Difference between revisions of "Sega Sports"

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[[File:SegaSports Logo.svg|right|300px]]
 
[[File:SegaSports Logo.svg|right|300px]]
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During the 1990s and early 2000s, '''Sega Sports''' branding was given to video games made by [[Sega]] which fell within the sports genre (though during the years of the [[Sega Saturn]], vehicle racing games could also qualify), similar to [[Electronic Arts]]' [[EA Sports]] label. Appearing in 1993{{magref|sfm|2|7}}, the brand lasted ten years before being phased out during 2003, presumably because Sega were no longer in the hardware business and were cutting back on game production.
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'''Sega Sports''' was a brand used by Sega to market sports video games during most of the 1990s and the early 2000s. First appearing in 1993{{magref|sfm|2|7}}, Sega used the Sega Sports name for about ten years, following in the footsteps of [[Electronic Arts]]' [[EA Sports]] label (or Electronic Arts Sports Network as it was originally known).
  
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Sega had been producing sports games before the Sega Sports brand came into effect, and still produce sports games to this day (though NBA, NHL and NFL ''2K'' series are now handled by [[2K Games]]).
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[[Sega of America]] had been using sports personalities to sell games since the US launch of the [[Sega Mega Drive]] (Genesis) in 1989. With lucrative markets from the national American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey leagues, and EA's proven business model of releasing sports games annually (with updated teams and statistics), SoA chose to create a dedicated "Sega Sports" team to handle the production and marketing of sports software.
  
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==Games with Sega Sports Branding==
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The distinction was to help position Sega as a trusted brand for sports titles, that it was dedidcated the the genre and that Sega consoles were the best place to play such games. Sega's rivals, such as [[Nintendo]] (who were not producing annual sports games at the time), could then be painted as being indifferent to the genre. At a time where marketing drove the industry, having a "range" of up-to-date sports titles was considered a huge plus by Sega's American branch.
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Sega of America's Sega Sports team is presumed to have had a played a similar role to other parts of the company - it was a set of producers, designers and testers which oversaw sub-contracted game development. Elsewhere in the world, "Sega Sports" became a label which was applied to almost all Sega-published sports games regardless of origin. With the [[Sega Saturn]], the scope was often extended to racing games such as ''[[Manx TT Super Bike]]'' and ''[[F1 Challenge]]''.
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Sega Sports branding continued to be used until 2003, when Sega sold [[Visual Concepts]] to [[Take-Two Interactive]]. Take-Two and Visual Concepts would then produce sports games under the 2K Sports label (which continues to this day), while Sega would drop its ambitions to produce sports titles annually.
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==Games with Sega Sports branding==
 
===[[Mega Drive]]===
 
===[[Mega Drive]]===
 
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*''[[NCAA College Basketball 2K3]]'' (2002)
 
*''[[NCAA College Basketball 2K3]]'' (2002)
 
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==Gallery==
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<gallery>
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SegaSports logo 1993.png|1993 logo
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SegaSports logo 1994.png|1994 logo
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</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />
 
[[Category:Brands]]
 
[[Category:Brands]]

Revision as of 16:01, 11 February 2020

SegaSports Logo.svg

Sega Sports was a brand used by Sega to market sports video games during most of the 1990s and the early 2000s. First appearing in 1993[1], Sega used the Sega Sports name for about ten years, following in the footsteps of Electronic Arts' EA Sports label (or Electronic Arts Sports Network as it was originally known).

Sega of America had been using sports personalities to sell games since the US launch of the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) in 1989. With lucrative markets from the national American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey leagues, and EA's proven business model of releasing sports games annually (with updated teams and statistics), SoA chose to create a dedicated "Sega Sports" team to handle the production and marketing of sports software.

The distinction was to help position Sega as a trusted brand for sports titles, that it was dedidcated the the genre and that Sega consoles were the best place to play such games. Sega's rivals, such as Nintendo (who were not producing annual sports games at the time), could then be painted as being indifferent to the genre. At a time where marketing drove the industry, having a "range" of up-to-date sports titles was considered a huge plus by Sega's American branch.

Sega of America's Sega Sports team is presumed to have had a played a similar role to other parts of the company - it was a set of producers, designers and testers which oversaw sub-contracted game development. Elsewhere in the world, "Sega Sports" became a label which was applied to almost all Sega-published sports games regardless of origin. With the Sega Saturn, the scope was often extended to racing games such as Manx TT Super Bike and F1 Challenge.

Sega Sports branding continued to be used until 2003, when Sega sold Visual Concepts to Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two and Visual Concepts would then produce sports games under the 2K Sports label (which continues to this day), while Sega would drop its ambitions to produce sports titles annually.

Games with Sega Sports branding

Mega Drive

Mega-CD

Game Gear

Sega 32X

Saturn

Dreamcast

Windows

PlayStation 2

Xbox

GameCube

Gallery

  • 1993 logo

  • 1994 logo

References

  1. ↑ Sega Force Mega, "September 1993" (UK; 1993-07-22), page 7
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