

You are right about planning games or even movies as trilogies is a huge gamble. Not only that but if it is not continued it does the fans a great disservice who support the game or movie. Shenmue was a great series IMO but I will never see the completion of the story which makes me feel as if something was stolen from me. It makes me wish that most games were self contained with maybe only a hint of a possible sequel while not being forthright about it.

Not only that, if the first episode bombs then the whole series is dead.

That's why I have little faith regarding the "Too Human"  trilogy. The first episode alone has been in development for YEARS. If the first game bombs they it will have been a waste of time and money.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

A new Wii Beach Spikers would be greatly appreciated, and be more profitable then the first two Shenmoogle games combined.

[Luigi Dude]

Not only that, if the first episode bombs then the whole series is dead.

That's why I have little faith regarding the "Too Human"  trilogy. The first episode alone has been in development for YEARS. If the first game bombs they it will have been a waste of time and money.

That is pretty much the reason why Nintendo dropped Silicon Knights years ago.  They saw that Too Human was just a giant money pit and said screw that.

[BeautifulShy]

Calm down everybody

[Morari]

What NIN album has sucked? I think we can all agree that With Teeth was a little tamer than expected, but that's about as bad as it has gotten. Year Zero was absolutely great and The Slip was certainly good enough.

Perhaps suck wasn't the right word.  How about disappointing? Nothing Trent's done in the past decade have been as good as The Downward Spiral or The Fragile.  It's kind of funny how Trent's best work since 2000 has been on Niggy Tardust.

I agree that Year Zero is a step up from With Teeth.  And, while I enjoy The Slip, it's certainly uneven; plus short--only seven "real" songs, and one is so quiet you can't even hear it unless you're surrounded by total silence.

Personally, I found Year Zero to be very exciting. It took on a vastly different approach lyrically, omitting the usual "failed relationship" stuff that has always been such a focal point in the past. Furthermore, it didn't entirely sound like any other NIN album and certainly didn't sound too similar to any other band's material.

I can see how The Slip might feel uneven. It being short certainly doesn't mean much however, as Broken wasn't any longer yet ended up being a great album regardless. Also, there are plenty of places throughout The Fragile that may or may not be real songs, and can often times become rather quiet. If anything, it was worth the free download and probably worth $10 for a physical copy.

I think that Reznor has stayed pretty true to his style over the years without it feeling as rehashed as many "artists" do after only two or three albums. Besides, his push toward creating an open-source music industry is great and goes to show that he's not just trying to make money off of radio singles. I do have a hard time seeing Ghosts and The Slip as real or full albums however and can't wait for the next truly major release. With no record contracts to tie him down nowadays, it's hard to tell what's to come.

Perhaps suck wasn't the right word.

Nope pretty sure suck was the right word.

Someone must have a soft spot for Top 20 radio...

[Nick DiMola]

A new Wii Beach Spikers would be greatly appreciated, and be more profitable then the first two Shenmoogle games combined.

Wii Beach Spikers would be massive win, though Shenmue 3 would be as well.

[ThePerm]

wtf, can't anyody with a good business sense run Sega...if you have fans APPEAL to them! I with they made hiroshi yamuchi take over, he's not doing anything! He is the Riches man in Japan!

[Morari]

I never played Beach Spikers...

I wouldn't mind a new Virtua Tennis. Sega Sports Tennis 2K2 was great.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Beach Spikers was like Mario Tennis adapted to volleyball, ie. they got things right THE FIRST TIME.  It was a great 2-on-2 multiplayer venue prior to the release of Mario Power Tennis.

Virtua Tennis took like 3 games to become functionally refined.

It also doesn't hurt that Beach Spikers had a decent create-a-character mode and was available within the first year of the GameCube's life.  Just wish it was one of those franches that got updated every generation.

[Ian Sane]

With Itagaki having left Tecmo and Suzuki doing seemingly nothing I think it's pretty damn obvious what should happen!

Dead or Alive boobies + Beack Spikers gameplay = perhaps the greatest game of all time.

[Morari]

Except those Dead or Alive boobies are disgustingly over sized.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

They're not oversized.  Soul Calibur is oversized.  Plus DOA's boobs are improperly placed on the torso (too high), have improper physics, and the nipples are poorly designed.

[NWR_Lindy]

Wow, and to think that at one point Sega was my favorite game company by far.  Now they absolutely suck.  Peter Moore is long gone, Sonic games are hot garbage, damn...how the once-mighty have fallen.