TOKYO--Sega announced it will be relaunching its official Japanese Web site on July 1. As of tomorrow, Sega's site will have a new look and a more simplified structure. Sections in the site, such as company information and product detail, will be made easier to find and to navigate. The site's media, including clips and promotional trailers, will be moved into a single convenient section. Sega will also be creating an official community for its game franchises where fans can discuss the company's many popular series.

　　Sega's Web site announcement comes a few days after two of its internal studios, Hitmaker and Amusement Vision, announced that they will be closing their sites. The closings come just before the merger of Sega's subsidiaries, which will take place on the same day as Sega’s site relaunches.

　　Sega's decision to merge its studio operations comes as the merger between Sega and Sammy continues. In mid-May, the two companies announced that they will be fully merged in October and become subsidiaries of a new holding company, Sega Sammy Holdings. Once merged, Sega and Sammy's combined annual income for the fiscal year 2005 is expected to reach 501 billion yen ($4.4 billion), making it one of the biggest game companies in Japan. Sega received final approval for the merger from its shareholders yesterday.