Sega gets Deep Fried

Publisher signs with Vancouver-based independent studio formed by Black Box vets to create PSP titles.

Before it was purchased by Electronic Arts in 2002, Black Box Games worked on a number of games for Sega, including Sega Soccer Slam and NHL 2K. Now a new studio formed by ex-Black Box developers has signed on to make games for the publisher.

Sega today announced that it has tapped Vancouver-based Deep Fried Entertainment to work on PlayStation Portable games. Deep Fried was founded in June 2005 by five former Black Box developers with experience working on games like MDK2, NFL Gameday, Baldur's Gate, and the Need for Speed: Underground series.

The move continues a pair of Sega trends: a growing interest in external game development and more ties with Western developers. Sega has recently acquired Western studios The Creative Assembly, Secret Level, and Sports Interactive, and has signed development deals with Silicon Knights, Bizarre Creations, Obsidian Entertainment, Monolith Productions, Planet Moon Studios, and Pseudo Interactive.

Sega did not disclose what project the Deep Fried team is working on or when it's expected to be released.

62 Comments

  • rarson

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 9:08 pm PT

    Sega would be stupid to try and make a new console. Sticking to software was the best move they ever made. Especially with how aggressive MS and Sony have been with selling hardware at a loss.

    The Dreamcast was awesome. I paid full price for that system and I still don't regret it. The best part about it at the time was all the Sega exclusives! I will never sell that console.

    Regarding Nintendo going to software ala Sega: that would truly hurt the industry. I don't know how many of you guys are car guys, but in the late '90s, the Japanese companies were having a sports car war, and their respective cars were getting more and more expensive. The Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Nissan 300ZX, and Mitsubishi 3000GT got so complicated and expensive that they were essentially competing with cars like BMWs. They literally priced themselves out of the market. After that came a period of time with no Japanese sports cars, which just recently changed with the advent of the 350Z.

    Microsoft and Sony are doing the same thing. They are pushing so hard to one-up the other on system specs that they are making overpriced consoles. If Nintendo wasn't around, then there'd be no option to these ever-increasingly ridiculous prices. And then we'd have 1985 all over again.

  • Max_Fischer

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 2:18 pm PT

    Jordan Bisasky - You can't say they got a bad deal on selling the 2K franchises. It was becoming too much of a hassel. It was the same old story of great Sega made games, but this time they were more widely loved [being much more widley known as annual sports games], yet still were outsold by Madden. It was best that they sold them and began working more with western style simply with deals from NA developers making general video games, not only westernized sports.

  • minos30

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 2:02 pm PT

    I think they are giving it another try for a future console.... maybe for the next-next-gen.... they are building a good base of developers so .... who knows?

  • amaranth_aeon

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 1:50 pm PT

    blueflamedino
    dreamcast was great, although i bought it when it crasheed leaving the best at budget prices, but don't dis dreamcast, i still believe dreamcast had better visuals overall compared to the ps2

    Everyone who owned a DC remembers it more fondly than anyone will remember the PS2 (and I love my PS2...). There was just something special about the Dreamcast. It introduced tons of great ideas that were then used by others. Shen Mue, anyone? Groundbreaking! Earthshattering!

  • mezonesxbox

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 1:25 pm PT

    ahhh!... i though sega was FRIED!! LOL

  • aashkii

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 1:10 pm PT

    Not another PSP game. At least make it a good one, okay?!

  • crills

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 1:06 pm PT

    poor saga you will never make the dream cast 2 if you try to sell games on the psp thats system has been dead a long time the ds killed it maybe saga should just keep doing games for the ds and the next gen systems intil they make enuff money to go on there own again

  • standcm12

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 11:52 am PT

    GO SEGA! DREAMCAST 2 PLEEASSSEEEE!! XD

  • Zweihanderhero

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 11:46 am PT

    Sega seems to be getting their second wind lately...PSU kicked ass and got great reviews,Yakuza was an awesome game and here's more good news.Good to see that they could still dish out good games that don't rely completely on their old franchises to succeed...

    Still a game for PSP?Probably a retro title...hopefully a new Shining Force Strategy RPG or something

  • Lepuke

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 11:34 am PT

    Sega is still my favorite developer, even if it is just mostly for nostalgia purposes these days.

  • WolfSkill5544

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 10:59 am PT

    Cool, I can't wait to hear what games SEGA is making for the PSP.

  • MoodyFlame

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 10:35 am PT

    i thought just like you fred_for_brains, i thought they got completely wiped out

  • redxwarriorxxx

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 10:30 am PT

    good old Sega

  • insane956dv

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 10:23 am PT

    O K

  • WillT12345

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 10:06 am PT

    TintedChimes
    mm...deep fried...mmm U beat me to it.

  • gugi_nayar

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 8:49 am PT

    i don't find it really great

  • fred_for_brains

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 8:35 am PT

    Phoo! For a second there I thought that they meant something even WORSE had happened to SEGA after going out of the hard ware race way back. But I just read a couple of lines and everything was OK. Yay for me !

  • blueflamedino

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 8:29 am PT

    dreamcast was great, although i bought it when it crasheed leaving the best at budget prices, but don't dis dreamcast, i still believe dreamcast had better visuals overall compared to the ps2

  • Doolum

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 7:47 am PT

    Sega Games=Good Games ( well please dont consider about the Dreamcast,not worth it )

  • amaranth_aeon

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 7:46 am PT

    I also agree with PSdual_wielder. EA is getting scarier and scarier... They have such a huge share of the market that they care less and less about the quality of the games.
    "Who cares if our games suck, they will soon be the only games left!!!" [insert evil mastermind demented laugh]

  • amaranth_aeon

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 7:43 am PT

    SoraTheExtreme:
    Ooooh, Landstalker... I'd love to know how that's coming along, too. It was already great on the Genesis, which wasn't exactly the perfect system for 3D.

    Sega (or a Sega-owned studio) developing for the PSP is gerat news. Sega have always delivered in terms of innovative gameplay.

    What I especially like about them is how they adapt to specific consoles. They don't just develop one idea and then figure out how to make it fit on this or that system.
    (Argh, I must resist slipping into nostalgic mode about the DC... must... resist...)

  • TintedChimes

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 6:48 am PT

    mm...deep fried...mmm

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 6:38 am PT

    Um... Neat?

  • ZEELIX

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 6:19 am PT

    sounds fine to me

  • Deepfreezed

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 5:59 am PT

    what is a PSP? is it somthing you eat?

  • jonnyjd

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 5:31 am PT

    I'm liking this news for the PSP.

  • Thorpe89 Site moderator

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 4:21 am PT

    I hope I can see plenty of new PSP titles.

  • GFofgaming

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 2:27 am PT

    Great news coming for PSP. Hopefully this trend will cotinue.

  • azizrulez

    Posted Sep 19, 2006 12:28 am PT

    soem pretty big studios here

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 11:42 pm PT

    Good news for the PSP. First Capcom and now Sega gives the PSP some love.

  • kamicolo

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 11:38 pm PT

    Good job Sega, still making money

  • HXCDEW

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 11:32 pm PT

    Sega loves PSP

  • kells77

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 11:15 pm PT

    sweet, more PSP games means me more happy

  • dadeisvenm

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 10:08 pm PT

    Yes. I love it when a plan comes together.

  • ninjajuggalo810

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 9:51 pm PT

    good for sega i think their one of the best gaming companies ever nest to nintendo and sony its just too bad they left the console game

  • mike_mgoblue

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 9:25 pm PT

    Sega is a stupid company when it comes to business...Well, Sega of Japan that is. Sega of Japan only looks at things from the point of view of Japan...and they just don't make good decisions...they are very arrogant.

  • Jordan Bisasky

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 9:12 pm PT

    Sega makes some really stupid decisions. Maybe they shouldn't have sold off their 2K line for next to nothing if they wanted a western presence.

    But Sega sealed their fate way back in the 90's. Oh well, let's hope Sonic on the 360/PS3 is good.

  • PSdual_wielder

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 9:12 pm PT

    Anything that harmed or have any miniscule negative effects on EA is good news. Former designers from EA quitting them and making a new developer acquired by another publisher? Not any hard hit but good just because those guys left EA.

  • SonicNinja976

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 9:04 pm PT

    Hmph....

  • boxcarracer565

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 8:31 pm PT

    hmmm. useless info.

  • Bathyj

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 8:19 pm PT

    DreamworkS12
    Don't ever come back with a console SEGA, just stick to what you do best... games!! And the more original IPs you make for the PSP the better!! Rock on!

    I can't help but think maybe Nintendo should have done the same thing. I dont mean for the PSP, just games in general. Surely they cant afford to lose this time round.

  • SoraTheExtreme

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 8:17 pm PT

    The awaited return of SEGA? Hope so, I grew up with my MegaDrive and Sonic. (VegetaMaelstrom: I'm currently playing Shadow the Hedgehog and it rocks!!)

  • ebonyflame

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 8:04 pm PT

    Pay attention to the signs. Nintendo making huge stride to become number one in gaming at home. Owning the handheld scene for a couple of generations. I think the time may be growing nigh for Nintendo's old dance partner to put its dancing shoes again and enter the home gaming fray. ANytime soon, probably not until the dust from the next few years home gaming war settles. But they are (Sega) strategically positioning themselves for a very bright future. Developer after developer, gaining momentum in the software sector, etc., etc. The future looks very interesting.

  • Charlie2688

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 8:02 pm PT

    They will probably come up with some pretty sweet new IPs !

  • VegetaMaelstrom

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 7:58 pm PT

    Hopefully ther aren't working on another Shadow the Hegdehog "game".

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 7:54 pm PT

    at first i thought deep fried meant they were in trouble

  • rarson

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 7:31 pm PT

    R2R was a Midway game, it was ported to PS2 while the DC was still alive.

    I hope Sega continues making awesome software. It's good to see the company doing well (RIP Atari).

  • CyphenX

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 7:27 pm PT

    Wow, that's some good talent. Onwards, Sega!

  • GraduatedGamer

    Posted Sep 18, 2006 7:18 pm PT

    You know it's possible that all of the Dreamcast and Sega games could be remade on the PSP, even sequels. I'd love to play Ready 2 Rumble again.

advertisement
Click Here

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!