They're in their own little world. They can fuck right off.

Sounds like even the people at Sega think the Sega brand name is a lost cause.

With this approach though, they're basically saying since they can't rely on the brand name to sell games, they have to make games which are actually decent. Can't fault them on that.

.... but the ironic thing is that some of their releases don't reflect that mentality.

Fuck Sega.

** Straight to the fans that believe "SEGA" still the same company since 2001. I'll keep watching videos of VF5FS...

** Ah, Fuck Sega...

Sega can suck a bag of dicks.

Dear SEGA,
I'm not sure that religious lexicon is the correct way to relate to consumers. Terminology like "agnostic" will only confuse people. Trying to understand what SEGA is trying to say with such a poor choice of word and not much else to go on besides that is akin to playing a guessing game. Am I to get the impression that they would rather be a publisher rather than developer? Because that's how the media outlets are spinning this.
*

VFDC should try to get in touch with SEGA West president, Mike Hayes, and ask him to clarify his statement in relation to the Virtua Fighter brand. And it surely is a "brand", right? As much as Tekken, Street Fighter and/or the rest of the fighting game franchises are brands - a name of consumer recognition.

We should also bring to his attention that there has been huge fan demand for a console port of the latest arcade version of VF5 for quite some time (in case he wasn't aware, and if he was, a simple update on that front is what we're entitled to as the courtesy of developer to their consumers).

Furthermore, we should ask Mike Hayes just what is SEGA's immediate (short-term) and long-term strategy to ressurrect the brand of Virtua Fighter in the West after Capcom and Namco are taken such huge strides to open up the market and make fighting games massively popoular again in the casual gamer's consciousness? After Capcom and Namco have made such studious efforts in regards to community interaction and public relations (hired translators, key community members as part of the public relations and development teams, regular twitter & facebook updates from lead producers). So, just what is SEGA's strategy to compete in this intensive, media-driven information market?

I'd also like to know if SEGA West (or SEGA America, question: Are they one and the same?) - are SEGA West interacting with their Japanese counterparts, are there regular meetings on this front? In relation to Capcom USA, they played a pivotal role in pushing for a new Street Fighter (SF4), and listened to demands for a new Marvel Vs Capcom game (MvC3), and a Third Strike Online re-release - basically demonstrating the massive Western interest to their Japanese colleagues. I'd would like to know whether SEGA West has any clout or say-so in what the West see released, and just what have they been doing to speak on our behalf and convey the fan messsage?

Once I get answers to some of these questions and see that SEGA West are making the correct decisions of behalf of us (the consumers in the console-driven, western market), then I, and thousands like me, can start to believe in SEGA: The Brand, and Virtua Fighter: The Brand, again.

meh... agnostic, huh? meaning SEGA doesn´t believe in themselves or what? That's some weird way of putting things....

Translation:
"Fuck old SEGA. More licenses & Sonic games. Fuck the fans.
MONEY MONEY MONEY."

Sega should just change their name to Activision and be done with it. Sammy have effectively killed Sega.
Brand distinctiveness is actually very important, without a strong brand you fade into the crowd. When gamers talk about games companies they don't mention Sega anymore.

Fixed.

this direction they took was definitely unfortunate. even if that new Sonic game looks pretty cool, i would have traded that for VF5FS for PS3, even if it just pushes the Sonic game back a year.

this is why i just wait.

Well the fact that Sega is only investing in the trash that they call "Sonic" now is a joke. All of the Sonic games that have come out, including the ones that even looked remotely good, turn out to be wayyyyy too short. It amazes me how a company can butcher the series that put them on the map, and at the same time continue to create the most in depth balanced 3D fighter out there, and at the same time not port the updates to consoles. VF is the only respectable thing Sega has going for itself, and they're slapping everybody who isn't in Japan in the face. I guess we might as well just try to get more people into the 360 version of the game, because at the looks like it we're not getting FS anytime soon.

i really hope Sega pushes the hell out of VF5FS for the consoles, because once Tekken Tag 2 and a few other fighting games hit the arcades and consoles, VF is done.

Another interview with SEGA

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/the-50-million-dollar-shenmue-question/3376/

Disappointing, but I'm not surprised. A part of me don't blame them that they wish to bother with games that will sell well. On the subject for Virtua Fighter, I did find it questionable that they released a digitial download for the original version for the Xbox 360, which just made me question at the time, that they are not interested in releasing their newest version. They could have at least shown some care and released the same game version for the ps3.

The other fighting games that I would like to play again from them are Fighting Vipers 2 from their future Dreamcast collection and Last Bronx from their Saturn games. It's unfortuante that their my favorite games currently are from this company, which I will unlikely see a re-release of.

"insert piss joke and ToyLets reference here"

I honestly think that's a very dumb choice for Sega to make. I mean, sure you could sell sonic games but you should release an update to a game that's been out in this country since 2007. It's actually a wast of time and effort to make updates to a game without porting it to other countries. At this point, I'll be more than happy to have at least version c of VF5R.

As I said before, with the fact that Sega is the only one not fully engaging the whole community in this fighting game revival, but now, years later, Are we still thinking Sega is the same company. That is like thinking Square Enix is the same company. The difference being Sega is 10^23 times worse.

Sega picks up some licenses like Iron Man, Green Lantern they suck.

It took sega ages to realize we don't have that stinking Sonic they were trying to pump us, they all sucked, finally they decided to start making Sonic 4 in the same fashion as the original. Would never take Nintendo so long, and quite frankly, Nintendo would never make such a Sh#$!y game bear the name of their mascot.

They did a quick revival of Shinobi, but never expanded upon that, plus the one they gave us was ok at best.

No Streets of Rage whats so ever, not even in a portable, afterall, Nintendo and square enix understands that sometimes you can't release certain old school type games (new games in old school mechanics) in the store as a 60 bucks game, but nothing stopping you from doing so on a handheld, OR virtual console/PSN/xbox live marketplace. Many independent companies have released such games already.

They got a gem in Valkyria Chronicles, What we got was two portable releases afterwards, again, you got a good console game, but instead of marketing it right, giving us commercials, getting game some recognition in the minds of the masses, instead of doing that to increase sales, they copped out and went the portable route.

Sega as a company has always been weired, they started getting challenged in the SNES days, they folded at the end. They got challenged in the PS1 days, they folded early. They started getting challenged in the PS2 days, they folded and disbanded their console division. VF5 doesn't sell will in the US,so they stop releasing it in the US. Instead of looking at the reason it didn't like a barebones game, no story mode, no animations, no video nothing, hardcore may think that doesn't matter, most sales aren't to hardcore though. Original had no online mode, which rendered it useless unless you had a VF fan, which in light of poor marketing in the past and the fact that the game was stuck on Dead consoles, it made its shocking of its omision. 360 release had it, no updated PS version released. poor marketing, no staged tournaments or Madcatz like cooperation with peripheral companies. No support at E3 when it was there. Still insisting on K+G release G after 1 frame type moves, when that only alienates casuals (nothing wrong with doing complex combos, but regular moves shoudln't have to be this way) something you wouldn't see in SF, or Tekken, or Marvel, or (insert your much more successful and still being produced and released in the US game). Like the guy above said, Capcom even listened to the demands for GGPO, THAT is NOT Sega.

Sega is taking the Clippers approach. Ok, We aren't winning, so instead of finding out why and fixing these things, we are going to make sure we are a profitable company first. Clippers has always been profitable, but never was good.

Its too bad, little by little, I see square-enix falling to the same traps. Like everyone wants a more open world, but they give us the coridors of FFXIII. Everyone ask for a remake of FFVII, but yet we get bad prequals, milking of older games for the 54th time, and release of poor console games. FFXIV was joke, they rather XIII-2 over completing Versus, Dragon Quest IX went to a portable, no signs of a New Chrono game, or even a updated original with updated sprites and orchestral music. Everyone seems to try to remake Xenogears like Xenosaga and Xenoblade, but Square does nothing with the actual Xenogears IP. They bought IPs like Dungeon Siege, only to release a game that doesn't look like a successor to Dungeon siege, and it is mediocre at best. Its like people just seem to be out of touch with what their costomers want.