Sega returns to self-publishing at last

Sega has finally confirmed plans to resurrect its publishing operation in Europe, announcing that it will build up sales, marketing and PR efforts in the region and publish Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution (PS2), Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut (Cube) and Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II (Xbox) by the end of June.

The games, none of which is an original title, somewhat notably, will be self-published by Sega in an attempt to actually shift some units. Few if any of Sega's recent efforts published by Infogrames, Sony and Acclaim have sold in any great numbers, so it is very much a case of "if you want something doing well…"

Sega will gradually wrestle back the entirety of its games catalogue for publication as the Infogrames, Acclaim and Sony distribution deals come to an end, however the company is negotiating distribution arrangements to ensure full distribution in other PAL territories, like Australia and New Zealand.

In order to facilitate the move back into European self-publishing, Sega is opening another office in Paris to direct publishing over there, complementing the existing European HQ in Chiswick, London.

"Sega Europe is now in a position to get closer to the European games market, with its own publishing operation," Sega Europe president and COO Naoya Tsurumi commented. "The transition from hardware manufacturer to software publisher is now complete, and we see the next few years as an incredibly exciting time for growth for Sega Europe."

Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II is due out in May, with Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution and Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut due out in June.