Pre-TGS: Seaman Comes to US in Q1

TOKYO - A good portion of Sega of America's Japanese press conference today was dedicated to Seaman. The title has seen good sales in Japan so far - more than 250,000 units - and Sega of America is hoping the title will fare just as well in the States.

The first thing that Sega did was to assure us that the Seaman name would not be changed for the title's US release. According to Sega representatives, the company has put together 16 focus groups on Seaman so far, and for the most part, the company has received only positive reactions to the name. Sega has also been working with these focus groups to figure out exactly what the voice should be like for the US version of the game. Also, it was mentioned that Sega may label the title as a habitation simulation. And one last bit of good news: It appears as though the "Don't Panic" phrase will remain for the stateside release.

Currently, the Seaman project is slated for a Q1 release in the US, and it will ship with the voice module. It should prove very interesting to see how the title gets translated and promoted in the States.