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The European Dreamcast launch: a blue month of October

25 years ago, the Dreamcast was released in Europe after a successful launch in the USA 1 month earlier (the cult date 9/9/99). The first day of the American launch had broken all records, not only for the release of a new video game machine, but for any entertainment market. SEGA of America was proud.  On home soil, SEGA Europe wanted to repeat the feat achieved by its colleagues across the Atlantic. The Dreamcast was finally going to be available worldwide, and everyone, without exception, was going to be able to enjoy it!

For the occasion, the orange logo of the Japanese and American Dreamcast was replaced by a blue one. Game and console packaging had been adapted for the European market and this color change. The 56 Kbps modem in the USA was replaced by a lower-speed device, at 33.6 Kbps, as in the Land of the Rising Sun. The old continent was decked out in blue! SEGA's long-awaited latest console was finally showing its face in the last major markets still to be conquered!

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The 60 Hz PAL feature entered the lexicon of video game development with the release of the Dreamcast in Europe. One of SEGA Europe's technical support staff, Elton Bird, had lobbied for it to be included in all PAL titles. He demonstrated to the head of SOE that the 60 Hz signal did not damage 50 Hz TVs.

Its launch price was set at 1,690 francs in France and 200 pounds sterling in the UK, or €257 after conversion at current rates. Over time, the price will fall. By the end of November, the console had sold 400,000 units, reaching 500,000 Dreamcast units sold by Christmas 1999. This excellent result was achieved 6 months ahead of schedule. Far from the American figures, with 372,000 units sold out in a single day, the European release of the Dreamcast aroused consumer interest. Everything was going perfectly well in Europe for the Japanese manufacturer, who even overtook Nintendo and its Nintendo 64 in terms of market share. Alas, it was not to last...

Unlike the Dreamcast's Japanese launch lineup, which featured just four games (Virtua Figther 3tb, PenPen, Godzilla Genrations and July), the lineup for the console's European release was substantial, varied, well thought-out and qualitative. Of all styles, genres, types and themes, thirteen games awaited the most impatient gamers to discover the first sixth-generation console in history:

Sega Rally 2

Virtua Fighter 3tb

Sonic Adventure

Blue Stinger

Millenium Soldiers - Expendable

Incoming

Monaco Grand Prix Racing Simulation 2

Power Stone

Toy Commander

Speed Devils

Trick Style

Dynamite Cop

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing

For months and years, prestigious games (Shenmue, Rez, Jet Set Radio, etc.) were released regularly, and the Dreamcast sold well. Despite all the efforts made (partnerships with soccer teams such as Saint-Étienne and Arsenal), SEGA never managed to reach financial equilibrium. Perhaps the console's manufacturing costs were too high. Everyone knows the rest of the story...

For the Dreamcast to be profitable, SEGA needed to sell 2.9 games per console sold. When the company with the blue hedgehog announced its intention to stop distributing the DC, withdraw from the manufacturer's market and become a publisher in its own way, the figure was 2.7 games per console sold.

Anne Morvan and the St Etienne soccer team (marketing partnership)

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The Dreamcast's imprint on the industry is undeniable, whether in the hearts of fans of the blue hedgehog or developers. It remains, to this day, an example of craftsmanship in its design and the quality of its legendary games.

Preparations for the European launch

Everything had to be perfect for SEGA of Europe to make October 14, 1999 a special and memorable day. It was to be a moment to remember. Behind the scenes, everyone was in an uproar, trying to get everything ready for the big day. Preparations for the launch of a new console take months, if not a year. At SEGA France, things got off to a flying start in April of that year.

A delivery note with the EMI shipper

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Production: SOE planned to have the first games produced by August 1999. The DutchEMI Compact Disc” factory was running at full capacity to achieve this. As there were no plans for the compact disc manufacturer to stock them, and to avoid additional handling costs (the Just In Time principle), once the games had been produced, they were shipped directly to their final destinations, the main depots in European countries. For months afterwards, an incessant traffic of trucks criss-crossed the roads of Europe to supply SEGA's logistics network!

After-sales service: The after-sales service ordered thousands of spare parts from all over the world, by boat or by plane, to be ready to repair the first defective console models as quickly as possible. At the launch of the Dreamcast, faulty consoles were often replaced by new ones, to avoid disappointing consumers and making them wait longer than necessary. SEGA France's forecast for 1999 was for 3,771 consoles to be returned out of 220,000 sold. To solve their problems, failure detection procedures were scrupulously followed, and staff were assigned to detect them!

Forecasts of faults and sales 1999

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Matériel publicitaire

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SEGA's promotional furniture: Dreamcast Demonstration Kiosks had to be transported to stores by SEGA-appointed transport companies prior to the console's launch. The drivers were trained by the Japanese company to assemble the furniture and connect the equipment. As they were usually loaned out for a fixed period, SEGA employees organized their delivery, set-up, follow-up and pick-up.  In France, during the console's short life, there were between 1,500 and 3,500 Dreamcast Displays in turnover.

Warehousing: In terms of warehousing, the pre-launch objective was to fill the warehouses to capacity. Each country had its own centralized storage facility. Logisticians received all kinds of merchandise, such as games manufactured in shipping boxes, spare parts for after-sales service, Dreamcast demonstration furniture, promotional items, etc., etc... Next, they checked their condition and, if the quantity conformed to the delivery notes, stored them, then entered them into the company's computer system. Finally, they prepared orders for SEGA customers. Once ready, transporters dispatched them to the various sales outlets in the region. As the launch of the Dreamcast approached, the quantities ordered grew ever larger.

Deadstock de claviers oubliés dans un container maritime

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De futures pièces détâchée à stocker

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The SEGA Europe Custom Care Service Centre: Based on the number of calls received at the time of the Saturn launch, SEGA of Europe expected to receive 150 calls per hour from the UK (47% of calls), 90 from France (28%), 50 from Germany (16%) and 30 from Spain (9%). An experienced team answered customer queries between 8am and 8pm. On public holidays, Saturdays and Sundays, operators only worked between 10 am and 6 pm. Everything had to be up and running by October 14, 1999.

Marketing: In the run-up to the console's launch, the marketing department worked hard to promote the Dreamcast brand by organizing special events, whether by the seaside during surfing competitions, at concerts, soccer matches or even at the top of the ski slopes during after-ski events. Chain stores received brochures, booklets, VHS, etc. extolling and explaining to their customers the vision of SEGA and its Dreamcast.

NightLoop Dreamcast Launch VHS

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Game development: Development studios sent unfinished versions to SEGA's European headquarters. After certain standards had been checked, they were duplicated and sent to the specialist press. Although the console was not yet available in Europe, journalists were already able to give their first impressions of future games in the PAL lineup.

Les commandes de boitiers antivol

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Sales: To ensure that everything was ready for the stores, SEGA France offered their customers an additional service not included in their sales price. If they wished, they could purchase anti-theft cases and have them delivered, along with their standard order, just before the Dreamcast's launch. Mockups, games manufactured without discs and sometimes without manuals, lined the shelves even before the console was available.

Thousands of people, in all professions, put their hearts and souls into preparing the launch of the Dreamcast, first in Japan, then in the United States and finally in Europe

Its launch in Europe

To publicize the Dreamcast before its official launch, originally scheduled for September 23 1999 but delayed until October 14, SEGA had opted for targeted operations by country. The Japanese company was surprisingly absent from ECTS 1999, which took place from September 5 to 7. It will make up for this with the European launch party at London's Commonwealth Institute. SEGA's big boss, Shoichiro Irimajiri, actors from Austin Powers 2 and other stars were in attendance. The hand-picked guests received their invitation in the form of a VMU with a mini-game (BASH!) designed especially for the occasion. For the French console launch party, they were given an invitation card in the form of an assignment order resembling a summons to military service

Elton Bird (Software Engineer) : « BASH ! was a VMU demo game that I updated with a High Score tracker and added the info about the launch party to the Title screens. It was sent out to people we were inviting, and the person with the best high score on the night won a Dreamcast. »

Carton d'inviation de SEGA FRANCE

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Le mini-jeu BASH

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Off topic: Elton also designed another VMU application for a race organized by RedBull around London, involving skateboarders, BMX riders and possibly mountain bikers.  The organizers wanted to keep the route secret. At the start of the event, each competitor received a Dreamcast memory card displaying the location to be reached. At each checkpoint, they connected their VMU to the one of the responsible person (VMU-VMU connection) to find out the next destination, and so on. This mini-game is considered lost and has yet to be found.

Elton Bird « It was just a marketing gimmick, but it worked well on the day, and RebBull sent me a massive box of drinks to say thank you! »

L'acteur du légionnaire posant devant la pancarte du Virgin Megastore 25 ans après

In France, there were two separate launches (not the same day). VIPs were invited to the salon France Amérique, while the sales launch party took place at the Virgin Champs-Élysées. The Virgin Megastore in Paris welcomed Rocco Siffredi to sign autographs. Lucky Dreamcast buyers had the chance to take home a console autographed by the X star. You should have called him for the launch of the “broad” bande! SEGA France bosses were also on hand to celebrate. A giant poster in SEGA colors decorated the front of the store. A huge sign featuring the Legionnaire from the Dreamcast ads stood proudly at the entrance

While it was possible to connect to the Dream Arena service (the Dreamcast Internet portal) with the Dream Key disc, the online services were not operational as promised. Each country having its own legislation, it was a real headache for SEGA to publicly offer this service on the console's launch day in Europe. It was not until several months later, at the end of May 2000, that the first online games arrived in players' hands

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Costume portée par une hôtesse d'accueil pour le lancement français de la Dreamcast

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As soon as the Dreamast was launched, it would have been possible to run the online network from England throughout Europe. SEGA France, for example, had solutions with SFR relaying for BT. A Relay farm was set up in each region. Switzerland could have connected to Eastern France.

On the morning of the Dreamcast's launch in France, the Internet network didn't work. Four round-trips between Paris and London, chartering a private jet, were necessary to resolve the problem with the English telephone operator BT. Fortunately, everything was back to normal and the consoles were able to connect to Dreamarena at 9pm. The loss of revenue from the Dreamcast's botched launch would have cost more than hiring a plane

The Dreamcast has left a legacy of which most machines would be proud. Even 25 years later, few systems still arouse as many emotions in their fans as the Dreamcast. Its history, written day after day, never ceases to amaze.

Archive of photos from the Dreamcast launch in London

Vintage photos are rarer than video game prototypes, but far more important. Few people took them. Unlike today, with cell phones at our fingertips, we didn't all carry cameras in our pockets - if we had them at all!

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All the evidence suggests that boxers Lennox Lewis and Chris Eubank loved playing Ready 2 Rumble Boxing. As for Verne Troyer, he was over the moon as he posed next to a pretty brunette. The highlight of the show wasn't the stars walking the blue carpet at London's Commonwealth Institute, but the Dreamcast presented by Shoichiro Irimajiri!

This photo archive comes from the Facebook page “Dreamcast (UK/EU)”.

Some photos of the SEGA France team at the console launch

Finding vintage photos of particular events to contextualize is complicated.  If they exist, they are often private photos not intended to be shared in public. The problem is image rights: perhaps not all the protagonists would agree that everyone could see a photo of them.

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The SEGA France team was like a big family, where they felt they were working with wonderful colleagues. These photos from the Dreamcast launch party in France prove it. After months of preparing for the console's release in France, they were finally able to take a breather and relax. A new page in SEGA's history was being written in front of their eyes.

These photos, some of which are Polaroids, were shared by Anne Morvan on her Facebook account. She was Communications Director for SEGA France. With her permission, they may appear in this article.

Special Thanks to:

  • Hick proofreading the french version

  • Anne Morvan for photos of SEGA France

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