Sega's Games Go West

To be successful in the next generation, Japanese publishers have realized that they will need to appeal more to Western audiences.

As games become ever more popular, Japanese publishers are realizing that they need to make games that better appeal to Western audiences if they are to be successful. Sega has been particularly aggressive about bringing in Western development studios, the latest of which is US design house Secret Level.

It's not clear what game Secret Level will be working on, but a press release says that it will "recreate a classic Sega franchise" for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Already there is speculation that this could be a Sonic The Hedgehog game, but there is no evidence to support this.

Secret Level is both a software tools designer and a game developer. Some of the company's recent and upcoming games include Final Fight: Streetwise, Star Wars Jedi Starfighter and the console version of PC hit America's Army.

Sega has worked hard over the past two years to expand its exposure to gamers in North America and Europe. The company is building up a solid launch roster for the next generation consoles, with Western-developed games for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 including Full Auto from Pseudo Interactive and Condemned: Criminal Origins from Monolith Productions.

And yet, Sega does not appear to be abandoning its own franchises. At this year's E3, the company showed off concept footage for next generation versions of all its major franchises, and the first of these, House of the Dead 4, is already on its way to arcades in Japan.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games