14 DAY TRIAL // BioWare, best known for developing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, have made the surprising announcement today of partnering up with Sega to create a new DS title, based on the classic Sega flagship icon, Sonic The Hedgehog. They don't know how they're going to call it yet, but this exclusive Nintendo DS game has been confirmed to hit shelves in 2008.
"BioWare is one of the hottest names in RPG development in the world," said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America, Inc. "Everyone at SEGA has huge confidence that Sonic is in the safest of hands, and that BioWare can create the ultimate handheld RPG experience for gamers of all ages."
Why it's so curious that BioWare has teamed up with Sega to come up with a DS title (which is a bit of a childish handheld if I may say) is that they're currently prepping to roll out one of the year's most anticipated next-generation titles, Mass Effect (or Jack Bauer in space as they like to joke about it).
"We're thrilled to be working with SEGA on Sonic, one of the industry's most enduring and compelling icons," said Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare. "As huge fans of Sonic ourselves, we're committed to delivering a truly amazing story-driven experience within the Sonic universe, focusing on capturing the character's broad appeal and placing him in a completely original adventure," added Ray Muzyka, chief executive officer of BioWare.
Another somewhat interesting fact, disclosed by the same press release is that the relationship with BioWare only reinforces what Sega has achieved concerning Western content development for Western audiences, for the past few years. Sega also shook hands with developers Bizarre Creations, Gas Powered Games, Monolith Productions, Obsidian Entertainment, Planet Moon Studios, Pseudo Interactive and Silicon Knights, for various projects.
Think about it this way: if BioWare has what it takes to make a state-of-the-art next-gen title, what do you think they'll be able to accomplish with a DS title...?