Sega Europe, today confirmed that it is in the process of instigating its own publishing operation to bring to market videogames for all viable gaming platforms.

Sega Europe will be building up areas to look after all elements of sales, marketing and PR, to join its pre-existing development infrastructure, with the aim of maximising the sales potential of its popular gaming brands across all PAL-based territories. Previously, Sega Europe had a number of agreements with third-party publishers to bring SEGA-developed titles to market across these territories.

Sega Europe will initially consist of two offices across Europe. The European headquarters remains situated in Chiswick, London, and will operate as the central office for European (PAL) activity. In addition an office based in Paris, France will assist in direct publishing in the French territory. The company is in the process of negotiating distribution arrangements for remainder PAL territories, including Australia and New Zealand.

Naoya Tsurumi, President & COO of Sega Europe, commented, "Sega Europe is now in a position to get closer to the European games market, with its own publishing operation. The transition from hardware manufacturer to software publisher is now complete, and we see the next few years as an incredibly exciting time for growth for Sega Europe."

The first games to be published by Sega Europe will be Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut for GameCube, Phantasy Star Online for Xbox and Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution for PlayStation 2.