Cancelled software discussion gets its own thread!

[Anthaemia.]

I didn't really want to derail any further discussion of The House Of The Dead more than I have already, so here's a quick list of what Dreamcast owners were due to expect if only Sega had continued supporting the console for just a few extra months:

The House Of The Dead III (cel-shaded prototype version)
Jet Set Radio Future
Gunvalkyrie
Sega GT 2 (working title)
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Super Monkey Ball
Virtua Cop 3
Sonic & Knuckles RPG (Sonic Heroes)

As for the possibility of Shenmue III, project director Shin Ishikawa once mentioned that producer Yu Suzuki requested less than a year to finish this game as much of the planning and development was already complete. Microsoft bought the exclusive rights to Shenmue II for its overseas release, leaving English speech a priority only considered for the Xbox version. Following extensive research it was also determined around this same period that a Dreamcast conversion of Virtua Fighter 4 would not be graphically faithful enough to the NAOMI2 arcade source, which explains its "defection" to Sony's platform.

I've never heard of Puyo Pop Fever being prepared for a Western release on Dreamcast, though I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of Sega contemplating such a thing. Back onto the Saturn again, here's a similar list of games that were definitely being mentioned for late in the 32-bit era had Sega not insisted on developers focusing their efforts on its then-upcoming next generation system instead:

Marvel VS Capcom
Red Earth
Street Fighter III
Metal Gear Solid
Sonic The Fighters
Saturn Virtua Fighter 3 (revision 2)

For the record, various members of AM2 have confirmed that the Saturn prototype version of what later became Shenmue had been in development for a solid two years, though a start date has yet to be determined. However, it's highly unlikely production stopped around the same time work on Saturn VF3 did (mid-September '98) as there's no way such a large game could have been reprogrammed and released for the Dreamcast in such a short period - even if at one point almost the whole of Sega's internal software divisions (and a few outsourcing units such as Genki, Scarab, Nextech and Tose) had been drafted in to assist! Sure, the final Dreamcast code may have borrowed a few assets from its 32-bit predecessor, though as with Sonic Adventure it's likely a significant portion of the end product was rewritten from scratch.

As one of Sega's in-house departments, AM2 would have known about the Dreamcast long before anyone else, and so would have been encouraged to support the console early to avoid the lack of initial support that had affected the Saturn's launch. Of course, Saturn VF3 was already finished (not to mention Genki was busy putting the finishing touches to its own Dreamcast version) and "Shenmue" nearing completion - supposedly the cancellation of his VF3 conversion for the Saturn and having to abandon so much of the 32-bit work on Project Berkeley (plus Sonic The Fighters also) contributed to Suzuki's feeling of being pushed out from the higher ranks within Sega. Yuji Naka over at Sonic Team also felt the same, and similarly much of the initial work into Sonic Adventure must surely have been carried over from the Saturn far before the game was officially unveiled on the Dreamcast as it was in a near-complete state by then.

Finally for now, I'd just like to mention a little more I've been able to find out regarding the on-off Saturn version of Resident Evil 2. As many of you will know from my previous messages on the subject, it's been suggested that Capcom pulled the plug on any Saturn build when it was approximately 15% complete, while the more advanced PlayStation code was restarted at between 65-80% depending on who you ask (though I prefer to trust producer Shinki Mikami's figure of 75-80%). As with the first Resident Evil, the Saturn work was actually being handled by Nextech simultaneously under the supervision of Hideki Kamiya with the lead PS version in development at Capcom's own Production Studio 4.

The development of this game was always being carried out with the PS as its lead platform, and another myth I'd like to kill off for good is that at no point was Nextech using the 4MB RAM extension for its Saturn version of Resident Evil 2 - this again was a rumour started by less-educated journalists back in the day who simply assumed it would utilise this upgrade purely because Capcom's later 2D fighters had done so. On a slightly different note, there is absolutely no doubt this cartridge would again have come to the rescue had the decision not been made to cancel Saturn versions of Street Fighter III, Red Earth and Marvel VS Capcom. To my knowledge SF3 was definitely being worked on to a preliminary technical research extent, but perhaps not with the intention of creating any ultimately commercial product because Capcom's head at the time decided SF Zero 3 and Final Fight Revenge would be the company's final Saturn efforts.

Capcom had considered the commercial failure of Resident Evil on the Saturn not a result of any minor technical shortcomings, but its lengthy delay compared with the PlayStation version - a problem caused by Nextech's alleged struggling with the conversion process. Now more familiar with how to port such a title, the sequel was being developed for both PS and Saturn near simultaneously, though again the Sony edition had priority and was clearly far more advanced than its Sega counterpart when Shinki Mikami decided to restart production entirely. At first both versions of this highly-anticipated sequel had been scheduled for an early '97 release, and following its reboot the PS version now leapt ahead to early '98 with the Saturn code due to appear no longer than six months later. However, very little was achived following the remake orders being given when Capcom asked Nextech to instead develop an exclusive sequel for Sega's next generation system... and that is how Code: Veronica came to be!

P.S. I'm personally devastated that Psygnosis never even considered recruiting Tantalus again to handle a Saturn conversion of Wip3out, though after the whole HOTD fiasco maybe trust in this once reliable development team wasn't as good as it had once been?

[Deleted]

Sept 4, 2010 14:26:24 GMT Anthaemia. said:

P.S. I'm personally devastated that Psygnosis never even considered recruiting Tantalus again to handle a Saturn conversion of Wip3out, though after the whole HOTD fiasco maybe trust in this once reliable development team wasn't as good as it had once been?

Aren't I correct in saying that by the time Wip3out was released Sony had already merged with Psygnosis, hence why it was an exclusive PSX title?

Anyway, Red Earth was coming to the Saturn? Argh! Why wasn't it then put on the Dreamcast? They put that useless SFIII: Double Impact on a disc, why not that?

Not surprised MvsC was going to be on the Saturn. The dreamcast version looked like a Saturn game. Well, it was on the PSX anyway.

I actually think VF3 would've benefit from being on the Saturn instead of DC. The DC version looked dated pretty much straight away as games like Soul Calibur and DoA2 would appear only a year or so later.

The pity here is that all, bar Sonic the Fighters, would've been quality games.

And as for the Dreamcast working titles, all those listed have made me die a little inside. But a cel-shaded HotD? Nah...

[Anthaemia.]

Psygnosis did indeed sign a deal with Sony, but while the PlayStation was due to receive an exclusive Special Edition of Wip3out (later released separately as a standalone product) the planned Saturn and PC versions were to be just the standard game. Of course, the Saturn build probably didn't get far as the proposed retail window for this game was early '99 - long after Sega had pulled the plug on its 32-bit console. Similarly the PC version disappeared when the deal with Sony changed to incorporate Psygnosis into its own ranks.

As for the cel-shaded HOTD3, this wasn't cancelled outright but instead reworked into the final product after crowd response to a prototype build was poorer than expected. Supposedly fans were disappointed to find such a graphic and realistic-looking franchise being "reduced" to a cartoon style with exaggerated violence, hence the late adjustments. If you look carefully at the final coin-op and Xbox versions you'll notice the visual style does remain to a far less prominent extent.

P.S. Your opinion regarding Virtua Fighter 3 being more suited to the Saturn makes complete sense to me!

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I'm rather interested in hearing more about Saturn Metal Gear Solid.

[Anthaemia.]

There isn't really much to say about Metal Gear Solid for the Saturn that hasn't been covered before, but the basic facts are that while Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (led by Hideo Kojima) worked on the lead PlayStation version a Saturn port was in development at Konami's Nagoya team. Due to its policies on product content Sega of Japan requested that Konami replace any use of cigarettes with smoke grenades, plus I seem to recall them asking for a few other scenes including nudity and characters being shot "on screen" to be censored as well. Because the project was cancelled at such an early stage it's not really known if there were to be any major graphical differences, though considering Nagoya team's butchering of Dracula X it's unlikely Saturn MGS would have been given much priority within Konami's ranks. According to a former member of Konami, the game was to have been unveiled in early '99 - possibly at the Spring Tokyo Game Show - for a Summer/Autumn release the same year. My research into this game is still quite preliminary, so please bear in mind that a few details may not be 100% accurate yet as I'm very much deep in studying the little contemporary media coverage of this title that exists...

[mick_aka]

I've just found a list I was compiling a few years back of games that were either in development or finished and never released, sadly I've not kept any images or references for any of these so feel free to shed further light...

11th Hour
Alien vs. Predator (the side scrolling beat-em-up)
Copkiller
Deserted Island Tale
Ecco the Dolphin
Exector

Fake Down


Fighting Force


Flying Spirit

Grand Theft Auto
"Grand Theft Auto was to be released on the Sega Saturn, but due to the console's rapid decline in popularity before development was finished, the project was halted and the game was never released."

Guilty Gear
Lethal Enforcers Deluxe Pack
Magic: The Gathering
Nights 2/Air Nights
Raindrop

Rayman 2

"Very early into the development of Rayman 2, it was a 2-D game for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. This was later scrapped for the 3D game that Rayman 2 became. Pictures of the 2D version and concept art (a green villain with a chainsaw) and mentions of powers such as the platform fist were published in gaming magazines such as EGM. A stage of this beta version was unlockable in the PlayStation version of Rayman 2."


Reloaded
i35.photobucket.com/albums/d164/roberam27/LOADED4.jpg

Resident Evil 2
Capcom announced that it has officially canceled Bio Hazard 2 for the Saturn. Shinji Mikami, the game's producer, made a statement regarding its cancellation:

"We sincerely apologize to the people who anticipated Bio Hazard 2 for Saturn. We were developing Bio Hazard 2 for Saturn, but found out that it's difficult to achieve the same level of quality on the Saturn that the PlayStation version had. So we decided to change the platform (from Saturn) to Dreamcast, and develop a new game called Bio Hazard Code: Veronica for the system. We are working like mad to make the game better than the PlayStation version visually, on the scenario side, and the overall game itself. Thanks for your understanding."

Return Fire
Released by our german friends at sega-saturn.net
www.sega-saturn.net/returnfire.htm

Ruinz

Shenmue


Sonic the Fighters
A Sega Saturn version of the game was also announced but never released, though some elements appeared in the Saturn game Fighters Megamix.

Starcadee
Startling Odyssey: Blue Evolution
Startling Odyssey II: Evil Dragon War
Startling Odyssey III: Lineage of the Millenium
Steam Pirates
Syncronicity
Tomcat Alley
Twinbee Taisen

Viewpoint
www.neoseeker.com/Games/Products/SATURN/viewpoint/

Virtua Fighter 3Virtua Tennis
Virtua the Fish
Wing Commander III
Wired Knights
X2

[Anthaemia.]

Was there really a Saturn version of Virtua Tennis planned? I always thought this game was Hitmaker's second project after Crazy Taxi, which only came about long after the Dreamcast had become Sega's priority. In fact, didn't Hitmaker only come to be in the first place as a result of the Saturn-era AM3 splintering into three groups, the other two being AM Annex and Sega Rosso? On the other hand, we do know that Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, Rez and (supposedly) Space Channel 5 had 32-bit roots, so maybe Virtua Tennis originated from a similar background after all.

Thanks for the quote about Resident Evil 2 being cancelled in favour of a Dreamcast exclusive installment in the series, though I was always under the impression Ruins was just a working title for what ultimately became Powerslave, Exhumed or 1999 depending on its various regional names. Also, while it's true both Virtua Fighter 3 and Sonic The Fighters were referenced in Fighters Megamix, I've seen plenty of evidence to suggest the latter was still in development as late as May '98 so maybe it's incorrect to say elements were recycled for AM2's mash-up... perhaps "teaser material" would be a far more suitable description.

Ecco The Dolphin was cancelled as far back as the 32X era, and according to a former designer at Appaloosa no Saturn code exists because the footage being shown in late '94 promotional tapes was actually from a pre-rendered sequence made up to demonstrate how a next generation installment of this franchise MAY look. In other words, only a CG mock-up similar to the early Clockwork Knight, 3D Shooting Game (Panzer Dragoon) and Soccer (Victory Goal) workstation clips exists. Of course, it doesn't help that a brief Cinepak animation of what appears to be an introduction screen for such a title was leaked on a working 32X prototype cartridge.

Sonic Team has also confirmed in more recent times that AIR NiGHTS was never a seriously considered project, but more a tech demo for a gyroscopic motion sensor that had been planned for the 3D Control Pad's otherwise unused detachable cable socket. Yuji Naka was offered an early glimpse of what became the Dreamcast, and he even got involved with the hardware design process to such an extent his research from the AIR NiGHTS experiments led to a preliminary remote design being pitched as a possible control device. Favouring a slight upgrade of the earlier analogue pad design, this abandoned technology would later prove useful in the making of Samba De Amigo.

Finally, here's a quick (and by no means complete) list of further titles you can add to the ever-growing catalogue of known Saturn cancellations, along with a few scraps of information to get the discussive juices flowing:

4xFrenzy
One of at least 12 (!) announced projects under the wing of publishing house Scavenger, featured prominently at the 1996 E3 before disappearing without a trace following the company's financially-motivated closure.

Alien Resurrection
Unlike its cinematic namesake, this actually looked promising until Alien VS Predator turned up. Briefly previewed in SSM, it was simply a victim of yet another publisher (Fox in this case) walking away from the Saturn in late '97/early '98. Oh, well...

Angel
See 4xFrenzy...

Aqua
...and again!

Bad Mojo
A point-and-click "adventure" (more like a yawn-fest) in which you play as a cockroach. This one WAS released for the PC, so not all is lost.

Chicago (working title)
Yu Suzuki of AM2 once claimed this would have been an action spin-off from the Virtua Fighter series focusing on the Bryant siblings, just as Akira's Quest centred around its titular character. While there's very little infrormation regarding this project, many theorise that it evolved into Virtua Cop somehow.

Chill*
As part of its publishing deal with Sega Europe, developer Silicon Dreams produced this multiplayer snowboarding game next to World League Soccer '98. Despite review copies being in existence, nobody yet definitively knows why this one became a PlayStation exclusive.

Clockwork Knight: Penguin Wars*
A simple Bomberman clone that was probably deemed too slight to justify a standalone release, although Sega of Japan recycled its allocated serial number for Panzer Dragoon. Here in Europe the name Clockwork Knight Puzzle was registered and even used for a preview in the official UK Saturn magazine.

CyberSled
Remember this arcade gem from around the time of the PlayStation's launch? Namco also wanted to release a Saturn port, but for whatever reason didn't get far. Maybe the ever-so-nice Bernie Stolar (who was still then yet to defect from Sony) made them an offer they simply couldn't refuse?

Descent
Was this really being considered for a Saturn port? Would it even have been possble, and would it have done justice to the other released versions? Considering its time frame, I seriously doubt the answer would have been a resouding yes, so maybe it was for the better this didn't happen as we poor Saturn collectors already have enough reasons to feel depressed. Now, who's for a game of Courier Crisis?

Destruction Derby 2*
Known to have been Probe's next Saturn conversion project after Die Hard Trilogy, it's believed development was stopped as a result of management deciding to no longer support Sega's console.

Formula 1
Another from the period when Probe dropped its support for the Saturn, this one would have been finished too late for approval by the FIA if it was to feature the 1996 season roster of tracks, cars and drivers. Therefore, it's claimed the developers were looking to upgrade to the following year's data or push for a rare extension. Whatever happened, this was another high profile PlayStation-to-Saturn conversion that failed to materialise...

Heart Of Darkness
After spending years in development and having millions invested into its creation, this one hit the PC and PlayStation looking dated from day one. At one point Sega had negotiated to publish a Saturn version, and some even claim a near-finished build was submitted for approval. By the end, I guess Sega didn't want to spend any more on something that clearly wasn't going to set the videogaming world alight.

Into The Shadows
Yet another from Scavenger's treasure chest of cancellations, only this was reworked far later into Enclave by a group consisting of former demoscene members (including several from the original development team, Triton). If you're that way inclined, a real time PC demo is still available for those with ancient hardware or the means to emulate '96-era graphics card technologies...

Kumite: The Fighters Edge
47-Tek's highly promising 3D martial arts game boasted real time character damage, cloth movement and weapons systems, all topped off with Virtua Fighter 3-beating (yeah, right) arena. As main financial backer and publisher, Konami pulled the plug and liberally borrowed many ideas for its own later project, codenamed Polygon Fighter 573 (get it?) and later released as Fighting Bujutsu - a showcase title for its high-end Cobra arcade board.

Legacy Of Kain
I've heard conflicting reports about this game, so please bear with me for a moment. Some claim it was nearly finished, while others argue it wasn't even contemplated on Sega's 32-bit powerhouse. Either way, its sequel did at least reach the Dreamcast in a far superior treatment to whatever anyone could have expected from this particular subject of cancellation...

Major Damage*
I refuse to comment on this particular game, as in my opinion it certainly wouldn't have been one of Capcom's finest moments. Then again, did anyone honestly expect any less than mediocrity from its US division?

Marvel VS Capcom
Supposedly this would have been part of Capcom's final wave of Saturn games in Japan, launching around mid-to-late '99 along with Street Fighter III, Red Earth and Street Fighter Zero/Alpha 3, the latter being the only title of this set to see the light of day. 4MB RAM cartridge dependent? Of course - it must surely have been one incredible showcase of the hardware upgrade's potential and at the same time a real blow for anyone expecting a flawless PlayStation conversion... can anyone say highly compromised EX edition?

Metal Gear Solid
I've done this one to death recently, so I'll avoid repeating myself further.

Micro Machines V3
This came sooo close to reaching we Saturn owners the console's logo had to be removed from advertisements at the VERY last minute. Why it didn't reach our systems is still something of a mystery, though I'm guessing it had nothing to do with the publisher losing in faith in Sega's platform... as if anyone would ever have dared such a thing!

Mudkicker
Here's another from Scavenger, which appears to be a graphically impressive off-road racer with clunky handling... and no, it didn't just get renamed Scorcher (ouch)!

Ninja
Core Design's simplistic 3D action game didn't make a great impression on the PlayStation, and I seriously doubt it would have fared much better on the Saturn either. Then again, it's still a sad loss that was purely a result of Core briefly jumping into bed exclusively with Sony.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
Another from the PlayStation divide that was once intended for the Saturn as well - did Sony toll its death yet again with the dreaded exclusivity contract?

Pinky And The Brain
"...one is a genius, the other's insane!" You remember these guys, right? Just like the ever-plotting animaniacal caged duo, this one never really went anywhere...

Rattlesnake Red
A polygonal platformer that was so poor-looking (based on the few screenshots out there) we should congratulate the person responsible for swinging a proverbial axe above its head.

Red Earth
See the brief write-up of Marvel VS Capcom for all you need to know about this non-Saturn event.

Sonic Xtreme*
How did this not get mentioned before now, and do I really need to bore you all with the convoluted backstory of underskilled American programmers, multiple engine changes, impossible deadlines, tantrums within Sonic Team or later similarly ill-fated PC version? Rightly filed next to Duke Nukem Forever in the "gaming's greatest misfires" drawer... but for how much longer, perhaps?

Spearhead
Scavenger strikes again! Need I say any more?

Street Fighter III
Now it's Capcom's turn.

Street Fighter EX
Final Fight Revenge proved that series didn't work in three dimensions, and this failure by Akira did exactly the same for Capcom's once flagship fighting series. The fallout would take years to recover from, and even then sprites are still now very much a thing of the past. For those so inclined, console yourselves with the PlayStation version... or maybe discover Tekken 3 instead. Better yet, boot up VF1 because at least that wasn't intentionally made to be hilariously bad at the time of its original release!

Tarantula
Scavenger, it's over to you... again! One thing I can say about this particular casualty is that it may have directly influenced BMG's own very similar Spider for the PlayStation, but don't quote me on this because we can only look at the former while actually being able to play the latter as well.

Terminus
The last one from Scavenger (for now, at least...) and another to have been resurrected far later, only becoming Messiah - a game you might remember getting quite a bit of attention around the Dreamcast period.

Tomb Raider II
I've recently discussed this one in detail as well, so I'll spare you all the (less-than) gory details again.

Virtua AD
Once fleetingly mentioned in 1995, this appears to have been a short-lived alternate workng title for Virtua Fighter RPG/Akira's Quest/Project Berkeley/Shenmue.

Waterworld*
Preview code shown in magazines seemed to evoke the graphical style of Panzer Dragoon, but sadly this one from Ocean (ha-ha!) sank just like the film it was based on (no, I don't mean Titanic) with just a few screenshots and a recently-leaked CG sequence all that now remains above the surface. Who else thinks I really should quit with the bad wet jokes?

Werewolf*
More vile puke, courtesy of Capcom's lesser American staff.

Wild 9
Shiny's rather decent-looking 3D platformer became a PlayStation exclusive in the end. Only the mighty Segata Sanshiro probably knows why... *cough* MONEY *cough*

*Working builds of these are known to be in the hands of (some very lucky or just rather unfortunate?) private collectors.

P.S. Forgive my over-excessive sarcasm, but writing up this epic rant - especially the later portion - would otherwise have become so tedious I just had to exercise some highly acidic wit in order to prevent self-destruction as a result of skull-crushing boredom.

[mick_aka]

On the rather tedious subject of Virtua Fighter 3, by the Xmas '96 editions of most major gaming publications it seems Sega had given a pretty solid looking mid-97 release date, an RRP and in some reported a VF3 pack in Saturn console release!

Makes you wonder how near it was to completion as early as Xmas '96...

[Yart]

Don't worry about the sarcasm Anthaemia. In fact... continue it. It makes reading your posts a lot more entertaining.

[LJay]

funny how games got caneled when there nearly finished,surely after all the work it would have been better to release them and get some money back??guess the sony pay offs were pretty healthy!

[Anthaemia.]

In response to Mick's question about VF3, much of the print media coverage of this Saturn conversion was initiated by comments from Sega Europe head Andy Mee. For those who don't know, he ultimately lost his job when management (the REAL management) over in Japan heard that he'd confirmed a release and price for the Eclipse upgrade cartridge - a project SOJ hadn't even officially approved. In fact, the whole thing was being planned and developed from within Sega's US headquarters and therefore VF3 wouldn't have ever used such a device.

Various members of AM2 including Yu Suzuki himself confirmed in the past that both VF3 and Shenmue were being produced on standalone hardware, and despite magazines reporting a release for the former as early as 1996 production wasn't even announced until the Power Up conference in November the same year. As I've covered before, the first complete version of Saturn VF3 wasn't finished until July '98 with the final second revision submitted for approval just two months after. We can't be sure just how much extra polish AM2 was able to add in such a short period of time, though I'm sure it was just the basic 3D stage details as mentioned by those lucky enough to have playtested this highly-secretive potential killer-app.

To answer ljay, you're correct in guessing that publishers often make exclusivity deals that justify a multiplatform game becoming platform-exclusive, even if much of the hard development work has already been completed. For example, Microsoft agreed to release Shenmue II for the Xbox on the condition AM2 put less focus into the Dreamcast version, which Sega could only issue in Japan and Europe. Apart from a few minor graphical improvements (or slight downgrading as some refer to the changes), the only real difference is that English voiceovers were exclusive to the Xbox while poor Dreamcast owners were left with subtitled Japanese. Still, many argued having such a game in its native tongue made the experience all the more authentic... and I for one agree that this option should have been pursued for the first chapter as well.

Anyway, I'm resorting back to my classic ranting style again so I'd best quit while I'm ahead, so to speak! Thanks for the encouragement regarding my new writing style, as it's definitely something I hope to be using a lot more in my own project. Now it seems Duke Nukem Forever will finally see the light of day, perhaps my long-promised efforts can replace this as the new king of vapour products?

[LJay]

Damn!where have i been??i didn't know our american cousins didn't get DC shenmue 2!poor buggers!

The amount of gamers that have been dissapointed due to excusivity deals over the years must be unreal

i too prefer the voice acting of shenmue 2

[Deleted]

Not that I found the VO in Shenmue 1 to be amazing, I found it too hard getting into the subtitles in part 2. Also, I felt Shenmue was more enjoyable as a single experience rather than a whole series of games.

Not that I'm a major fan of the VF series, I'm still starting to get quite saddened about the whole VF3 situation the more I hear about it (I never really cared for it up until this post started).

So was Yu Suzuki really pushed about and cast aside by Sega at some point?

Sept 4, 2010 21:16:37 GMT Anthaemia. said:

Due to its policies on product content Sega of Japan requested that Konami replace any use of cigarettes with smoke grenades, plus I seem to recall them asking for a few other scenes including nudity and characters being shot "on screen" to be censored as well.

*Looks at screenshots of House of the Dead with people's limbs blowing up, eyeballs falling out, people getting ripped in two*

Huh....?

[Kibbles]

Suzuki san produced OutRun 2 and directed Sega Race TV before dissapearing.

Japanese companies often place people who mess up in positions that meerly shadow their own job as a form of punishment.

Think of it like, if Suzuki loved pizza (who doesn't love pizza?) SEGA did the equivelant of sticking him in cage with a pizza on the other side of the bars.

Suzuki himself said he wanted to lead AM+, so it was either a decision by SEGA or by him that lead to his current situation of taking a back seat.

Yuji Naka on the other hand was practically 'let go' and told to start his own business by the SEGA higher ups.

It is known that Suzuki and Naka were not well liked within SEGA for being 'one man band' designers - and even more well known that Naka was disliked for being a bit of a tosser (always arguing with the heads of other studios within SEGA etc).

[Anthaemia.]

Let's not forget it was (allegedly) one of Yuji Naka's infamous tantrums that contributed to the downfall of the Sonic Xtreme project, supposedly because he didn't want Sega Technical Institute to have access to Sonic Team's proprietary NiGHTS engine technology. By successfully getting his way, Naka effectively set development of this key Saturn game for the Winter '96 season back months it couldn't afford to be delayed by... and the rest is now all-too-familiar history!

As for Yu Suzuki's gradual falling back down the Sega corporate ladder, it's fair to say faith in his once deity-like status was lost following three near-consecutive failures after years of back-to-back hits. The cancellation of Saturn Virtua Fighter 3 despite being completed twice was bad enough, but Genki's conversion for the Dreamcast almost ruined the reputation of Sega's then-latest console before it had even built up crucial momentum - and everyone knows AM2 could have focused its resources on making a truly impressive showcase of the 128-bit system's capability at perfectly reproducing Model 3 titles had it not been pre-occupied with a Saturn treatment that even I will admit could never have reached such an ambitious level of graphical quality.

Continuing on the subject of Suzuki's downfall a moment further, he didn't make matters any better with the last-minute decision to give Shenmue II a cliffhanger ending as opposed to spending a few extra months writing a more definitive conclusion to a series that had clearly failed on at least a commercial level. Everyone involved much surely have known that a third installment may be preferable, but was it ever a financially realistic option? By deliberately opting to keep the door open - something he's even hinted at in recent times, providing he would be available to supervise the production of Shenmue III whenever it should be greenlighted for development - Yu Suzuki effectively sealed his own fate because it's clear Sega thinks it's better to just freeze him out as a liability the now-cash-strapped comapny can no longer afford to have around.

You can see exactly how Sega managed to squeeze out poor Suzuki in the end, as first the Virtua Fighter series was subtly handed over to the control of Hiroshi Kataoka (who prefers for each new sequel to be more an evolution of the last as opposed to a full revolution) around the period its fourth installment was ready to be unleased. There were even conscious efforts being made to give his ultimate pet project, Shenmue, to former right-hand men Keiji Okayasu and Shin Kataoka. Of course, in the end the whole saga was brought to an early anti-climax that may also have been partly caused by Okayasu's leaving AM2 soon after it became obvious the first chapter was not going to be the success everyone had originaly thought it woud be.

Many of you will already know Suzuki had determined after months of research that VF4 would not be possible on the Dreamcast to his own satisfaction, but were you aware his intention to release this flagship title for the PlayStation 2 very nearly cost him a position within Sega, full-stop? A certain senior member within the company was rumoured to have felt so betrayed by Suzuki's suggestion Sega develop for a rival platform (which, let's face it, was partly responsible for the Dreamcast's short life - along with rampant levels of piracy, no doubt!) that it was briefly considered that another team should be given the task of creating a Dreamcast conversion of VF4.

Not wanting a repeat of the console VF3 fiasco and realising that going multiplatform may not have been quite the wrong move it once seemed, Isao Okawa personally gave the order just prior to his passing that Sega had no choice but to embrace becoming solely a developer and publisher for it to have any kind of long-term future in the industry. Also, it's been revealed in more recent times Microsoft was taking bold steps to create something of a superpower with Sega providing much of the software expertise. Sadly for all involved, this masterplan didn't go much further than a few later Dreamcast games being resurrected for the Xbox, though it's now common knowledge that plans were made for this synergy to have been far more incorporative.

By reluctantly going with Suzuki's suggestion, the floodgates were opened and those who still followed the once-revered AM2 leader helped shape Sega into the streamlined, software-only vessel it will more than likely remain perhaps forever. While it's certainly every Sega fan's greatest pipe dream, I honestly can't see the days of competitive hardware manufacturing, bleeding-edge arcade technology or decent Sonic titles coming around too soon. Yu Suzuki was definitely the biggest scapegoat in Sega's transition, but he certainly wasn't the only martyr... though at least other former division heads such as Yuji Naka or Tetsuya Mizuguchi continue putting out worthwhile games on rare occasions. Meanwhile, your average Sega executive these days can't even give you a straight answer regarding Suzuki's whereabouts, present activities or corporate ranking - doesn't that just speak volumes as to how disorganised things have become in more recent times?

P.S. In response to a comment made by Terramax, I'm similarly puzzled as to how Sega could ask for censorship in third party software yet quite happily develop products like The House Of The Dead or Deep Fear internally!