SEGA Corporation

Moby ID: 12

AKA +
  • SEGA Games Co., Ltd. (from 2015-04-01 to 2020-04-01)
  • SEGA Corporation (from 2000-11-01 to 2015-04-01)
  • SEGA Enterprises Ltd. (from 1965 to 2000-10-31)

Overview edit · view history

SEGA Corporation is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan. Sega previously developed and manufactured its own brand of home video game consoles from 1983 to 2001, but a restructure was announced on 31 January 2001 that ceased continued production of its existing home console, effectively exiting the company from the home console business. While arcade development would continue unchanged for a long while, the restructure shifted the focus of the company's home video game software development to consoles developed by various third-party manufacturers. They would sell their arcade business to Genda Inc. (under the GiGo brand) in January 2022.

SEGA has developed and produced many popular video games in a variety of genres, including renowned series such as Crazy Taxi, The House of the Dead, Jet Grind/Set Radio, Phantasy Star, Sakura Wars, Sonic the Hedgehog, Virtua Fighter, Wonder Boy, Yakuza and many others. Through acquisition of other companies, it has also held numerous successful intellectual properties like Company of Heroes, Endless, Football Manager, Total War, Two Point and others.

History

Sega's roots can be traced back to a small company based in Honolulu, Hawaii named Standard Games, that began operations in 1940. In 1951, Raymond Lemaire and Richard Stewart moved the company to Tokyo, to develop and distribute coin-operated amusement-type games such as jukeboxes and slot machines, and renamed it Service Games. Within a few years Service Games began importing these machines to American military bases throughout Japan.

In 1954, David Rosen, an American officer in the Air Force, launched a two-minute photo booth business in Tokyo. This company eventually became Rosen Enterprises, and in 1957 began importing coin-operated games to Japan. By 1965, Rosen Enterprises grew to a chain of over 200 arcades, with Service Games its only competitor. Rosen then orchestrated a merger between Rosen Enterprises and Service Games, who by then had their own factory facilities, becoming chief executive of the new company, Sega Enterprises, which derived its name from the first two letters of SErvice GAmes.

Within a year, Sega began the transition from importer to manufacturer, with the release of the Rosen designed submarine simulator game Periscope. It was soon exported to both Europe and the United States, becoming the world's first 25 cent arcade game.

In 1982, Sega introduced one of the industry's first three-dimensional games, SubRoc 3-D. The following year, an overabundance of arcade games led to the video game crash; Sega then pioneered the use of laser disks in the video game Astronbelt, designing and releasing its first home video game console, the SG-1000.

In 1986, Sega of America was poised to take advantage of the resurgent video game market in the United States. Sega released the Sega Master System console and the first Alex Kidd game, who became the company's unofficial mascot until 1991, when Sonic the Hedgehog took over.

After this Sega went on to create 3 more home consoles: the Genesis/Mega Drive (1988/89), Saturn (1994/95) and their final home console the Dreamcast (1998/99). Two add-ons were also released for the Genesis/Mega Drive: the Sega CD/Mega CD and the 32X. They also created the Game Gear (1990/91), a handheld system.

Known subsidiaries

Names in italics used to be subsidiaries, but no longer are as they were closed or sold off.

Regional offices

Internal (as of 2018)

Non-internal

Other related pages of former subsidiaries

Credited on 1,754 Games from 1973 to 2024

Displaying most recent · View all

Unicorn Overlord (2024 on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5...)
Persona 3: Reload (2024 on Windows, Windows Apps, PlayStation 4...)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024 on Windows, Windows Apps, PlayStation 4...)
Sonic Dream Team (2023 on Macintosh, iPhone, iPad...)
Persona 5: Tactica (2023 on Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5...)
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023 on Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series...)
Football Manager 2024 (2023 on Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox One...)
Endless Dungeon (2023 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...)
Sonic Superstars (2023 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...)
Total War: Pharaoh (2023 on Windows, Macintosh)
Samba de Amigo: Party Central (2023 on Nintendo Switch)
Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go (2023 on Macintosh, iPhone, iPad...)
Etrian Odyssey HD (2023 on Nintendo Switch, Windows)
Etrian Odyssey II HD (2023 on Nintendo Switch, Windows)
Etrian Odyssey III HD (2023 on Nintendo Switch, Windows)
Etrian Odyssey: I・II・III HD Remaster (2023 on Nintendo Switch)
Etrian Odyssey: Origins Collection (2023 on Windows, Nintendo Switch)
404 Game RE: SET -Error Game Reset- (2023 on iPhone, Android, iPad)
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (2023 on Windows, Macintosh)

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History +

April 17, 2023

Company offers to acquire Rovio Entertainment Oyj.

April 1, 2015

SEGA Corporation changes its name to SEGA Games Co,, Ltd.

December 31, 2014

SEGA Corporation absorbs SEGA Networks Co., Ltd..

January 25, 2005

The company sells its second-party developer Visual Concepts, along with its wholly-owned subsidiary Kush Games, to Take-Two Interactive for $24 million.

October 2004

Sammy Corporation buys a controlling share in Sega Corporation at a cost of $1.1 billion, and from the merger Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. is created.

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Trivia +

The German online magazine 4Players named SEGA as #2 Best Publisher of 2007 and Best Publisher of 2010.

Awards

In the EMAP Image's Golden Joystick 1991 awards of the United Kingdom's game industry Sega has won the "Manufacturer of the Year" award.Source: CVG #115, 1991/6)

Related Web Sites +

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