Sega Restructures - Creative Assembly and SI Safe

Closing european offices, focus on digital and four core franchises.

LONDON – 28th June 2012 – SEGA® Europe today confirmed that as a result of the recent restructure it will be shifting business to focus on developing new and existing digital content as well as driving key IP for packaged goods. SEGA has therefore realigned its business strategy and will be closing their offices in France, Germany, Spain, Australia and Benelux.

“SEGA is entering a new and exciting phase that will position the company as a content led organisation maximising sales with strong and balanced IP such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and the Aliens franchise”, commented Jurgen Post, COO of SEGA Europe. “The company will benefit from a clear focus and realigned strategy for our digital business and packaged goods and we are confident that this will lead to a successful future.”

“The big IPs are becoming bigger, whether that’s FIFA, Call Of Duty or Assassin’s Creed, those titles are just becoming bigger and bigger and it’s harder and harder to break into the market with new IP. And there’s a big transition at the moment,” Post said, when asked about the bigger changes in the industry that had resulted in the decision.

Unsure if anyone from Sega Europe frequents this message board, but condolencias, Beileden, et condoléances for all affected.

Not a great day to be in the business, it would seem.

yeah it sure is a tough time to be a traditional AAA publisher with bricks and mortar sales going to the dogs. They all seem to be talking about migrating to ‘digital business’, which i guess is where most of the lay-offs are going to be coming about from. The problem is with such large employment costs i can’t really see how any of the big AAA guys, except those that have that yearly hit title, have enough breathing space to do anything other than resize and restructure while they feel out how to make as much money in the digital space as they used to in the bricks and mortar.