Rumour Rumour: Sega to Discontinue the Dreamcast and Become Multi-Platform Developer?

[Dreadknux]

What... the... heck..? This is a pretty explosive rumour, so let's hope it's not true. Apparently, there are noises that suggest Sega is going to stop production of the Dreamcast and actually make video games for other rival consoles - including PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance!(?)

Now clearly there doesn't seem to be any real reason to believe this is going to happen - IGNDC cites a report from the Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun, but also adds that it is "typically reputable"... yet when the site contacted Sega of America for clarification, the VP of Communications Charles Bellfield denied it saying, "obviously it's a very slow news day, and people are very bored."

Apparently this whole thing stems from a few press releases Sega made back in October, where the company said it would be licensing out Dreamcast hardware to other hardware companies (i.e. digital camera makers, set top boxes). Bellfield noted that other video game consoles were not mentioned, particularly the PlayStation 2.

"The press releases from the business announcement we posted last year doesn't include other consoles, but other electronic devices, i.e. digital cameras, phones, etc," he said. "I realize that is a very bold announcement, but this current news story is rumor mongering and speculation. Sega will make these new announcements next week.

"In the next week or so, Sega will make some new announcements about the Dreamcast that will help to explain our future strategies. At that point you'll be able to see that Dreamcast technology will incorporate a whole new videogaming experience. Our future is very, very rosy."

We really hope that this isn't true, but the way Sega's going about it doesn't exactly fill us with hope. The confirmation that the company is dedicated to Dreamcast isn't exactly addressing that it's not making third-party games... we'll be keeping a close eye on this one.

Source: IGNDC

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