Feature: 'Sega & The Rebirth Of The U.S. Arcade?'

In today's main feature and this exclusive Gamasutra interview, GameWorks' Clint Manny reveals parent company Sega's plan for the U.S. arcade chain, including networked arcade gaming between multiple locations, as part of plans to revitalize the American arcade experience. Manny discusses what Sega-Sammy, which took over sole ownership of the GameWorks arcade chain last year, is planning, commenting: "If you're familiar with House of the Dead 4 and the graphics that are a part of that, it's now starting to be back to having an appeal, starting to see some of that impact back on the arcade-side where you can't play in front of a 52-inch screen and have all of the very vibrant color and animation that's part of it – you can't just do that at home. Then the socialization of what those game brings as more and more games (Derby Owners Club a few years ago) where it's a social environment and you're playing a horse racing game and you're sitting there and you can have cocktails and food, and really get into this game. It's bringing that social entertainment environment back to the users. What we've questioned in recognizing that is how to create these games in a social environment, in a social setting, whether it be for kids, teens, adults and offer them something where it’s a constant changing of the programming that's available." You can now read the full Gamasutra feature on the subject, including plenty more on Sega's plan to bring big Japanese arcade titles like Mushiking to the U.S. (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).