Sega Resurrects Daytona USA with Daytona 3 Championship USA arcadehero

In 2009, Sega attempted to give operators still running old Daytona USA cabinets something refreshing with Sega Racing Classic. It was essentially the old Daytona USA, sporting a new cabinet design & 720p graphics but it lacked the important Daytona license. Unfortunately, that also meant that some of the famously catchy music was absent from the game.

Daytona 3 Championship USA

At the AAMA Gala this past September, a source informed me that they saw that Sega was bringing Daytona back with Daytona Reloaded . Unfortunately I was not provided additional information beyond that tentative name – whether or not it was a remake, a remaster like SRC was or something new entirely. Then a couple of weeks ago, I had another independent source contact me out of the blue that their organization was discussing the upcoming Daytona.

Now today, Sega Amusements has confirmed that Daytona is indeed on its way back although we do not have a confirmation on the name or other specific details . The first tease was this gif on the internet that told us that it will be an Arcade Exclusive game and it will be at IAAPA 2016 in two weeks (which I will be attending)

New Press Release And Game Details

I just got this in the inbox – I’ve bolded certain statements to point out new features. The name has changed from what I have been told, which does show that this is a proper sequel and NOT a remake like Sega Racing Classic was. Here are the details summed up, then the press release

-Name was changed from what was shown in Chicago (Daytona Reloaded) to Daytona 3 Championship USA

-47″ screen

-27″ billboard marquee

-Link up to 8 machines

-Camera with in-game avatars

-New cars and game modes

-Operator adjustable “party mode” for tournaments

-Based on the original Daytona USA engine to keep the physics

-Three new tracks plus remastered tracks from the original Daytona USA

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Sega Amusements International Ltd 42 Barwell Business Park

Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2NY United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 208 391 8090Tel: +1 (847) 364-9787

Email: sales@segaarcade.com

www.segaarcade.com

1stNovember 2016

Daytona –The True Legend Is Back

You read that right, Daytona is back and just as it was first time around in the 90s, it’s set to be a game changer.

Daytona USA is the pinnacle of arcade racing and now Sega is ready to bring its #1 racer screeching into the 21st century! It revolutionised the arcade scene when it was first launched in 1994, and this franchise can deservedly lay claim to bold statements such as iconic, classic and legendary. This brand new version, Daytona 3 Championship USA, features three brand new tracks including a recreation of the newly renovated Daytona International Speedway. In addition, the original three classic courses have been remastered for the modern era. New cars and new game modes bring more for players old and new to experience. Sega has gone all out on a cabinet design to do this global brand justice and make it stand out from the pack. The cabinet with 47” LED monitor is linkable for up to eight players and lit from top to bottom. It even has a moulded under seat engine!

New game features include a live in-game camera system so you can enjoy maximum bragging rights as you overtake your friends! Also brand new to Daytona3 is the ‘Live TV’ inspired spectator video billboard marquee with 27” display. This allows spectators to see what’s happening in the race, whether it’s a crash, a pass for position or to find out who’s winning or losing!

“This is a game changer. This is a premium game that delivers on quality, player experience and operator features that sets a very high bar for arcade video racing games. Importantly we have based it on the original game engine that gave us the amazing ‘AI’ and ‘catch up’ feeling that we all grew to love” commented Patrick Michael, Head of Local R&D. The game also has an all-new party mode allowing operators to run special events easily. In addition, to assist engineers, there is the introduction of ‘Sega-IQ Intelligent Service Menus’; these are designed to offer prompts and troubleshooting advice when the onsite technician is maintaining the game.

“At SEGA we have always been passionate about developing the best arcade racing games, it’s part of our DNA, so to have the opportunity to work on this title that truly captures the spirit of the racing scene in Daytona is nothing short of an honour.”commented Sega’s CEO Paul Williams. Whether players enjoyed the game back in the 90s or experience it now for the first time, they’ll find it’s easy to pick up and fun to master; with simple and quick menu options they will be straight to the starting grid. Confidence will come from the first lap and the competitive spirit will kick in as players find themselves challenging their rivals for the lead! Developed and manufactured to the highest quality, Daytona 3 Championship USA will feature in game rooms and FEC’s for years to come.

Have you got what it takes to take the flag again…. because Daytona is back!

Come and visit us at IAAPA on stand 1606 to experience Daytona 3 ChampionshipUSA for yourself.To Pre-order speak to Sega on +44 (0)208 391 8090 or +1 (847) 364-9787 or email on sales@segaarcade.com, or contact your local Authorized Sega Distributor.

DAYTONA is registered trademark of the International Speedway, Inc. and licensed to International Speedway Corporation.

You can read the PR here where Sega has opened this page where it says “Daytona: The True Legend Is Back” .

Who is working on this behind the scenes?

Many commenters have been wondering who is the development studio behind this effort (beyond Sega themselves). Sega has worked with various 3rd parties such as Codemasters and Sumo Digital before. One reader was asking if Specular Games (H2Overdrive, Dirty Drivin’, Batman) were the company responsible to which Specular chimed in on Twitter:

@jdevy01 @arcadeheroes Would have been awesome to work on, but alas not us. — Specular Games (@SpecularGames) November 1, 2016

Segabits has confirmed that Sega has brought back as many original Daytona USA team members as possible to work on Daytona 3.

Why the “Arcade Only” Hashtag?

The arcade market is a bit different than the home console market and not exactly like the mobile market either. The average cost of a brand new racing game tends to fall in the $7000-$9000 range per cabinet and the primary buyers for these games are “arcade operators”. These are people that either own a venue with games or run a business just buying games and placing them out at different locations (restaurants, grocery stores, bowling alleys, etc.).

Most players don’t realize it but when you combine these “out-of-home” locations where an arcade game can be placed, there are thousands of locations out there that can have an arcade game. We also have been reporting on about 50 new locations opening up per year and big chains like Dave & Busters and Round1USA have been expanding rapidly in recent times. Visit Aurcade.com to help find a location near you.

Operators buy these games to make money. Running an arcade business is not cheap. If you own a venue, you have many bills to pay (rent, electricity, insurance, taxes, parts, wages, etc) so your collection of games has to cover all that plus the cost of the new games.

What operators have understood over the past 40 years is that with a console port, sales on the new game drops – sometimes not much, sometimes too much. This is particularly noticeable with fighting games but it admittedly can be less with a driving game since the arcade setup is more like a simulator. Regardless, if you were an operator spending thousands of dollars on a new game ($14k+ to have a pair of driving games at least), you probably wouldn’t appreciate anything that might end up causing your investment to not pay itself off for a few years, if ever.

On top of that, the arcade market is alive but it isn’t 1982 where we have 200+ new arcade releases a year. For a while now we’ve seen about 25-30 new games released annually. Compare that to any console, the PC, or mobile where you can have release numbers in the thousands. So those sources are not left wanting for content while the arcade market needs every solid release it can get to bring people in through the doors. Under those circumstances, it is not a bad thing that they are allowed their few exclusives too.

So what are your thoughts or hopes for the new Daytona 3?

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