Sega Studios San Francisco
Encyclopedia
Sega Studios San Francisco, formerly known as Secret Level, was a San Francisco, California
based studio owned by Sega
.
, Secret Level was a small boutique studio who created original video games such as Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds
, ported titles like Star Wars: Starfighter
and Unreal Tournament
, and expanded games for console such as America's Army: Rise of a Soldier
. Secret Level also worked on the Xbox port of Final Fight: Streetwise
and Karaoke Revolution
. Secret Level also created numerous tools and technologies for the console entertainment industry, working with LucasArts
, Sony
, and others, and participated in numerous work-for-hire art projects. Founded in late 1999 in San Francisco, the company was originally located near Powell and Market Street, later moving to near AT&T Park. At their largest they had nearly 200 employees.
for Sega
. Simon Jeffery
, former SOA president, was impressed with Secret Level's progress and technology and directed Sega of America to acquire the studio.
After the takeover, Secret Level evolved from a small startup to a large, nearly 200 person studio. Two years of growth and development produced Iron Man (video game)
and Golden Axe: Beast Rider
for the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
. Some might have said it was too much too soon.
, an online compiler of video game review scores, the PlayStation 3 version of Iron Man received an average rating of 42 (on a 100 point scale) from video game critics, and the Xbox 360 version received an average rating of 45. Metacritic states that average scores below 50 indicate "generally unfavorable reviews." Secret Level did not develop the Iron Man movie tie-in games for the Nintendo DS
, Wii
, PlayStation 2
, PlayStation Portable
or Windows
platforms, which instead were developed by the studio Artificial Mind.
Beast Rider on the other hand received a 3.2/10 rating from IGN with a closing comment, "This is a game worth avoiding like the plague, even if the classic remains deep and warm within your heart." GamePro called it "poorly designed and utterly mediocre," "a terrible game that feels like a slap in the face to fans of the original franchise." TeamXbox gave the game a 6.8 rating. Gametrailers
' sister site ScrewAttack.com's editor High School Ben told people to "F' it" due to strange controls, lack of music, and high difficulty. G4tv's X-Play gave the game a 2/5 stars during their Oct.22.08 review.
On a positive note Play Magazine
scored it a 9/10. Play also delivered a comment that "certain online reviewers" couldn't have played through it and released a decent review in the time-frame they did.
disbanded Secret Level and absorbed a selected few to restart the studio under a new name, Sega Studios San Francisco
. The new studio didn't have the autonomy the previous studio with Sega directly controlling all of it's ventures.
Sega hoped with the restructuring that Iron Man 2
and the sequel to Beast Rider would deliver what the original games were intended to do. However, on April 2, 2010, Sega announced that Sega Studios San Francisco would be closed with the release of Iron Man 2. Sega did not say anything about the sequel to Beast Rider, which lead several websites to believe the game was not up to expectations
Sega West president Mike Hayes was interviewed by 1UP.com
and in the interview he discussed the studios disbandonment.
1UP: Was the closing of Secret Level because of the shift to digital?
MH: It was a broader thing. We're pleased with Iron Man 2 that they worked on, but the truth of the matter is that we couldn't find another appropriate project to give them. It was something you may recall we did with our racing studio here in London, about three years ago. It was a good team, but we were unable to find them their next project.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
based studio owned by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
.
Secret Level
Before being purchased by SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, Secret Level was a small boutique studio who created original video games such as Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds
Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds
Battlegrounds is a real time strategy video game based on Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, though with many fundamental differences. The game is based on the creation of heroes and mages that summon forth powerful monsters, spells, and abilities to defeat the enemy duelist...
, ported titles like Star Wars: Starfighter
Star Wars: Starfighter
Star Wars: Starfighter is an action game, developed and published by LucasArts, that takes place right before the Battle of Naboo. The player unites alongside three starfighter pilots and is allowed to take control of several different spacecraft to help stop the invasion that threatens Naboo.Ten...
and Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament is a futuristic first-person shooter video game co-developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. It was published in 1999 by GT Interactive. Retrospectively, the game has also been referred to as UT99 or UT Classic to differentiate it from its numbered sequels...
, and expanded games for console such as America's Army: Rise of a Soldier
America's Army: Rise of a Soldier
America's Army: Rise of a Soldier is a game developed by the U.S. Army, Ubisoft, and Secret Level. In addition to containing the original America's Army, the game also includes a new single player mode based on Major Jason Amerine's experiences in Afghanistan in the year 2001. It was released in...
. Secret Level also worked on the Xbox port of Final Fight: Streetwise
Final Fight: Streetwise
Final Fight: Streetwise is a 3D beat-'em-up produced by Capcom, released in North America and the PAL region for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in . It is a spin-off of the original Final Fight developed by the American team of Capcom Production Studio 8...
and Karaoke Revolution
Karaoke Revolution
Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...
. Secret Level also created numerous tools and technologies for the console entertainment industry, working with LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, and others, and participated in numerous work-for-hire art projects. Founded in late 1999 in San Francisco, the company was originally located near Powell and Market Street, later moving to near AT&T Park. At their largest they had nearly 200 employees.
Sega Buyout
Secret Level was purchased in early 2006 during the development of Golden Axe: Beast RiderGolden Axe: Beast Rider
Golden Axe: Beast Rider is a third-person action/adventure video game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, published by Sega and developed by Secret Level. It is the first 3D entry in the classic Golden Axe franchise, as well as the first "mature" game in the series...
for Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. Simon Jeffery
Simon Jeffery
Simon Jeffery is the chief publishing officer of ngmoco's Plus+ Publishing group.Similar to EA Publishing Partners group, Plus+ Publishing is a combined technology, App Store publishing and custom support play for iPhone and iPod touch developers. It will launch its first products with the rollout...
, former SOA president, was impressed with Secret Level's progress and technology and directed Sega of America to acquire the studio.
After the takeover, Secret Level evolved from a small startup to a large, nearly 200 person studio. Two years of growth and development produced Iron Man (video game)
Iron Man (video game)
The Nintendo DS, Wii, PS2 and PSP versions all received mixed critical scores on Gamerankings and Metacritic. These versions were generally well received by the fans, but suffer from gameplay, graphics and controls frustrations...
and Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Golden Axe: Beast Rider is a third-person action/adventure video game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, published by Sega and developed by Secret Level. It is the first 3D entry in the classic Golden Axe franchise, as well as the first "mature" game in the series...
for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Some might have said it was too much too soon.
Iron Man & Golden Axe
According to MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, an online compiler of video game review scores, the PlayStation 3 version of Iron Man received an average rating of 42 (on a 100 point scale) from video game critics, and the Xbox 360 version received an average rating of 45. Metacritic states that average scores below 50 indicate "generally unfavorable reviews." Secret Level did not develop the Iron Man movie tie-in games for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
or Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platforms, which instead were developed by the studio Artificial Mind.
Beast Rider on the other hand received a 3.2/10 rating from IGN with a closing comment, "This is a game worth avoiding like the plague, even if the classic remains deep and warm within your heart." GamePro called it "poorly designed and utterly mediocre," "a terrible game that feels like a slap in the face to fans of the original franchise." TeamXbox gave the game a 6.8 rating. Gametrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
' sister site ScrewAttack.com's editor High School Ben told people to "F' it" due to strange controls, lack of music, and high difficulty. G4tv's X-Play gave the game a 2/5 stars during their Oct.22.08 review.
On a positive note Play Magazine
Play (US magazine)
Play was a U.S.-based magazine focused on video games, anime, manga, film, DVD, television, comics, music and media. Published by Fusion Publishing, Inc. since 2001, Play magazine also had a separate Internet presence on its website, Play Online...
scored it a 9/10. Play also delivered a comment that "certain online reviewers" couldn't have played through it and released a decent review in the time-frame they did.
Sega Studios San Francisco
With the critical and commercial failure of both games, SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
disbanded Secret Level and absorbed a selected few to restart the studio under a new name, Sega Studios San Francisco
Sega Studios San Francisco
Sega Studios San Francisco, formerly known as Secret Level, was a San Francisco, California based studio owned by Sega.-Secret Level:Before being purchased by Sega, Secret Level was a small boutique studio who created original video games such as Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds, ported titles...
. The new studio didn't have the autonomy the previous studio with Sega directly controlling all of it's ventures.
Sega hoped with the restructuring that Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 (video game)
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 video game loosely-based on the film of the same name. It was released on May 4, 2010, days after the film's international release and days before the film's domestic release. The game was published by Sega and developed by Sega Studios San Francisco , High Voltage Software ...
and the sequel to Beast Rider would deliver what the original games were intended to do. However, on April 2, 2010, Sega announced that Sega Studios San Francisco would be closed with the release of Iron Man 2. Sega did not say anything about the sequel to Beast Rider, which lead several websites to believe the game was not up to expectations
Sega West president Mike Hayes was interviewed by 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
and in the interview he discussed the studios disbandonment.
1UP: Was the closing of Secret Level because of the shift to digital?
MH: It was a broader thing. We're pleased with Iron Man 2 that they worked on, but the truth of the matter is that we couldn't find another appropriate project to give them. It was something you may recall we did with our racing studio here in London, about three years ago. It was a good team, but we were unable to find them their next project.
External links
- SecretLevel.com
- Secret Level entry at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...