This information comes SEGA’s Naoya Tsurumi, who was featured on Nikkei…
– Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games was SEGA’s biggest IP last year
– SEGA hoped to sell 7 million copies of Mario and Sonic (currently at 6.53 million worldwide)
– Mario and Sonic sales lower than expected in North America
– Most of SEGA’s games didn’t meet expectations in North America, Tsurumi thinks this is because consumers purchased titles from other companies instead
– Regarding 3D gaming, 3DS: “I believe 3D will become a big wave. The Nintendo 3DS is a landmark hardware. We’d like to invest heavily in it.”
– SEGA interested in supporting 3D on consoles, but its success will depend on 3D televisions
– SEGA releasing 12-15 games this year
– Tsurumi wouldn’t say if there will be a Mario and Sonic title for the London Olympics
– SEGA will support downloadable games (VC-like titles and new games)
– On package and download sales: “Just so there’s no mistake, our core is in package games. This is an area that’s packed with high-end technology and knowhow. We cannot lose that strength. I don’t believe we can do away with that and focus on titles with simple technology.”