SEGA has gone through some revitalization throughout 2018. In addition to the return of some classic franchises like Sakura Wars, Valkyria Chronicles, and Shenmue, SEGA of America has also appointed a new President. Today, we learned that SEGA Europe is joining in on the fun as they revealed to GamesIndustry.biz that they are restructuring and opening a new QA studio in Sofia, Bulgaria.
SEGA Europe’s QA division is currently located in London but will transition over to Sofia over the next two years to form. Gary Dale, president and COO of Sega Europe, told GamesIndustry.biz that Brexit didn’t impact this transition; rather, Bulgaria emerging recently a leader in IT developer influenced the decision:
“Bulgaria is a European leader for IT development, home to regional offices for some of the most renowned tech outfits in the world including IBM and Hewlett Packard and has a history of technological accomplishment and innovation. It’s the perfect location to open what will become a best-in-class quality assurance operation with the capacity to expand.”
That being said, things will work as usual in London until 2020. This shift apparently won’t cause immediate layoffs, and SEGA says that they will give current QA employees the ability to “relocate or contribute to the completion of this project in an important and meaningful capacity.”
This European QA supports many titles from SEGA subsidiaries Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Relic, Amplitude, and Hardlight. Even though QA is sometimes a thankless job, SEGA’s PC fans should appreciate what these guys do an be happy that they are getting their own studio. Gary Dale also seemed to commend the current QA team, and can’t wait to collaborate with them while forming SEGA Development Services Sofia:
“We’re looking forward to the collaboration with the current UK team in London as we build this exciting operation in Sofia. Their expertise and passion for Sega and its diverse IPs will be invaluable throughout this process.”
SEGA Development Services Sofia is poised to open its doors in Bulgaria in June 2020.