Sega Sammy to layoff 400 employees

[FiendWithoutAface]

Expects full year loss of JPY 26 billion

Sega Sammy is laying off 400 employees as part of cost cutting measures following further company losses.

The company has already axed 110 unprofitable amusement arcades and reduced pay and bonuses for managerial staff. The latest move, says the company, is to offer voluntary redundancy to approximately 400, bringing staff levels to just above 3,000 employees.

"Due to Sega failing to respond to changing business environment, the operating performance of its core businesses, including the amusement facilities business and domestic consumer business, has not been performing well," said Hajime Satomi, chairman and CEO.

"As part of these measures, Sega has determined to solicit voluntary retirement of employees to reduce fixed costs and gain greater cost flexibility through optimum employment."

The company has revealed losses of JPY 15.77 (USD 210 million) billion for the nine months to December, compared to a profit of JPY 49.38 billion the year previous.

It also suffered an operating loss of JPY 1.53 billion (USD 14.2 million) against a profit of JPY 75.2 billion (USD 700 million) for the same period last year.

Having originally forecast a full year profit of JPY 1 billion (USD 9.3 million), the company has now downgraded to a net loss of JPY 26 billion (USD 242.1 million).

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=32919

[cube_b3]

400 Employees is no small number.

[Nico0020]

hmmm and here i thought sega was getting on the upside of things again.

[Veggita2099]

hmmm and here i thought sega was getting on the upside of things again.

I don't see how, what was the last really popular game released by Sega?

[FiendWithoutAface]

hmmm and here i thought sega was getting on the upside of things again.

I don't see how, what was the last really popular game released by Sega?

Smash Bros brawl. Oooohh... wait.

[Nico0020]

I just thought after a good amount of years after their epic failures, they would have straightened some things out.

[mankrip]

I'd like to know how many of these were storywriters and/or game designers.

[JKKDARK]

hmmm and here i thought sega was getting on the upside of things again.

I don't see how, what was the last really popular game released by Sega?

OutRun 2006

[mankrip]

[mrandyk]

I think Sega is done making good games, they tried making good games on the Dreamcast and look where it put them. A perfect example is Shenmue. They have realized that you can make more money on a bad game with Sonic in it than a great game.

[Nico0020]

Only new sega game I own and play is PSU and the Expansion for it. I enjoy the game, despite the fact sega fucks up on updates a lot AND drips content to us. All of us here know sega made a lot of good games for Dreamcast, but that was nearly ten years ago now. Sonic Advance 1 and 3 (2 was a joke) were great, I was really impressed, but I guess that was just a fluke. Now sonic is a whore, just not as bad as mario, but getting there.

[cak!]

hmmm and here i thought sega was getting on the upside of things again.

I don't see how, what was the last really popular game released by Sega?

did they ever have a popular game? i dont know how sega was ever even popular

[mrandyk]

Only new sega game I own and play is PSU and the Expansion for it. I enjoy the game, despite the fact sega fucks up on updates a lot AND drips content to us. All of us here know sega made a lot of good games for Dreamcast, but that was nearly ten years ago now. Sonic Advance 1 and 3 (2 was a joke) were great, I was really impressed, but I guess that was just a fluke. Now sonic is a whore, just not as bad as mario, but getting there.

Mario may be a whore, but at least he still has great games. Sonic appears in no good games. Super Mario Galaxy against the next gen Sonic games, yea.

[Polymira]

I'd say Condemned is the last really good Sega game out there, if you've played it I'm sure you would agree.

[Veggita2099]

The last really enjoyable Sega game I played was Sonic Adventure 1 on Dreamcast. As many would point out though it had more then enough flaws (Bigs come to mind??) I didn't care much for Sonic Adventure 2. The Sonic and Shadow levels was great, but I hated the tails/robotnick and Rogue/Knuckles stages with a passion. It was like they made the game first then threw together some lame story. At least Sonic Adventure 1 let you run around in the adventure mode and discover some stuff. IT was more creative then Sonic Adventure 2 in any case.

I am not saying that was the last Successful Sega game, only that it is the last Sega game I enjoyed enough to play through. I played Shenmue 1 and 2 and couldn't get into either of them.

Problem with the newer 2d sonic games (IE DS/GBA games) is they are all the same thing. Yea we all have ran though a mountain top forest area, we have had our share of casino lands, and oh wow another mystical cave!! They are all the same ole crap. Sure there are new characters that none of us care about, but really how much more does a modern Sonic 2d game offer then the ones on genesis?? Mario has definitely added more to its modern games then sonic has IMO.

I am sure a lot of people here disagree with me, but the fact Sega is not doing well kinda proves my point. Sega at one point in time released a lot of good games. They just don't seem to be doing so anymore.