Sega Signs Five-Year Sports Interactive Deal

In a press conference today officials from Sega Europe have announced a five year partnership with British developers Sports Interactive. The creators of soccer management series Championship Manager – the best selling PC game ever in the UK – the development studio are already working on ice hockey management title Eastside Hockey Manager and the newly announced Football Manager 2005. Sports Interactive broke with long time partners Eidos Interactive last year with the latter retaining the Championship Manager brand but the developer keeping the series’ enormous database of statistics and statistic gatherers. Both Sega and Sports Interactive will be hoping that significant numbers of fans will follow the developers to the new franchise, which takes its name from the first ever soccer management game released for the 8-bit ZX Spectrum. The more general message from Sega at the press conference was that the company would be seeking to produce far more content aimed specifically at the European market, citing existing examples of European developed titles such as Worms 3D, Warhammer Online and Headhunter: Redemption. Sports Interactive, meanwhile, hinted that they would subsequently be creating additional titles aimed at a North American market, while simultaneously promoting Football Manager and Eastside Hockey world-wide. Source: Sega