1st:I’ve heard that if there’s a new Panzer Dragoon game it will be made by AV.Is this official?Are there are newsreports than someone can show me concerning this?Cause I don’t really remember how I got hit info in the first place…
2nd: How likely is that the next PD game will be release don XBox 2?
It sounds like rumours to me. Have AV even confirmed any Xbox 2 titles?
More likely than Xbox 1, I suspect.
I hope not. Though I am sure that Amusement Vision is more than capable of creating a new Panzer Dragoon, I’d much rather have Overworks do it (i.e. SegaWOW). The reason for this is more than HALF of the ex-Team Andromeda group now resides there, including art director Manabu Kusonoki (Yes, we all know he went to Artoon, but he is helping on the creation of Skies of Arcadia 2).
Considering the Xbox 2 has a schedule release date of Oct 2005, I highly doubt we will see a PD RPG on the Xbox 1. Which is for the best, anyway - Panzer Dragoon RPG as a launch title would be amazing.
Skies of Arcadia 2 …source?
Ah… The wonderfully informed Kadamose has returned!
I’m curious to see where he has gotten this insider information concerning this supposed “Skies of Arcadia 2.” Pray tell 
I think you are thinking of Massively Multi-player Golden Axe that Amusement Vision is doing, or Space Harrier RPG ex-Smilebit guys are finishing up…
Am I going nuts here or what?AV was almost a given in some conversations about a sequel…Should I do a forum search?
[quote=“Kadamose”]1) I hope not. Though I am sure that Amusement Vision is more than capable of creating a new Panzer Dragoon, I’d much rather have Overworks do it (i.e. SegaWOW). The reason for this is more than HALF of the ex-Team Andromeda group now resides there, including art director Manabu Kusonoki (Yes, we all know he went to Artoon, but he is helping on the creation of Skies of Arcadia 2).
Strange. I thought half of Team Andromeda were in Smilebit who made
PANZER DRAGOON ORTA and when Sega reduced the number of teams the
Smilebit half that did the action type games were absorbed into AV.Smilebit
half that did the sports games went solo.
The “Panzer Team” is now part of AV. But that doesn’t really matter because (as PDO shows) they don’t have their lead artists anymore. Therefor pretty much anyone could produce a game like PDO.
The current panzer team was not and will not be able to create something with such a high qualiy as PDS, never ever (you can argue if that was their intention in the first place, I guess they just tried frantically to come up with someting that sold… well it didn’t)
That’s why I’d like to see a western developer give it a try.
But who has the rights to make a sequel?
SEGA holds the rights, but that doesn’t mean only a sega devteam can work on it. If SOJ wanted to do a new PD game AV would do it. if SOA would want one they might give it to a western team.
It’s my understanding that Smilebit was planning to do a sequel for PANZER DRAGOON SAGA following the good sales of ORTA. Then the reshuffling came about. Recent rumors from reputable sources are also hinting that Sega are pursuring another RPG of PANZER DRAGOON.
This is likely for the following reasons. Neo Sega has basically ignored the western market ever since it went third party.(In truth Sega was starting to do this in the Saturn and DC era) and have concentrated on pursuing the japanese market which is NOT and NEVER been Sega’s traditional market.
Considering that RPGs are becoming more and more popular with the fanatical mainstream jap gamer it is more than likely that Sega will want to cash in on this market and get people on board with their PD franchise.
Another reason is this. Square Enix is the top dog of third party gaming in Japan. While the Sega japanese sports section is under no real competition as they sell VERY well there the RPG side is not. Hench the reason Sega decided to release four of IT’s biggest rpg
franchises the same year when Square Enix is due to release DQ8 and FFX 2. It’s a direct challenge to the top dog similar to what Sega is doing to EA in the US at the moment with the sports games. But it may work. SHINING FORCE, PHANTASY STAR UNIVERSE and SAKURA TAISEN V are all famous titles with good reputations as well as SHENMUE ONLINE. If these games are good and do well your casual gamer in japan may soon start to think that Sega has the stuff when it comes to RPGS (which they do). So drawing upon a name people will know rather then just make a game from scrath is another factor for a PDS sequel to happen. The PD series is quite known in Japan and has a good reputation of being a series of good games.Although PDS did n’t do well thwe game itself has grown legendary among gamers enough for a casual to might check it out from hearing PD fans on the net giving it such praise. A new installement makes it easier not to rummage thru an old title for a dead system. But I fear however that Sega will release this on the PS2 or PS3 which is more than likely where SHENMUE 3 will end up as well.
[quote=“lordcraymen”]The “Panzer Team” is now part of AV. But that doesn’t really matter because (as PDO shows) they don’t have their lead artists anymore. Therefor pretty much anyone could produce a game like PDO.
The current panzer team was not and will not be able to create something with such a high qualiy as PDS, never ever (you can argue if that was their intention in the first place, I guess they just tried frantically to come up with someting that sold… well it didn’t)
That’s why I’d like to see a western developer give it a try.[/quote]
Most of the orgial Art Team left after the 1st Panzer game. I think only about 5 people that made the original worked on the Sequels
Most of the Zwei/SAGA Team made up the old Smilebit which worked on SAGA. So they are more than able to make SAGA II.
A Wester developer woundn’t have a clue where to start on SAGA II.
They more than a few rough drafts of a SAGA II lying around SOJ offices
[quote=“Kadamose”]1) I hope not. Though I am sure that Amusement Vision is more than capable of creating a new Panzer Dragoon, I’d much rather have Overworks do it (i.e. SegaWOW). The reason for this is more than HALF of the ex-Team Andromeda group now resides there, including art director Manabu Kusonoki (Yes, we all know he went to Artoon, but he is helping on the creation of Skies of Arcadia 2).
There’s oly a few Ex TA members that work for SEGAWOW. The bluk of the TA Team that made Parts II/III/ORTA make up the Smilebit/AV Team.
So AV would be in the best Position to make a SAGA II. That?s not to say it could n’t be done in cooperation with WOW.
The Smilebit and WOW Teams have worked together before on stuff like Typing of the Dead after all 
I know of at least 2 that even made it to SOA for “spellchecking” 
But then again,do you know what japanese design docs look like? You can image what a “draft” looks like then 
But what makes you sure a Western developer couldn’t make a PD RPG?
All you need is play the old games (which the Orta team did so obviously…), watch and read Nausicaa (and the rest of the Miyazaki movies), watch Green Legend RAN and the old Starwars movies, and you are set.
That’s not it.Even if Panzer Dragoon is based upon other ideas (which happens with every franchise directly or undirectly ) it has created a personal feel to it.
In Orta the changing was noticible.It didn’t feel PD.
I think you are giving TA less credit than they deserved as far as art concept is concerned.
Yes, and Orta WAS created by the “Panzer Team”, wasn’t it?
Oh and btw, you misundertood, I didn’t mean it’s simple to come up with something as individual and cool as PD. But making a “good” sequel is a whole lot easier than starting a whole new thing.
I dunno who this Panzer Team is.Like all game developing team leaders say “this game woulnd’t have been accomplished if person X (however small his role was) was not with us”.
I think this applies to the PD license.Changing one single person can make a difference.
[quote=“Goonboy Panzer”]It’s my understanding that Smilebit was planning to do a sequel for PANZER DRAGOON SAGA following the good sales of ORTA. Then the reshuffling came about. Recent rumors from reputable sources are also hinting that Sega are pursuring another RPG of PANZER DRAGOON.
[/quote]
Good sales? Did they reach Break Even? Orta’s sales were far from good, not even decent. I think it sold about 200.000 units worldwide. That’s not really bad, but far from god. In financial terms nothing to justify a sequel (an RPG might cost 5 times what Orta has cost)
[quote=“Goonboy Panzer”]
Considering that RPGs are becoming more and more popular with the fanatical mainstream jap gamer it is more than likely that Sega will want to cash in on this market and get people on board with their PD franchise.[/quote]
Amusing, Indeed.
SEGA wants to do exactly the oposite, they realised they have to go out of the shrinking Japanese market and sell their stuff in the US. The problem is they have no clue to make games (apart from sport games) that really appeal to the US gamer. Even SEGAs braindead managers would not try to make a PD RPG game compete with FF, it’s not possible. point. Apart from that the PD RPG license is “poisoned” in Japan, you are laughed at when you mention it. It was at least partly responsible for the death of a TA team member. So chances are higher that SOA might start something with a US team targetet at the US market, than SOJ ever touching the PD license again.
Normally inside a company there are several teams working on different titles. Sometimes team members switch between teams to help out, or new temporary teams are made. “Panzer Team” is just the team who made Orta, they were part of Smilebit, and now transfered to AV.
Btw, I might try to get an interview from Yokota-san… I hope he’s not too shy… (and the damn sega PR doesn’t forbid it because he’s not an official spokes person blablabla)