Peter Moore didn't order Dreamcast's death alone

By Robert Purchese Published 9 December, 2011

Says 2008 comment was misinterpreted.

Contrary to popular belief, Peter Moore wasn't solely responsible for calling time on Sega's fondly remembered final console, Dreamcast.

Said Moore to The Guardian in 2008: "So on 31st January 2001 we said Sega is leaving hardware ... Somehow I got to make that call, not the Japanese. I had to fire a lot of people, it was not a pleasant day."

But now Moore has told IndustryGamers that his comment was misinterpreted, and that as many as a six Sega top-bods worldwide collectively sentenced Dreamcast - and Sega's console business - to death.

"You know it's funny, the idea of 'making the call' came out of an interview with Keith Stuart of The Guardian [in 2008]. When I said making the call, I was actually referring to the telephone call. He interpreted that as making the decision, and I was very much a part of the decision, but it certainly wasn't just me telling the Japanese team that we need to get out of the console business," explained Moore.

"We had all agreed - maybe a half a dozen people in the corporation around the world - of what we needed to hit for the platform to continue to be viable going into 2001, and we simply didn't hit those numbers. It's a difficult early period when you're selling hardware because you're not making a lot of money, and in some instances you're losing money. We needed to build an installed base and we just couldn't get there.

"It became ultimately somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy dictated by the numbers. And so my comment about making the call was that I had to announce - with several hundred journalists on the call, and I shall never forget it - that we were moving on and will not be selling hardware any more, and will be disposing of existing inventory as we transition to third-party publishing."

Peter Moore joined Sega from sporty company Reebok. After Sega he worked for Microsoft and launched Xbox 360. After Microsoft he became EA Sports top dog. Moore is still with EA, but as chief operating officer - lower only than Eric Brown (EVP and CFO) and John Riccitiello (CEO).

But of all Moore has done, it was the day he announced the Dreamcast's plight - and with it Sega's withdrawal from video game hardware - that he pin-pointed when asked about his greatest regret.

"Well I don't regret," he began, "but from a moment of sadness, [it was tough] when we had to say goodbye to the Dreamcast and admit to the world that Sega, after a couple decades of being a powerful hardware player who helped define and craft the direction of the industry, was unfortunately getting out of the hardware business.

"Having to transition to being a third party wasn't easy, and companies that had been our foes soon became our friends. That was very difficult, particularly the human cost of that, because we had to let a lot of people go that day in SoMa in San Francisco.

"That was a tough day because we had built so much together, and our lives were wedded to getting this thing off the ground and being successful, and for a while we were.

Moore concluded: "It was a very, very difficult day on 31st January 2001 when we had to pretty much fold the tent in hardware and transition the company to being a third-party software publisher."

Dreamcast games have since been bundled and ported to new hardware.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (42) Latest comment 5 months ago

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

  • linksdad #1 6 months ago

    Nice clear English sentence.

  • roquey Verified Lead Quality Assurance Tester and Compliance Specialist, Universally Speaking #2 6 months ago

    "Dreamcast games have since been bundled and ported to new hardware."
    Shame its not ones people really want. Skies of arcadia, powerstone and the like. yes please. Pinta quest app for smartphones too?

  • Murbal #3 6 months ago

    Someone else ordered with him he did.

  • Harmonica #4 6 months ago

    Cruh ay zee taxi.

  • bad09 #5 6 months ago

    Why open old wounds?? :cry:

    So sad they couldn't do it I often wonder "what if" they got the numbers and carried on, Sony just created too much brand loyalty with everyone waiting for a PS2 especially after the lukewarm Saturn. In a way the short life is part of the fondness of DC though, a short period of one of the most exiting gaming periods of perfect arcade ports and interesting new games. Poor old SEGA was never the same again although I do like them as a publisher these days.

    God bless you old girl.

    / pats Dreamcast
    Edited by bad09 at 09/12/11 @ 09:52

  • Cjail #6 6 months ago

    He has been thinking about this answer for years.
    Edited by Cjail at 09/12/11 @ 09:55

  • Ultrasoundwave #7 6 months ago

    "Peter Moore didn't alone order Dreamcast dead"

    Sentence quite doesnt seem right.

  • ZizouFC #8 6 months ago

    Yoda, is that you?

  • braydee89 #9 6 months ago

    Literally lol'd at the headline.

  • Ranger101 #10 6 months ago

    Terrible headline. A slight tweak, but keeping most of the same words:

    "Peter Moore not alone in ordering Dreamcast dead"

    But even that's a pretty bad headline.

  • kingmancheng #11 6 months ago

    Always nice to clear things up 3 years later.

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #12 6 months ago

    Bertie the Bard, we call him.

    I agree though and we've tweaked it.

  • sonicyoda #13 6 months ago

    Peter Moore: "Don't blame me; they were just as responsible! I'm sorry! I'll do anything to regain your love! Buy Fable!"

  • Zander #14 6 months ago

    Peter Moore you c*nt! It was all your fault! I hate you I hate you! Actually even as a die hard Sega fan we could probably all see times were a changing. I think back then even Nintendo probably felt a bit grim. But they came out with the Wii and changed the game again. Sega on the other hand have... erm...few average Sonic titles... erm... publish Total War... erm... have NOT MADE SHENMUE 3!!! Hurry up with that! Do it!!! Now! Get to the Choppa!!!

  • handsonhips101 #15 6 months ago

    I had the pleasure of nursing a family member of his. He sent me a nice message and card, in return I said thanks and asked him the million dollar dreamcast question;

    The public waiting for the ps2 and sonys already strong ps1 were the reason. Sega couldnt afford to keep going. Wasn't his decision, that came from Japan but he faced the public.

    Fair answer.

  • BiscuitPowered #16 6 months ago

    @Zander

    Yep, even my little brother loves Shenmue and he's never played it, he used to sit and watch me play when he was about 7/8.

    We both firmly agree that if there's one thing we need more of in our lives that nobody out there right now is providing, it's forklift driving sections.

    Come on Sega, get to it.

  • sega #17 6 months ago

    Dreamcast was THE greatest console of all time for a number of reasons. It still looks graphically amazing today - look at games like Shenmue, Dead or Alive 2 and Soul Calibur and it's amazing to think these came out in the PS1 era. A mixture of, for the first time, arcade perfect ports and ambitious new original games, online play and everything that defines both this generation and the one that came before it.

    Infact Shenmue still hasn't really been topped in terms of scale and ambition to this day. Games like GTA have given us huge detailed environments and graphics have certainly been improved, but nothing matches it for complexity and that feel of an actual living world full of real people.

    It's so sad the Dreamcast's life was cut short. Imagine where we'd be now if it had continued to carry on. If anything we still might be enjoying some new top quality arcade titles at least.

  • TruSmiles #18 6 months ago

    I always felt that the Dreamcast's sad passing was a combination of things: The PlayStation 2's popularity, poor marketing on SEGA's front, lack of support from EA, the ease of which games could be pirated, lack of cash from the Saturn days, etc.

    I still hope that one day SEGA will save up a small fortune and decide to re-enter the hardware market though. But, they would probably be mad to even bother, considering how risky it all is.

  • The-Bodybuilder #19 6 months ago

    /pulls out world smallest violin
    /plays shenmue theme.

    Seriously though my interest in gaming peaked during the dreamcast era. Sony lied (and people swallowed their load), Sega Europe spent their marketing budget on a lame arsenal sponsorship deal, pople copied games (me included, unfortunately). We're all to blame.

    The fact I may never see a shenmue 3 will always hurt.

  • Subdominator #20 6 months ago

    It was a good decision. After all Sega is now a healthy company that actually makes money instead of burning it.

    I'm glad there was no Shenmue 3. Shenmue brought me into console gaming, and Shenmue 2 was great - but the end went in a direction that was totally out of touch with reality and the whole story until that point (boy seeking revenge for his father's death). Shenmue 3 would have probably been dragons and fairies so thank god they never got around to continue the story they started in the last five minutes of Shenmue 2.
    Edited by Subdominator at 09/12/11 @ 11:30

  • DJDog #21 6 months ago

    Glad Eurogamer are covering this topical issue of the Dreamcast's death in 2001.

  • UKLL #22 6 months ago

    The Dreamcast is still my favourite console of all time, it was like having your own arcade in your living room, I still have my Dreamcast fishing rod and marracas tucked away underneath my bed, such good memories.

    I would sell my soul for a downloadable 360 port of Phantasy Star Online.
    Edited by UKLL at 09/12/11 @ 12:04

  • Bander #23 6 months ago

    @Subdominator Looking at the really early promotional videos for Shenmue, the series was always supposed to go off in a more mystical direction. Shenmue 3 was also going to ditch the huge cast of pedestrians and instead concentrate on character interaction and multiple choices with different consequences. Yu Suzuki was never going to be able to not attempt more innovation for all of Shenmue's 16 chapters.

    @handsonhips101 sounds about right. The PS1 killed the DC. Or rather Sega's inability to stop the PS1 did. Their mistake was letting Tom Kalinske go ahead with the 32X, which split Sega's resources. Had the Saturn launched with the likes of Star Wars Arcade, Doom, a good Virtua Racing, Metal Head, Knuckles Chaotix etc. as CD-ROM titles, in addition to its own top games (Virtua Fighter, Daytona, Panzer Dragoon), and kept up the momentum, with clear marketing and no console left behind prematurely to upset the fans, the PS1 may not have got a foothold.

  • Alex_976 #24 6 months ago

    I don't get why sega just didn't put the model 2 board into the Saturn.

  • eightbit #25 6 months ago

    Can we get a Jet Set Radio HD Combo on PSN/Live/Steam please SEGA. Thanks x

  • BellyFullOfHell #26 6 months ago

    I'd like Headhunter HD, it shat on Metal Gear from such a height it wasn't even funny.

  • Zander #27 6 months ago

    @Bellyfullofhell
    Whilst I was also a Headhunter fan (one of how many including you?) I don't think it was even close to matching MGS. T'was very good though. In fact i still have it.

  • photoboy #28 6 months ago

    @Alex_976

    Indeed. It was an expensive piece of kit at the time, but I'm sure a Model 2 based Saturn would have soon become affordable thanks to economies of scale.

    I'd love to see some parallel universe where that happened. I would imagine that a Saturn that launched with arcade perfect ports of Daytona and Sega Rally would have pretty much killed the PS1. If that had happened, I wonder if Sony would still be making games consoles today?

  • The-Bodybuilder #29 6 months ago

    @BellyFullOfHell I, like Zander, was/is also a massive Headhunter fan (I even bought the average sequel), and I regarded it as an underground hit (hampered by the DCs early demise, and technological limitations).

    However, you are crazy to claim it was better than MGS. Heck, it came out around the time when the MGS2 trailer was shown, and we all know how amazing that game looked (the story is another thing).

  • MikeRox #30 6 months ago

    @roquey They both got ported to other systems. Skies of Arcadia Legends on GC and Powerstone Collection on PSP.

  • Shotofen #31 6 months ago

    I'm looking at my Dreamcast right now as I type. Did you know it was compatible with Microsoft Windows CE? :)

  • cawley1 #32 6 months ago

    Bugger me! Putting a Model2 board inside a home console back in 1994 would have cost shit-loads, regardless of economy of scale!

    As someone said, they should never have pissed about with 32X and just focused on Saturn. Although Western tastes changing around this time kissed goodbye to any chance of fantastic arcade ports, which Sega was best at back then, don't forget all the ace Saturn ports that stayed in Japan.

    As for Dreamcast, I still think EA had the biggest hand in it's demise. All those sport crazy Yanks held off as getting milked for their yearly updates was not happening on the system, despite Sega Sports putting out a great line of titles.

  • GANGSTERKILLER #33 6 months ago

    @sega

    I agree with everything you say! I feel the same bro... :cry:
    The SEGA Dreamcast will always be my favorite console along with the SNES. And no game will ever come close to Shenmue. You were Ryo Hazuki! That atmosphere, what a masterful game. I still play on my Dreamcast via a VGA box, picture quality is still good after all these years.
    Edited by GANGSTERKILLER at 09/12/11 @ 22:09

  • Lucodeath #34 6 months ago

    Mine still gets occasional action, first system I had for looking at porn I mean the internet.

  • marty_k #35 6 months ago

    I loved my DC and Shenmue was amazing. Shame they didn't make more of them ;/

  • metamorphic #36 6 months ago

    @sonicyoda lol, I think you've mistaken Peter Moore with Peter Molyneux.

  • Kaminari #37 6 months ago

    The premature death of the Dreamcast meant the death of Shenmue. And that will NEVER be forgiven.

  • JHo #38 6 months ago

    Dreamcast was graphically awesome. But something that we need to remove our rose-tinted spectacles and realise was the severely limited control input. The gamepad only had four face buttons and two shoulder bumpers. There was also only one analogue stick, correct? Compared to the PS1 with the extra shoulder bumpers and "twin-sticks'. This severely limited the types of games that could be ported or developed for the console. As games became more and more complex as far as the commands were concerned it made certain games unplayable on Dreamcast.

    This was around the time that games like "Tomb Raider" and "Descent" were very popular and could be played properly on the PS1 due to the extra contoller buttons. To play the same games on Dreamcast was almost impossible. Well, there was a dodgy version of Tomb Raider released for DC but it was very hard to play, and bombed.

    The only game I really played a lot of was Soul Calibur. Man, that game still holds up today. Crazy graphics!!

  • Videogamer. #39 5 months ago

    :)

  • Ryze #40 5 months ago

    They were on a downhill slope since the mid-90s, unfortunately.

    They're still a sad shadow of their former selves, apart from a few individuals, teams and partners who occasionally deliver the business.

    Sad to see, really.

  • Ryze #41 5 months ago

    @Alex_976

    Because the Saturn would then have cost at least £2500 in 1995, you spanner.

    :D

    @Bander

    We have to remember that Sega had, between the Sonic launches and the Saturn launch, totally forgotten how to market their products.

    The Saturn launch reminds me an awful lot of the PS3 - they really relied on hype, as the promotion at launch-time was pretty terrible.

    Sony on the other hand had it down to a tee, with some marvellously memorable PS ads all over the place, and perfect product placement - EVERYWHERE.

    The Saturn and the PS3 actually have quite a few similarities in their stories in terms of marketing, architecture and 'untapped', difficult to harness processing power.

    Both of them were altered late in the day in order to compete with the competition, and suffered in terms of 3D capability...
    Edited by Ryze at 12/12/11 @ 22:49

  • DwarfyP #42 5 months ago

    @roquey I dunno, Crazy Taxi is up there.

    Shenmue, Powerstone 2 and Jet Set Radio are the ones I'm still waiting on.

    Ahhh Dreamcast, you served me well