Sega jumping onto the CG Animation Bandwagon

Gaming company Sega Sammy Holdings aims to branch out into the CG animation biz with its newly established animation division called Sega Sammy Visual Entertainment.  Here's an article from its official business report:

CG Animation Production Subsidiary Established

SEGA SAMMY VISUAL ENTERTAINMENT INC., which will handle CG animation production and rights operations, was established on June 1, 2009, as one part of the Group's growth strategy. CG animation is closely related to the operations of the SEGA SAMMY Group, and accordingly the new company is expected to generate Group synergies. One source of those synergies will be the effective utilization in CG animation of the management resources developed in existing operations. Another source will be the use in existing operations of the IP assets newly developed in the CG animation business. In accordance with its management vision "The Best Stories for Children Around the World," SEGA SAMMY VISUAL ENTERTAINMENT will strive to become the number one family-oriented animation studio in the Asia-Pacific region within five years.

With the level of quality between video game cinematics and CG animated films is getting more blurred, it doesn't really seem much an inconceivable stretch of a business move to me nowadays. Just look at Final Fantasy: Advent Children and the games from Square Enix for a perfect example.  Even Capcom has venture into the animation market with Resident Evil: Degeneration.  Perhaps we may see an animated movie of Sonic the Hedgehog at some point down the road. On whatever or not Sega have what it takes to become the Pixar of Asia, I'll leave it entirely up to you to decide. 

Embedded below is two animated clips produced by Sega.  The first video is the cinematic intro from the game, Sonic: Unleashed and the second video is the full animated short Sonic: Night of the Werehog that was released in-conjunction with the game.  Also check out an in-depth article on the making of the short at CG Society.