8/22/2006
Sega Introduces Online Coin-Op Network in U.S.
Arcade scene dead? Sega doesn't think so. The company's Sega Amusements subsidiary is hoping to breathe new life into American arcades with a new online platform called ALL.Net, which will make its debut this fall in bars, arcades and entertainment centers. |
| Sega Amusements USA and Sega Entertainment USA have announced plans to debut Sega's new online platform, ALL.Net, in the United States this fall. According to Sega, ALL.Net is "designed as a platform for online entertainment services" and "empowers players to compete in massive multiplayer tournaments." The first game to take advantage of the online platform will be Extreme Hunting 2 -- Tournament Edition, a sequel to Sega Amusements' successful line of coin-operated hunting games totaling over 17,000 games in the market. Starting this fall Sega will offer the ALL.Net online kit for all existing and future sales of the game. With ALL.Net, gamers in bars, arcades and entertainment centers such as the Sega-owned GameWorks will be able to play against one another, enter national tournaments and check out online rankings. While new to North America, the online platform has been used in Japan since 2004 for games like Virtua Fighter 4 and Virtua Striker. In order to showcase the ALL.Net platform GameWorks is currently hosting a Deer and Shotgun Tournament August 2 - 27 at six locations: Seattle; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Miami; Minneapolis; and Schaumburg, Ill. Competitors will be able to win in their local city and the three highest scores overall will then be recognized as the national winners. The holder of the top national score will receive a first place prize that includes a 42" plasma television, an Xbox 360 and more from Sega, GameWorks and tournament sponsor, Buckmasters Ltd. While the glory days for arcades in America are long since gone, certain entertainment centers such as GameWorks have managed to survive despite arcades being completely overshadowed by the home console market. By comparison, the arcade machines in Japan are frequented far more often. Sega is hoping to replicate that success stateside. "This marks an exciting future for the amusement industry as it allows players new avenues for game interaction, gives local establishments new sources of revenue, and creates a platform from which future Sega titles can be linked," the company said. A list of future Sega games to incorporate the ALL.Net technology has not yet been revealed. |
