However, it's not at all clear that it'll affect us negatively. Sega have been planning for some time (and have made no secret of the fact) to restructure to concentrate on games software rather than hardware.

The idea is that the Dreamcast brand won't die, but be transformed into a software system which can play games on various devices: set-top boxes, XBox, even the Sony PS/2 possibly.

This is seen in Japan as a very positive move for Sega. They have been losing money for a few years and the new direction is thought to be likely to put them on a surer footing. This is reflected by the fact that Sega's shares have been going up while all this has been being gossiped about.

So it doesn't really look like something to worry about from the Arsenal point of view. Except possibly for that peculiarly loyal brand of gooner who went out and bought the console...

See also this BBC report