[Vyse]

In the year 2000, Sony launched the PlayStation 2. Around this time, Sega of America's Peter Moore and Charles Bellfield recommend to their Japanese bosses at Sega to discontinue the Dreamcast and focus on multiplatform software. However, in this alternate timeline it doesn't happen. Okawa doesn't replace Irimajiri as president of Sega and the company decides to continue selling the Dreamcast for a while longer, pushing out more exclusives to satisfy the Sega faithful. Unfortunately, they still end up coming in third to Nintendo after the launch the GameCube in 2001. In this other timeline, Nintendo sells more GameCubes and Sony's PS2 Online more or less fills in for what would have been Xbox Live. In January 2003 or 2004, Sega still end up announcing that they will discontinue the Dreamcast. This leaves an open seat for a third Japanese publisher to jump in with their own video game console.

But who? Maybe it would be Konami, Square Enix, or a lesser-known Japanese publisher that decides to compete with Sony and Nintendo? Who would have the most interesting and appealing catalogue of games at that point in time? Even though a lot of Japanese games series like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil and others are pretty popular and often associated with the PS2 at the time, would they continue to be as popular had they just released on their own publisher's hardware?

I am also a little curious what they might call their own consoles. Would they have a simple naming scheme like Sony does with PlayStation or would they be more creative like Nintendo?

 

[lock2k]

Capcom.

 

[Arkam]

I honestly dont think any Japanese publisher would have done it without partnering and doing a joint venture with a major electronics manufacturer. Panasonic, Toshiba or Mitsubishi all seem like prime partners.

 

[HE1NZ]

I think 3 competitors is just right.

 

[Zeta Dragoon]

I would like to think that Sega staying a little longer causes Skies of Arcadia to gain more traction especially with the Legends Remaster, so they greenlight 2 whose success causes Skies of Arcadia to become a household name and one of their major RPG IP going forward.

 

[zebraStraw]

It still blows my mind that the dreamcast was on the US market for basically a year before getting discontinued.

 

[teezzy]

Isn't it far more interesting that a western company entered the market instead?

 

[Vyse]

I would like to think that Sega staying a little longer causes Skies of Arcadia to gain more traction especially with the Legends Remaster, so they greenlight 2 whose success causes Skies of Arcadia to become a household name and one of their major RPG IP going forward.

I think they were doing very early concept/planning on Skies of Arcadia II but Sega decided to cancel it and instead Overworks would help with Sakura Wars: So Long My Love for PS2. The irony being Sega canceled the PS2 port of Skies of Arcadia Legends. But they also canceled the PC port, probably due to low sales on the GameCube.

Speaking of sales, when Skies of Arcadia originally released on Dreamcast it was competing with other RPGs like Final Fantasy IX and Grandia II. Then in 2003 when Sega tried again, there was Dark Cloud 2, Shin Megami Tensei III, and Xenosaga. Just many other newer games (especially The Wind Waker in March).

Maybe if Sega had gone through it and released a proper sequel, built from the ground up for PS2, it would have sold more than the original. Or I could be wrong. Square Enix had 2005 and 2006 locked down with Dragon Quest VIII and Final Fantasy XII.

Isn't it far more interesting that a western company entered the market instead?

No.