What if Sega didn’t fire Bernie Stolar?

R

RyoHazuki84

俺が益荒男
Joined
Aug 1, 2018
Location
Yokohama, Japan
Favourite title
Shenmue
We all know why the Dreamcast faced a pre-mature ending in mostly the West. That’s been done to death, but it had a successful launch on 9/9/99, and that was thanks to Bernie Stolar. He really pushed hard for the Dreamcast and was a driving force behind its launch, but prior to launch, he was fired.

I know hardcore Saturn fanboys hate him, but for the wrong reasons. Though he made some comments that were discouraging about the Saturn, by the time he came to Sega, the Saturn couldn’t be saved, but instead felt that rebranding Sega with a new console was better.

So for this thread, what would happen if Stolar wasn’t fired? All consoles come to an end, but I am positive that Dreamcast wouldn’t have been discontinued in North America in 2001. I say the console could have gotten its lifespan in Japan to some extent. Would Stolar have pushed for DVD capabilities or a DVD Dreamcast? Whose to say for sure? Shenmue II would have certainly stayed on Dreamcast. I just know that Stolar wouldn’t have given up on Dreamcast if he stayed
 
RyoHazuki84 said:
We all know why the Dreamcast faced a pre-mature ending in mostly the West. That’s been done to death, but it had a successful launch on 9/9/99, and that was thanks to Bernie Stolar. He really pushed hard for the Dreamcast and was a driving force behind its launch, but prior to launch, he was fired.

I know hardcore Saturn fanboys hate him, but for the wrong reasons. Though he made some comments that were discouraging about the Saturn, by the time he came to Sega, the Saturn couldn’t be saved, but instead felt that rebranding Sega with a new console was better.

So for this thread, what would happen if Stolar wasn’t fired? All consoles come to an end, but I am positive that Dreamcast wouldn’t have been discontinued in North America in 2001. I say the console could have gotten its lifespan in Japan to some extent. Would Stolar have pushed for DVD capabilities or a DVD Dreamcast? Whose to say for sure? Shenmue II would have certainly stayed on Dreamcast. I just know that Stolar wouldn’t have given up on Dreamcast if he stayed
Click to expand...

That's an interesting topic.

I've read in numerous books and articles that Sega wanted the DC to be affordable unlike the Saturn. So they decided against the DVD drive because of that and the fact they simply couldn't afford the tech.

Had he stayed I think the life cycle might have been longer and we may have got a DVD upgrade but that would probably have been met with a sour taste given all the upgrades the mega drive/genesis had.

Would a DVD drive have saved the Dreamcast? I'd suggest that it would have made it more competitive. They also had the issue that EA wouldn't develop for it (though Sega sports titles were way better) and that most people owned a PS1 wanted to wait for Ps2. I had several friends who did that.

Had it had a DVD drive and undercut the original PS2 launch price with the launch games the DC had then it may have gotten a massive headstart and confidence may have shifted. It's really tough to call.

While it seems hollow now the DC is held in a much higher regard these days and generally the games hold up better than the majority of the PS2 library.
 
Yes thats an interesting topic indeed. Do not know much about the achievements of Mr Stolar and the Dreamcast. I just know him for his famous E3 saying "the Saturn is not our future". But maybe he would have fought for the support of the Dreamcast a little longer which would have been a great thing.

I think that the DC had lots of potential too bad if it is was not used.

Too me the discontinuation of the DC surprised me back then in 2001. At least according to German gaming press, the DC had lots of games in store and the superiority of the Playstation 2 was not visible yet.

With some decent games the DC could have fought the PS2 till 2002 or maybe even longer. Around 2002/2003 the ps2 started getting some really nice looking games. But before that the PS2 was nothing special.

And it is uncertain if the programmers had enough time to use the hardware to the fullest or not. Maybe the DC still had some potential that was not visible in the first generation of the games..
 
Last edited:
Adding a DVD drive? Like the 360's HDDVD add-on? Or more like an Xbox One X/PS4 Pro style upgrade? Either way I'm not convinced that would've extended the Dreamcast's life, as it'd be repeating the same kinda mistakes they made with all the Mega Drive's add-ons. The additional costs would've surely crippled SEGA beyond repair too, so they ultimately might not have been "saved".

That said, it'd probably have lead to a fire sale of sorts for all the franchises, and we may have got Shenmue III years ago. Probably best not to think about it... :grimacing:
 
The Dreamcast was easy to program for and had a quality library. DVD playback was a major issue for sure, but I’m sure under Stolar’s care, maybe he would’ve done DVD or not, but at least he wouldn’t have sold Shenmue out like Peter Moore did
 
RyoHazuki84 said:
at least he wouldn’t have sold Shenmue out like Peter Moore did
Click to expand...
To be fair he was the one that hired Peter Moore, a move which Sega of Japan questioned at the time given that Moore had never worked in the industry before.
 
He couldn't have saved the Dreamcast and I don't think his influence would have kept the ship afloat much longer than it was. The Dreamcast from launch till death was doing everything right, but SEGA's poor reputation in North America proceeded it and nobody wanted to buy another Sega console that would just be dead in a year or two. It was a self fulfilling prophecy that really couldn't be avoided...
 
Kodama said:
He couldn't have saved the Dreamcast and I don't think his influence would have kept the ship afloat much longer than it was. The Dreamcast from launch till death was doing everything right, but SEGA's poor reputation in North America proceeded it and nobody wanted to buy another Sega console that would just be dead in a year or two. It was a self fulfilling prophecy that really couldn't be avoided...
Click to expand...
Yeah, devastating really seeing as the master system couldn't put a dent in the NES. Then round Kalinskes time, they had to work so so hard to get retailers on their side when nobody dared upset Nintendo. They finally started taking up so much of the market in the US and then most of that respect earned from players and retailers was lost with the way the Saturn was handled so the grave was already dug up for the Dreamcast.
 
Sean9014 said:
Yeah, devastating really seeing as the master system couldn't put a dent in the NES. Then round Kalinskes time, they had to work so so hard to get retailers on their side when nobody dared upset Nintendo. They finally started taking up so much of the market in the US and then most of that respect earned from players and retailers was lost with the way the Saturn was handled so the grave was already dug up for the Dreamcast.
Click to expand...
To be fair, not only was Saturn handled poorly, but it too was the victim of Sega's past mistakes with the 32x...
 
I don’t disagree that the Dreamcast would’ve eventually come to an end, but it wouldn’t have been in 2001, less than two years after launch. I still believe with Stolar around, the Drramcast’s lifespan in North America could’ve lasted until 2003, but not like 2006/2007 in Japan
 
Sega never should have released the Sega CD & 32x. They also shouldn't have made the Saturn so difficult for developers to produce games for because of its architecture. Sega no doubt alienated developers and fans alike with these console launches so close together.

If the Saturn was more developer friendly and had a better price point it would have sold a lot better in my opinion. The Dreamcast could have launched a little later, even with the Playstation competition and may not have died after two years. It was such a travesty that such an amazing machine like the Dreamcast died in such a way because of Segas past mistakes.
 
I swear to God if someone bashes the SEGA/Mega CD again I'm going to bite them. It's a really awesome piece of hardware with some excellent games on it. The only problem was that SEGA of America chose to put all their advertising budget behind the few crappy FMV games.
 
KidMarine said:
I swear to God if someone bashes the SEGA/Mega CD again I'm going to bite them. It's a really awesome piece of hardware with some excellent games on it. The only problem was that SEGA of America chose to put all their advertising budget behind the few crappy FMV games.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should re read my post again. I wasn't bashing the machine, I was simply attributing it to the demise of Sega in the console market, which is valid criticism. Anyone who doesn't think these machines didn't play a part has a very blinkered view of the situation.
 
Matthew said:
Perhaps you should re read my post again. I wasn't bashing the machine, I was simply attributing it to the demise of Sega in the console market, which is valid criticism. Anyone who doesn't think these machines didn't play a part has a very blinkered view of the situation.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I wasn't referring to you in particular.
 
I think reglardless, the PS2 would have launched and still crippled the market for Dreamcast. The DC would have just died a year or two later. Maybe we would have seen Shenmue 2 come to DC in North America but then not come to Xbox.

That would have been quite a shame. Imagine how many less people would have played Shenmue 2 because of that.
And face it, (unlike myself) a lot of Shenmue fans out there only got into the series because it was a bargain bin Xbox game for $5. Not because of Dreamcast. A lot of Shenmue fans out there are now admitting with this new HD release, it will be the first time they play Shenmue 1..

I still hate Peter Moore though. Not for bringing Shenmue 2 and other Sega games to Xbox, but for simply NOT allowing Shenmue 2 to come to DC in America prior. A selfish move to sweeten the pot on his transition to Microsoft.
 
Last edited:
We also have to remember how the American, European and Japanese Sega branches all had different visions of the company. I feel that played a huge part of Segas downfall in the console market. Kalinske, Stolar and Moore all did things that pissed off Sega of Japan in one form or another.
 
There seemed to be quite a few great exclusives that just got flat up cancelled for the North American Dreamcast fans. Shenmue II and REZ to name a few. WE. GOT. SCREWED. I just wished we got the major final titles other regions got. I absolutely would have preferred the XBox Shenmue II was never released if that meant we could get it on the Dreamcast in North America proper. I mean, if the dummy Peter Moore was going to bring Shenmue II over to the XBox why not bring both games? It's just a disjointed release: DVD movie of the first game and the playable 2nd game... WTF? But yeah, I wish the Dreamcast had at least 1 year longer of a lifespan.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top