News Analysis

Eurospeak

Dream-on, Marketers

Sega really should go into the comedy business. As if the entire Saturn debacle wasn't enough to split sides and tickle ribs, they've gone and called their new console 'Dreamcast'. Together with an equally frightful logo the new name has unanimously been voted as the millennium's stupidest name for a console. Katana, Black Belt, even Saturn 2, any of the legion of code-names would have better than this unspeakable (and darn near unmarketable) nonsense. An additional point of amusement is that Sega of Europe and SoA don't seem too happy with the name either. They were expecting to get a commuted sentence, allowing them to refer to it as just 'Dream' or 'Dream Machine'. Sega of Japan weren't obliging though and the name, like a particularly unpleasant piece of nasal mucus, has stuck. Completely unexpectedly though Sega seem to have got just about everything else right. As far as can be judged from rumours and crap press releases the new console certainly seems something to shout about, in terms of both hardware and (probably) software. Although the Japanese release date is set, Europe, and the US, have only the vague assurance that the console will be out "before Christmas 1999". UK trade mag CTW though has discovered that a September debut is set to be the preliminary release date, with a hardware price of around £149-£199 ($240-$320), and software at the usual £35-£45 mark ($56-$ 72). The delayed Euro release is, rather than simply being a matter of pointless tradition, apparently to ensure there are a number of Euro-flavoured releases ready from day one. Something Sega considers to be a major reason for the Saturn's failure. The hope is that there will be around 30 titles for the European launch, of which six at least will have been developed by third party Euro-developers. Out of the 200 developers who've been provided with development kits 30 are apparently based in Europe, with 50 in the US, and 100 in Japan. Not all these developers have been named, but among them stand the French inventors of Alone in the Dark, No Cliché (previously known as Adeline); Bizarre Creations, responsible for the first two Formula 1 titles for Psygnosis; Scottish supremos Red Lemon; and one time Nintendo loyalist, and hardware designer, Argonaut. Not a bad start for a company that has had its named dragged so deep into the mud it could have opened a health spa. To support this number of developers the Sega HQs in the UK, Germany, France and Spain will all be getting a cash and personnel boost. Special attention, and budgets, will be given to the marketing department, and let's face it with a name like Dreamcast they're going to need it.

Another hardware company looking to make inroads into Europe is 3Dfx. The jilted ex-lovers of Sega have been going from strength to strength in the PC hardware market, and are now keen to set-up a proper European base, initially in London. With a new super-deluxe headquarters to be confirmed later in the year. The primary reason given for such a move is so they can be nearer to the increasingly important European development community. In order to give help and advice, and also to receive feedback and secure OEM deals. European teams have been increasingly important to 3Dfx lately, notably with Probe's Forsakken and Rage's Incoming. The fact that up to half of 3Dfx's four million graphics card sales exist in PC's outside the US is also cited as a reason for the new base, and change of focus.

This is of course the week of E3, and representations from most of the European developers and publishers will be making the big trip across the water. One group with a rather unusual agenda is the Scottish Games Alliance. Although the usual publishing wheeling and dealing is very much their goal, they're also seeking to better their previous year's record. They won £20 million ($32m) worth of business at last year's E3 and this time they want to do even better. Six of the group (I-Design, Inner Workings, Red Lemon, Vis, Visual Sciences, and Voxar) will be locating themselves in the special 'Developed in Scotland' suite at the show, seeking to impress and court their American cousins. As well as simply making money the purpose of the exercise is to raise the awareness of Scottish developers, something that should be easily accomplished by stand-out titles such as Body Harvest, Plane Crazy, Earthworm Jim 3D, and Tartan Army.  Only the latter of which betrays the developer's origin. Although we are assured that it is not a World Cup game, which is just as well as an accurate sim wouldn't have allowed you past the first round.


David Jenkins works with British Telecom's Wireplay, an online gaming service. He also contributes to Develop, Europe’s premier newsletter for computer game developers and publishers, and CTW, the weekly trade magazine. He has also been involved in the organisation of the Develop! and Online conferences in London.

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