OutRun dev making "bleeding edge" game

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 27 September, 2010

For "big hardware company."

OutRun and Virtua Tennis developer Sumo Digital is working on a "bleeding edge" game for a "big hardware company", Eurogamer has learned.

The Sheffield studio's big project is "probably a year and a half" from release, but it's got unannounced games in the works for SEGA that are due out next year and in 2012.

"I would say if you've been a Sumo fan, if you like the products that we do, then you're not going to be disappointed in the future," James North-Hearn, CEO of Sumo parent company Foundation 9 Entertainment told Eurogamer.

"What do I mean by that? What I mean is, the kind of products you would expect Sumo to produce are the products they're working on now.

"If you look at the kind of products Sumo has done in the past, arcadey, handheld, racing, we're still there. We're doing some great work. They're doing one project that's very bleeding edge, that's probably a year and a half still from market, but when it comes out people will appreciate it's very different - that's being sponsored by a big hardware company.

"So we're working on some stuff that's a way out. But we continue to work very closely with SEGA and we hope to have some more products coming out with SEGA. We've got some stuff due out in 2011 and some in 2012. One hopes people will recognise them as very SEGA and Sumo-type products."

Sumo is perhaps best known for its work on the OutRun arcade racing series for Japanese publisher SEGA.

It developed downloadable game OutRun Online Arcade for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, Outrun 2 for the Xbox, Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast and Outrun 2SP for the PlayStation 2.

More recently it released Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, Formula 1 2009, the PSP version of Split/Second: Velocity and Virtua Tennis 2009.

Unfortunately for OutRun fans, Sumo is not working on a new game in the iconic series.

"We're not working on another OutRun game," North-Hearn confirmed. "That's the truth. I think it's a pity because I bloody love it. Maybe there will be another OutRun, I've got no idea. At the moment we're not currently involved in another OutRun product, but there may or may not be one somewhere else in Japan.

"The stuff we're currently doing, most of it is new titles. I think it's already been announced that we're going to do some more Doctor Who downloads – interesting exercise."

But of course Sumo is making a racing game?

"Yes. Yes, we are working on racing products, for sure."

For SEGA?

"I'm not saying who for. I said for sure."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Haloboy #1 2 years ago

    'Big boobs are bouncy'

    'Dogs cannot look up'

    'Ice cream melts when not in the fridge'

    Keep 'em coming Wes.

  • mington #2 2 years ago

    Bleeding edge = casual game with waggle controls

  • RobTheBuilder #3 2 years ago

    If I put 2 + 2 together:

    New racing game for PSP2 launch.

  • sonicyoda #4 2 years ago

    Perhaps it's a new...

    DAAAAAAAYYTOOOONNNAAAAAAAAA!!!!

    Make it happen guys.

  • Stoatboy #5 2 years ago

    Bleeding edge = lawsuit from Tim Langdell

  • Paulie_P #6 2 years ago

    "bleeding edge"

    Congratulations Tim Langdell's lawyers will be in touch.

  • KujiGhost #7 2 years ago

    As long as it has Sega blue skies I'm sold.

  • RobTheBuilder #8 2 years ago

    But Sega (sadly) aren't a hardware company!

    What will be bleeding edge in 2012 and require a hardware exclusive game? :: PSP2

  • Arcadiian #9 2 years ago

    Sumo seems to make better SEGA games than SEGA itself these days, so sure, I'll buy into the hype.

    /expects something great.

  • HermitArcader #10 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • Eldritch #11 2 years ago

    Sounds like they're working on a shaving game for Gillette. Class.

  • Eldritch #12 2 years ago

    And stop quoting from bleedin' Edge, you hear?

  • sonicyoda #13 2 years ago

    @Vertical Stand

    SEGA Rally was developed by the now defunct SEGA Racing Studios who luckily became a part of Codemasters' racing development team meaning they played an important part in the development of the new F1.

  • IronGiant #14 2 years ago

    Probably something for Apple.

  • Ryze #15 2 years ago

    Doubt it's Daytona - as Sega don't do hardware. I hope for Daytona, but expect Kinect crap.

    Being Sumo - I reckon they'll do a decent job of whatever they're doing.

  • RevanNL #16 2 years ago

    PGR5

  • bit-crusheRRRR #17 2 years ago

    Sumo would be the best to make the next PGR :o)

  • Diogo_Ribeiro #18 2 years ago

    "I would say if you've been a Sumo fan, if you like the products that we do, then you're not going to be disappointed in the future"

    "We're not working on another OutRun game"

    Paradox!

  • photoboy #19 2 years ago

    Fingers crossed there's a Sumo designed update of Daytona/Sega Rally/Crazy Taxi/18 Wheeler/Scud Race on the cards!

  • RobotRocker #20 2 years ago

    The Sega thing is probably Sega All-Stars racing 2. The first one did pretty well and hung around the top 40 charts for a long time.

    Not that it would be unwelcome. It was a fine Outrun jr. and had some decent ideas (THANK YOU to the genius designer who introduced invincibility frames post hit stun. Not even Blur does this and getting stun locked in a kart game is one of the worst design decisions in the history of ever) but it has room for improvement.

    Also has room for a non-shit, non-half assed Eurogamer review too.

  • Sunyavadin #21 2 years ago

    A "Big hardware company"?


    *Places bets on it being "Dump Truck Simulator" for Caterpillar*

  • green_nifta #22 2 years ago

    Probably a conversion of a game to arcade-cabinet format (you remember, those things you used to get at the seaside, before the days of gambling machines dominating every square inch of an arcade)

  • N.A.T.O #23 2 years ago

    Shenmue 3. You heard it hear first.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #24 2 years ago

    If it's not OutRun 3 then it better be Coast 2 Coast DLC for Outrun Arcade. I'd even pay you 400 MS points in advance.

  • SirClive #25 2 years ago

    Sumo are gonna be at the R3PLAY Expo in Blackpool this November, so you could always come along and try and wheedle some more info out of them!

  • darkmorgado #26 2 years ago

    You can definitely tell that Wesley has just bought a copy of EDGE and is using it to generate news stories.

    Can you say C-O-P-Y-P-A-S-T-A?

  • darkmorgado #27 2 years ago

    OutRun and Virtua Tennis developer Sumo Digital is working on a "bleeding edge" game for a "big hardware company", Eurogamer has just read in the latest issue of EDGE.

    Fixed.

  • HermitArcader #28 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • SimonM7 #29 2 years ago

    Sumo "Virtua Tennis and Outrun developer" is so misleading it could be mistaken for deliberate lies. They *ported* those games.

    Sumo themselves have done Sega Superstars Tennis and Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing.

  • nasanu #30 2 years ago

    New Power Drift?

  • Ryze #31 2 years ago

    Yep - I expected to see Yu Suzuki's name in the article. Sumo did the ports.

    But Sumo are great anyway. It's EG's retarded headlines and news stories that have it sliding down the popularity rankings of late.

  • schnide #32 2 years ago

    SEGA was started in the States, is it technically a Japanese company? I suppose so if their headquarters are there..

  • SirClive #33 2 years ago

    "Sumo "Virtua Tennis and Outrun developer" is so misleading it could be mistaken for deliberate lies. They *ported* those games.

    Sumo themselves have done Sega Superstars Tennis and Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing."
    Depends on your definition of 'port'. The OutRun games were converted from the arcade rather than ported.
    They also produced Virtual Tennis World Tour for the PSP, and Virtua Tennis 2009 which were not straight ports.

  • SirClive #34 2 years ago

    "Sumo "Virtua Tennis and Outrun developer" is so misleading it could be mistaken for deliberate lies. They *ported* those games.

    Sumo themselves have done Sega Superstars Tennis and Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing."
    Depends on your definition of 'port'. The OutRun games were converted from the arcade rather than ported.
    They also produced Virtual Tennis World Tour for the PSP, and Virtua Tennis 2009 which were not straight ports.

  • SimonM7 #35 2 years ago

    @SirClive

    None of that remotely amounts to them being the "Outrun developer", nor the "Virtua Tennis developer". Conversion, port, that's just tech term hair splitting when a headline practically suggests Sumo created those games.

    I love both All Stars Racing and Superstars Tennis for the love and effort that's gone into them, but let's try not to bury Sega's internal - and consistently still competent - teams under factually incorrect journalism.