@Scollurio Up until the 1970s you were required to register copyright with the Library of Congress.
We also don't know the details of contracts made either. Those contracts might even be lost.
For example, Magic Knight Rayearth was a manga created by CLAMP, Published by Kodansha. Sega was part of the group that made the anime, and developed the video game.
The US rights to the manga were acquired by Tokyopop. Anime by Media Blasters.
Working Designs acquired the US rights to the game.
So... now to re-release that game in the US. Sega would first need to find any legal contracts with Kodansha and CLAMP. Then any legal contracts with the voice actors involved... sometimes the voice acting or the music is not owned by the anime producer or manga artists.
Then they have to deal with Victor Ireland, or re-translate the game. Also note: WD modified the game for the US, and re-created source code lost from a hard drive crash.
Rights can be complicated, and many games are made without concern about the future as they need the game to sell NOW.
Hmm, I do think had they the hindsight and did not release 32X, 1994-1995 would have been better, that was a crucial year. It's more about the resources: Knuckles Chaotix was originally a Sonic game that got downsized for 32X. Doom was rushed for 32X. Had there not been a 32X, either the Genesis might have gotten some more carts with chips (Like Virtua Racer) instead of 32X games, or Saturn would have had more launch titles, and it SOJ would have had those 32X chips in Saturns, so their launch would have been stronger.
Would it have stopped Playstation? No.
But... like the N64 it might have gotten around 30 million sales, especially if they also did not launch early (though launching early with DOOM might have been not as bad).
Comments 2
Re: Sega Admits It Doesn't Know How Many Games It Owns
@Scollurio Up until the 1970s you were required to register copyright with the Library of Congress.
We also don't know the details of contracts made either. Those contracts might even be lost.
For example, Magic Knight Rayearth was a manga created by CLAMP, Published by Kodansha. Sega was part of the group that made the anime, and developed the video game.
The US rights to the manga were acquired by Tokyopop. Anime by Media Blasters.
Working Designs acquired the US rights to the game.
So... now to re-release that game in the US. Sega would first need to find any legal contracts with Kodansha and CLAMP. Then any legal contracts with the voice actors involved... sometimes the voice acting or the music is not owned by the anime producer or manga artists.
Then they have to deal with Victor Ireland, or re-translate the game. Also note: WD modified the game for the US, and re-created source code lost from a hard drive crash.
Rights can be complicated, and many games are made without concern about the future as they need the game to sell NOW.
Re: The Reason Sega Lost The 32-Bit War? The 32X, Says Yosuke Okunari
Hmm, I do think had they the hindsight and did not release 32X, 1994-1995 would have been better, that was a crucial year. It's more about the resources: Knuckles Chaotix was originally a Sonic game that got downsized for 32X. Doom was rushed for 32X. Had there not been a 32X, either the Genesis might have gotten some more carts with chips (Like Virtua Racer) instead of 32X games, or Saturn would have had more launch titles, and it SOJ would have had those 32X chips in Saturns, so their launch would have been stronger.
Would it have stopped Playstation? No.
But... like the N64 it might have gotten around 30 million sales, especially if they also did not launch early (though launching early with DOOM might have been not as bad).