Sonic creator Yuji Naka has formed a new company called "Prope". Formerly head of Sega's Sonic Team studio, Naka has created the new company using 10 million yen capital, 10 percent of which was funded by Sega. The studio will begin operations on June 1 with an intent to build new game titles for unspecified platforms. The company says on its website, "We named our company PROPE in the hopes of bringing game entertainment much closer to users, establishing closer ties between users and us, and creating near future entertainment."
Word has it that Sega is creating a new developer support program, beginning with Prope. It's believed that Sega is re-creating its development R&D structure that it had during the Genesis and Dreamcast generations and dissolved during its merger with Sammy in 2004. Prope's website can be found here.