My roommate is addicted to this steam shit. Nice looking “S” though…

A little while ago, I received a comment about a person who’s goal was to work at Sega and potentially save the Sonic franchise from being raped by the idiot Japanese that works in the hollowed offices of Ota, Tokyo. It’s a dream many share in the west. After the sheer destruction of Sonic’s image and reputation, we’re ALL damned hungry to reverse the process of ruin.

Unfortunately, and I must do this as a favor and not a dream crusher, but I’d say it’s best to save your money and run away. If you live in America, at least.

I say this because the Japanese in general absolutely HATE… and I mean…. HATE it when some BAKA GAIJIN from the west out does them in their own franchises. We’ve seen this with Sega, we’ve seen this with Donkey Kong, and we damn sure have seen it with Metroid. If those Tom Kalinske articles failed to convince you, I don’t now what will.

SOJ’s sheer animosity toward SOA extends even to the fanbase. What with all the controversies surrounding Phantasy Star Online 2, the refusal to approve a Streets of Rage 4 (or any game that appeals to the west outside of Sonic), the Shining Force takedowns on youtube…. fuck it, SOJ hates America. And for no real reason beyond the success of the Genesis.

The creator of Sega Brawlers did some digging and found out that employees of SOA have no power. They are literally under the thumb of Sega of Europe, a branch that does nothing of worth except for the All-Stars Racing games. Everyone on this list bitches about upper management, and game development being decided purely on politics rather than market testing or reception (which begs the question of why GOOD features in Sonic games get removed at the requests of X’ers). This one comes from a previous director of SOA in regards to the direction the company is moving.

I worked at SEGA of America full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Benefits, Good colleagues and great team. Was great and very exciting at the time of the 2005 reset...but...

Cons – ...the reset ran out of steam and the products didn't sell. Some didn't sell because they weren't any good and that wasn't addressed by many people involved, but there were plenty of products that were good too. While the market does play a role in this I have to say that it's not fully to blame. Most problem products weren't righted and the organization in general just didn't collectively have its stuff together to change that. It wasn't for lack of good people or even processes, it largely appears that the output from such things was ignored or people even covered problems up fearing their own failures would see them out the door.

The big downside of working at Sega America is of course having to work with Sega of Japan and Sega Europe, in particular having to work under the management from SOE over the last several years…which let’s face it, hasn’t worked out and on reflection appears to have not been a good idea. Yes, I’m biased…but it’s also true isn’t it?

There are some great people within those overseas places yes, but there are also many failures, politicians and ineffective managers (managers, directors and VP’s) too. SOJ typically falls in line with what you’d expect of any Japanese company, essentially an organization that looks down on anyone who is not Japanese. Racism. There, I said it.

As for SOE. The management (particularly that which has been managing or overseeing the entire Sega West business) has run the entire thing into the ground. A lot of those same people appear to have been doing nothing but empire building for themselves and instead of trying to make the business work have been securing themselves.

Better people were ousted unnecessarily in order to pave the way for such empire building. I’m happy for the recent change of guard at Sega West, but it hasn’t really gone far enough and we needed more directors, leadership and decision making back at SOA if only to curb the lack of insightful direction, decision making and interfering from overseas. Why? Those involved just didn’t understand the problems from afar, thus couldn’t fix them.

Ultimately it’s been difficult to get any products, business or other efforts off of the ground because of the stalemate and lack of decision making in place and we lost so many good people because of that. There’s a lot of reason to not work there nowadays. It’s a good gig to have if you don’t have anything else going on of course, but that’s as far as I’d recommend working there.

Advice to Senior Management – Make some decisions. Grow the business, but don't fear cancelling products that are not meeting expectations, it will at least allow you to double down on the winners. Put some local leadership in place to represent SOA and sever this ridiculous leash that SOE has. It hasn't worked out so change it.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I’m not optimistic about the outlook for this company.

Well…. shit! Who’da thunk it? SOE, the most worthless branch, having more power than the most successful branch! But here’s some more camel back breaking remarks.

I have been working at SEGA of America

Pros – Big brand name, iconic IP, nice office,

Cons – Business down 60% since 2007, Americans treated as 3rd class, Europeans treated as 2nd class. Politics rewarded over merit.

Advice to Senior Management – Top execs in Europe and Japan keep getting promoted while Americans get fired and treated badly. The wrong people are getting promoted

This is amazing. Why would you punish your most productive branch while the most useless one gets more cred?

Everything about working at Sega is pure politics at this point. Mostly because the Japanese branch is so fucking deluded and drunk with the “Japan is awesome!” phase that just won’t die out. It’s questionable as to why the European branch has more power than the American branch seeing that the American branch is the entire reason people give a damn about Sega in the first place.

That is until you understand how Orientals see the world in general. SOJ’s supremacist attitude toward SOA is deeply rooted in the bigger oriental picture. I recall an article on Tom Kalinske in which he “went against the master” when describing himself as an American Samurai of business, and how his eventual downfall was a result of going against the master. You see, Orientals in general strive toward a “Master-Servant” relationship. If they have no mastery over people, they seek it immediately. Afterall, Slavery is an export of Asia. The servant is NEVER allowed to surpass the master. If you notice, the Japanese favor seniority above all else when it comes to business. One of Nakayama’s quotes when being frustrated with the Genesis was “We should be more successful! We were here longer, afterall!” One example I recall was in fuedal times, a peasant or someone lower than the lord (daimyo, w/e the fuck you wanna call it) was NEVER allowed to walk ahead of the lord. One such person did (some out of town ronin) and was threatened with death. The Japanese take that seniority shit to a new level. The master is older, wiser, and more knowledgable. The servant or “slave” is not supposed to be better, or think of themselves as superior. Otherwise, such superiority presents a threat to an established power. Or better yet, a visual demonstration.

“DAMN YOU KAIN!”

I believe this is why Europe is favored more than America. SOE doesn’t do shit of quality or worth, so they present no real threat to the master. SOA had already proven their power, competence, and potency in delivering quality while SOJ was mortified. For SOA’s transgression, they discontinue the Genesis and shove out the Saturn.

All for being more successful in turning profits? The Japanese have shown time and again that money is not important for their business. It is all about pride and ego. Their desire is to now show how grand Japanese culture is. Look at the Mega Man OVA that came out in the 90s. It was all about teaching people the WONDERS of Japan.

The Crapcom fanboys will be our bitches fo’ life! BWAHAHAHAHAHHA!

Why would one give a shit about Japanese culture when all you wanna do is kick robot ass?

Anywho, looking at how this company operates, I’m sorry to say, but don’t even think about stepping one foot into their doors with a resume wide open. You WILL NOT get what you want, which is the opportunity to save Sonic the Hedgehog. Count the Japanese college students out too, they have no interest in Sonic games unless it was some animu RPG or w/e.

There are exceptions. Konami with the ruination of Castlevania (still under the watch of an asian guy to keep the good will, I’m sure). Capcom with the new Strider. Nintendo with Retro (about to end after they reap the profits from DKCR2. Watch). Sega isn’t one of them. Never will be. SOA hasn’t made a Sega game since the Saturn, and that one was cancelled.

*gives biggest finger ever*