Sega
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- This article is about the video game company. For Mauritian dance theme, see sega music.
| Sega Corporation 株式会社セガ |
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| Type | Subsidiary of Sega Sammy |
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| Founded | Standard Games (1940); Service Games (1951) |
| Headquarters | Ota, Tokyo, Japan |
| Key people | Hajime Satomi, CEO Sega Corp, Naoya Tsurumi, CEO SOA and SOE; Simon Jeffery, COO and President SOA; Yu Suzuki, Yuji Naka notable game designers |
| Industry | Video games, Former video game console manufacturer |
| Products | Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Nomad, Sega Pico, Saturn, Dreamcast |
| Revenue | 93.129 billion Yen (2004) |
| Employees | 10,760 |
| Slogan | Various; "SEGA!"; "Beat us if you can"; "Welcome to the next level"; "To be this good takes Sega"; "Sega does what Nintendon't"; |
| Website | Sega of America Sega of Japan Sega of Europe Sega Mobile |
Sega Corporation (株式会社セガ Kabushiki-gaisha Sega?) is an international video game software and hardware developing company, and a former home computer and console manufacturer. The company has had success in both arcades and the home console market, but in early 2001, they left the consumer console business and began concentrating on software development for multiple platforms.
Sega's main offices, as well as the main offices of its domestic division, Sega of Japan, are located in Oyata, Tokyo, Japan. Sega's European division, Sega of Europe, is headquartered in the Chiswick area of London, England, United Kingdom. Sega's North American division, Sega of America, is headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States. The North American division moved from Redwood City, California in 1999. Until 2000, Sega's official corporate name was Sega Enterprises Ltd.. It is also referred to as Sega U.
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[edit] History
[edit] 1940-1988
Sega was originally founded in 1940 as Standard Games (later Service Games) in Honolulu, Hawaii [1], by Martin Bromely, Irving Bromberg, and James Humpert to provide coin-operated amusements for American servicemen on military bases. Bromely suggested that the company move to Tokyo, Japan in 1951 and in May 1952 "SErvice GAmes of Japan" was registered.
In 1954, another American businessman David Rosen fell in love with Tokyo and established his own company, Rosen Enterprises, Inc., in Japan to export art. When the company imported coin-operated instant photo booths, it stumbled on a surprise hit: The booths were very popular in Japan. Business was booming, and Rosen Enterprises expanded by importing coin-operated electro-mechanical games.
Rosen Enterprises and Service Games merged in 1965 to make Sega Enterprises. Within a year, the new company released a submarine-simulator game called "Periscope" that became a smash-hit worldwide.
In 1969, Gulf+Western purchased Sega, and Rosen was allowed to remain CEO of the Sega division. Under Rosen's leadership, Sega continued to grow and prosper. In the videogame arcades, Sega was known for producing Frogger and creating Zaxxon. Sega's revenues would hit $214 million by 1982 and in 1983, Sega would release their first video game console (the SG-1000), the first 3D arcade video game (Subroc-3D, which used a special periscope viewer to deliver individual images to each eye), and the first action-based laserdisc arcade game (Astron Belt).
In the same year, Sega was hit hard by the video game crash. Hemorrhaging money, Gulf+Western sold the U.S. assets of Sega to Bally Manufacturing Corporation (also known as the famous pinball manufacturer). The Japanese assets of Sega were purchased for $38 million by a group of investors led by Rosen and Hayao Nakayama, a Japanese businessman who owned a distribution company that had been acquired by Rosen in 1979. Nakayama became the new CEO of Sega, and Rosen became head of its subsidiary in the United States.
In 1984, the multi-billion dollar Japanese conglomerate CSK bought Sega, renamed it to Sega Enterprises Ltd., headquartered it in Japan, and two years later, shares of its stock were being traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. David Rosen's friend, Isao Okawa, the chairman of CSK, became chairman of Sega. In 1986, Sega of America was established to take advantage of the expanding video game market in the United States. Sega would also release the Sega Master System and the first Alex Kidd game, who would be their mascot until 1991 when Sonic the Hedgehog took over.
[edit] 1989-2001
With the introduction of the Sega Mega Drive and to carry the momentum to the 2nd generation of games, Sega of America launched a direct anti-Nintendo campaign with slogans such as "Genesis does what Nintendon't". Sega also rebranded themselves with a new mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog and implied that Sonic (given his attitude-focus and fluid gameplay) was cooler than Mario, Nintendo's mascot. This shift led to a wider success for the Mega Drive, or Genesis (as it is known in North America) and would eventually propel Sega to 65% of the market in North America. However, Sega's share of the market would plummet in 1994 to 35% after Nintendo released key franchise titles for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System such as Donkey Kong Country and Super Metroid, as well as bad public reaction in Sega's eventual business decisions when releasing poorly sold add-on features to the console such as the Sega 32X and the Sega CD. In 1995 Sega released the Sega Saturn with Viruta Fighter which utilized a 32 bit processor and preceeded both the PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. However, poor sales led to the console being abandoned within 3 years. Those products failed to captivate the North American audience and thus led to a long decline in the console market for Sega. With one last effort for Sega to redeem themselves from overwhelming debt they launched the Sega Dreamcast in Japan in 1998 and in North America later on September 9, 1999 (with the marketing ploy 9/9/99). The Dreamcast at the time became the fastest-selling video game console until the 2000 launch of Sony's PlayStation 2
Although the Dreamcast had a relatively successful release, it failed to gather a foothold in the market against the Sony PlayStation, the Nintendo 64, and the release of the PlayStation 2, which had the market to itself until Microsoft and Nintendo entered the sixth generation of video game consoles, although the PlayStation 2 would continue its market lead throughout the era.
In 2000, Sega Enterprises, Ltd. was renamed Sega Corporation. In 2001, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast and ended its run as a video game hardware manufacturer.
[edit] 2001 and beyond
2001 would see a major shift in focus for Sega as they would move out of hardware manufacturing, at least in the home console market; the arcade Sega NAOMI units are still being produced. The company has since evolved primarily into a platform-agnostic software company (known in some gamer circles as a "third-party publisher") that creates games that will work on a variety of game consoles produced by other companies, including Nintendo's GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, the Wii, Sony's PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable, and Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360.
In 2003, Sega fell on extremely hard times, and after the death of CSK founder Isao Okawa in 2001, who spent over US$40 billion to help Sega, CSK put Sega on the auction block. The first suitor was Japan's Sammy who discussed a merger, but plans fell through. Discussions also took place with Namco, Bandai, Electronic Arts and Microsoft. In August 2003, Sammy bought the outstanding 22% of shares that CSK had, and Sammy chairman Hajime Satomi became CEO of Sega. With the Sammy chairman at the helm of Sega, it has been stated that Sega's activity will focus on its profit-making arcade business rather than its loss-making home software development. During the middle of 2004, Sammy bought a controlling share in Sega Corporation at a cost of $1.1 billion, creating the new company Sega Sammy Holdings, one of the biggest games companies in the world.
Sega recently bought the rights to all output from Sports Interactive, makers of Football Manager (the old Championship Manager).
On January 25, 2005, Sega sold Visual Concepts, a second-party developer known for many Sega Sports games including the ESPN NFL Football series (formerly NFL2K) to Take Two Interactive for $24 million. The sale also came with Visual Concept's wholly owned subsidiary Kush Games. Take Two subsequently announced the start of the publishing label 2K Games because of this purchase.
On March 9, 2005 Sega acquired developer Creative Assembly best known for their strategy games Medieval: Total War and Rome: Total War.
On September 12, 2005, It was announced that Sega would be working with Petroglyph to create a Modern Military/Sci-fi Real-time strategy game for PC[2].
[edit] Consoles
[edit] Early consoles
Sega entered the video game console market in 1983 with the introduction of the SG-1000 in Japan after having test marketed it there since 1981. The SG-1000 was never released in North America, however, it was released in Australia, New Zealand, and many European nations such as Italy and Spain.
In 1984, Sega released an updated version of the SG-1000 called the SG-1000 Mark II and a computer version called the SC-3000. Games for the SG-1000 Mark II were compatible with the SC-3000 and vice versa - provided the player also had the keyboard accessory that came with the SC-3000. The SG-1000 and the SG-1000 Mark II, while having some minor success were both overshadowed by Nintendo's Famicom, which was released in Japan in 1983.
[edit] Master System
In an attempt to compete with Nintendo's popular Famicom, in 1985 Sega updated and released the SG-1000 Mark III in Japan. The system would be redesigned and introduced in North America as the Sega Master System. Although technically superior to the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom)[citation needed], the Master System never achieved the same popularity due in part to the overwhelming third-party support Nintendo had. It has been said that Nintendo had exclusive agreements with gaming vendors in America. The agreement prohibited them from creating games for any other platforms, allowing Nintendo to dominate the market. This frustrated vendors, as well as put some out of business, and as a result, some filed lawsuits over it, and eventually won (reference needed) which explains the MegaDrive/Genesis success. The Master System was also released two years after Nintendo's NES and had a hard uphill battle. The Master System was discontinued in 1992 in Japan and North America, having never achieving any real foothold on the console market in these regions; however, in Europe, the Master System did exceptionally well, even having a larger market share than Nintendo's NES because it was marketed in countries that the NES wasn't. Due to its success in Europe, Sega supported the Master System there until 1996.
Additionally, Sega also released the Master System II and Master System III, which were less-expensive and less-popular retooled successors to the Master System. The Master System II lacked the original's card port; while card games could still be played with the use of an adapter, the Segascope 3D LCD shutter glasses, which required a separate card port, could not work with the newer system. The Master System III was only available in Brazil and, as of 2006, is still being manufactured by Tec Toy and being constantly updated.
[edit] Mega Drive/Genesis
In 1989, Sega released its most successful console worldwide, the Sega Mega Drive also known as Sega Genesis in North America. It was a 16-bit console created to rival the TurboGrafx 16. In 1990, Nintendo released the Super Famicom (or Super Nintendo Entertainment System—SNES), which was the machine's major rival throughout the 16-bit era. Even though it was released earlier than the SNES, Sega had a hard time overcoming Nintendo's stranglehold on the video game console market, which in the late-1980s was 95% in North America and 92% in Japan. By 1992, Sega slashed Nintendo's market by cornering 55% (going as high as 65% in 1993) of the market in North America. The Mega Drive also did well in Brazil, Europe, and Australia; however, it failed to put a dent on Nintendo's market share in Japan.
In 1993, the machine was redesigned and released as the Sega Mega Drive 2, or Sega Genesis 2 in North America. By 1994, Nintendo had regained a lot of its lost market share by slashing Sega's share from 65% to 35%. In 1996, Sega discontinued support for its 16-bit machine. But in 1998, Majesco released a budget version of the North American Genesis, called "Sega Genesis 3". Although this version was low-cost and much smaller than the previous Genesis models, it was incompatible with the Sega CD and 32X attachments, which often caused collectors to pass it over for the Genesis or Genesis 2 models. Similarly, the Mega Drive has been kept alive in Brazil by Brazilian company TecToy as an ultra-low-end console to this day.
Throughout its lifetime, Sega developed and launched two unsuccessful well-known add-ons for the Genesis, the Sega CD and the Sega 32X. It also released a peripheral, Sega Meganet, which was a modem for the Mega Drive. It was only released in Japan and Brazil.
[edit] Saturn
On November 22, 1994, Sega released the CD-based Saturn in Japan, followed by a surprise North American release on May 11, 1995 (nearly four months before its announced release date of September 2), and in Europe on July 8, 1995. Its main rivals were the Sony PlayStation (also released in 1995) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System until the 1996 introduction of the Nintendo 64.
In North America, the Saturn was a failure partly due to its initially high $400 price tag, (compared to $300 for the PS1 and $200 for the N64), and perhaps because of the poor support for previous Sega Genesis add-ons, the Sega 32X and the Sega CD. Though some highly regarded games were released on the console, such as Sonic Team's NiGHTS into Dreams... and Burning Rangers, the Saturn was never really a success in the West. Some of the system's high points were its numerous arcade ports from the Model 2 hardware, the Sonic Team offerings, Dragon Force, and the legendary Panzer Dragoon and Shining Force series. The Saturn never received a proper 32-bit platform game of the Sega mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, since Sonic Xtreme was canceled after a long and troubled development process. Also, many strong titles were not released outside Japan. These reasons partially explain why the Saturn was successful in Japan, but less so in other markets.
Another popular explanation for the Saturn's poor performance in markets outside of Japan may have to do with the system's hardware architecture. Many programmers found the complex hardware (including dual Hitachi SH-2 central processors) difficult to master and instead opted to develop games for the PlayStation. Unlike Sega, Sony made programming libraries readily available to third-party developers. Thus, developers found the PlayStation a more attractive machine to develop for. In some cases, popular games like Tomb Raider looked better on the PlayStation and the Saturn gained a reputation as a graphically inferior machine. Though this is not true, one can conclude that each system is capable of doing some things better than the other. Either machine, in the right hands, was capable of impressive graphical feats for the time.
The general public may remember the Saturn as a console that failed because of poor business decisions and a changing market, but many "hardcore" gamers remain loyal to the console, considering it the absolute peak of 2D gaming, thanks to its extensive library of 2D fighters and "shmups".
The following are some of the more notable, highly sought-after, and expensive games on the Saturn: Radiant Silvergun, Panzer Dragoon Saga (AKA AZEL: Panzer Dragoon RPG), Street Fighter ZERO3, NiGHTS into Dreams..., Burning Rangers, Super Vehicle 001: Metal Slug, Shining Force 3, Guardian Heroes, Astal, Saturn Bomberman, Vampire Savior, Christmas NiGHTS, Fighters Megamix, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Soukyugurentai, and The House of the Dead.
[edit] Dreamcast
Sega's final video game system was to be the Sega Dreamcast, released in Japan in 1998 and in the United States on September 9th, 1999. Considered to be "ahead of its time" by many, the 128-bit Dreamcast was technologically superior to the 32-bit Sony PlayStation and the 64-bit Nintendo 64. However, the Dreamcast failed to recapture the market share lost to Sony's PlayStation and other "next-gen" systems including Nintendo's N64. This was in part due to a lack of faith in the system after the 32X and Saturn systems.
The release of the Sega Dreamcast expanded on the PlayStation's popularization of video games by offering the first out-of-the-box Internet service. For many people who only had game systems it was their first taste of the Internet, and Sega attempted to capitalize on the fact that it was the only Internet-capable console at the time by releasing games that could play over email including Sega Swirl, playable online titles such as ChuChu Rocket and Phantasy Star Online (which is still a popular online series on multiple consoles) and offering online features for other games. As of mid-2005, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox both feature online gameplay for numerous games, however, the GameCube's only online games are Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, III, and Plus.
The Visual Memory Unit memory module used for saving game data also functioned as a portable gaming device playable away from the console. Some console games allowed the player to load a mini-game onto the VMU - Skies of Arcadia's Pinta's Quest for example had the player collect items which they would receive when they went back to the full game. The screen is viewable from the controller and some games would use it in gameplay - Virtua Tennis showed a low-resolution representation of the current play, and Skies of Arcadia would show a character and have the VMU beep to help the player find invisible items. The functionality also created the opportunity for making secret strategy in multiplayer games - for example changing strategy via the VMU screen in a football game. The complexity of the 1Mbit VMU meant that it was considered overpriced, and third-party modules without the screen but often offering larger capacity became common.
The Dreamcast was subsequently discontinued in North America in January 2001. Software support in Japan, however, continues into 2006, with the upcoming release of Radilgy and Under Defeat. SEGA shocked the game world by announcing the release of refurbished Dreamcasts in Japan to accompany this game.
[edit] Handhelds
[edit] Sega Game Gear
In response to Nintendo's Game Boy release in 1989, Sega developed and released their first handheld to the market called Game Gear. Initially released in 1990 in Japan, it was later released to the North American market in 1991 and subsequently to Europe and Australia in 1992. It was the first low-priced Japanese handheld system to be released with a color screen, something their main competitor, Nintendo, wouldn't do for its Game Boy line until the Game Boy Color debuted in 1998. It also generated its own light without the need for attachments, which Nintendo did not do until the Game Boy Light came out in Japan, (and not until the Game Boy Advance SP for the United States). Essentially the Game Gear was a portable Master System, although the color palette was larger and thus allowed for better looking graphics. Since the Master System and the Game Gear were both based on a similar Z-80 architecture, a third party released a peripheral called the Gear Master Converter, which allowed the Game Gear to play Master System cartridges. Sega, impressed with the technology, purchased the rights to the adapter and marketed it as the Master Gear Converter.
Although technically superior and having better features than Nintendo's Game Boy, the Game Gear was plagued by a short battery life of approximately 6 hours. The required 6 AA batteries made the Game Gear enthusiast a rare one. Also, after a few years of playing, the control pad would start to wear out and make playing more difficult.
Overall, the Game Gear was an impressive piece of technology for the time. It was on the market for six years and had a respectable software library, which included versions of the popular Sonic the Hedgehog series. Like the Genesis, Majesco Sales introduced a retooled, less-expensive version of the Game Gear after Sega officially stopped production.
[edit] Sega Mega Jet
The Sega Mega Jet -a portable Mega Drive- was released exclusively in Japan in 1992. The handheld system could be rented on Japan Airlines with a choice between four games to play, one being Sonic the Hedgehog. The system had no screen as it connected to an LCD screen that was folded in the armrest. In March 1994, a consumer version of the system was released.
[edit] Sega Nomad
The Sega Nomad was released in 1995 in North America only; Sega attempted to get back into the handheld market with the Sega Nomad, which was essentially a portable Sega Genesis. Out of the box, the Nomad had the ability to play almost every Genesis game. It came equipped with a 3-inch Active Matrix LCD screen that was backlit and allowed for higher resolutions. Other features included six face buttons, an extra controller port and a video adapter, so the system could be played on a TV.
Like the Game Gear before it, the Nomad had a very short playtime of about 3 hours before the batteries died. It was an expensive system compared to the Game Boy and it was not heavily marketed by Sega. In a time of many hardware launches, the Nomad was lost in the shuffle and was soon found in the discount bin. Recently it has garnered a reputation as a collector's item.
[edit] Other systems
- Sega Multi-Mega/Sega CDX - an Audio CD portable with the functionalities of a Sega Mega Drive and Sega Mega-CD/Sega CD. Following the Mega ... brands its name was Multi-Mega in the majority of the world and Genesis CDX in North America.
- Sega TeraDrive - A 16-bit PC with an integrated Mega Drive. Came with a Software Development Kit to allow creation of Mega Drive games. The system was only released in Japan.
- Sega Neptune - A Sega Mega Drive/32X hybrid. It never passed the prototype stage. Only two empty cases are known to exist.
- Sega Pico - an educational gaming system.
- Sega PC - a division or label of Sega that produced PC versions of Sega games.
[edit] Arcade system boards
In addition to home consoles and portable handhelds, Sega has been a major proponent of games and hardware in the arcades.
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[edit] Franchises
Sega developed several well-known game franchises over the last twenty five years years:
Constantly Updated Franchises
- Phantasy Star series - Phantasy Star (Japanese: ファンタシースター) is the most famous RPG series by Sega. It has had many incarnations, including an online version. Unlike most other RPGs, it has a futuristic/fantasy setting where the player battles monsters using a variety of guns in addition to the usual staple of melee weapons and magic that are found in similar games
- Sonic the Hedgehog - The Sonic the Hedgehog series is a franchise of video games released by Sega starring their mascot character Sonic the Hedgehog. The series began in 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. An 8-bit version of the game was also released for the Master System and Game Gear formats. Sonic was responsible for single-handedly turning the tide of the 16-bit console wars, and his first game soon replaced Altered Beast as the default pack-in game for the Genesis in North America and Europe.[1] As of May 2006, the franchise has sold more than 44 million units, with more games slated for release in the later half of 2006.[2]
Games in the series are developed by Sonic Team, with the exception of some spinoffs that were independently developed by Sega of America. The main programmer for the first game was Yuji Naka, who would later become head of the Sonic Team division, and the game planner was Hirokazu Yasuhara. The music of the first two Sonic the Hedgehog games on the Mega Drive (aka Sega Genesis) was composed by Masato Nakamura of the Japanese band Dreams Come True.
- Shining Force - Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, more commonly referred to as Shining Force, is a 1992 turn-based strategy role-playing video game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console. While primarily a traditional fantasy-themed game, it contains some steampunk elements. Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon, is a 2004 remake of the game for the Game Boy Advance console. It includes a significant amount of changes (see below). Dark Dragon, who was defeated years ago by the ancients, has returned to earth. As the people have forgotten about him, they are unprepared for the invasion. Hordes of evil monsters were cast into the land. Max and his "Shining Force" are going to become the last hope of good and fight fiercely against Dark Dragon and his followers
- Virtua Fighter - Virtua Fighter is a series of versus fighting games created by Sega studio AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki.
In 1998 the series was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution for contributions in the field of Art and Entertainment, and became a part of the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology Innovation. The arcade cabinets are currently kept at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
- The House of the Dead - The House of the Dead is a first-person, light gun rail shooter arcade game released in 1996 by Sega, where the player assumes the role of a government agent who must shoot his or her way through an army of recently resurrected zombies and other undead mutants.
- OutRun - Ferrari Driving Series where you have to impress the girl with slick driving skills.
- Total War -Total War is the name of a strategy game series developed by The Creative Assembly. Its games combine turn-based strategy and resource management on a Risk-like map, with real-time tactical control of battles. The series has become notable for being the first to feature control of very large armies without serious performance issues. On 30 June 2006 a box set of all three Total War and their expansion packs was released called Total War: Eras. This box set also included several extra features and the Rome: Total War expansion Alexander, previously only available via download.
- Sega Rally - Sega Rally Championship is a 1995 arcade racing game developed by AM5 (also known as Sega Rosso) on the Sega Model 2 board. It was later ported over to the Sega Saturn (by AM3) and PC.
The unique selling point of Sega Rally was the ability to drive on different surfaces (including asphalt, gravel and mud), with different friction properties, with the car's handling changing accordingly.
Another interesting feature is that the player can enter a "World Championship" mode consisting of three stages (Desert, Forest and Mountain) where their finishing position at the end of one course is carried through to the starting position of the next course. In this mode, it is impossible to reach first place position by the end of the first track, thus the player must try to overtake as many opponent cars as possible on each track (while staying within the time limit), and gain the lead over several tracks. If, at the end of the third round, the player is in first place, they are able to play a fourth secret circuit called "Lakeside" (on the Saturn version, this course may then be played in time attack and split-screen multiplayer modes).
Three cars are featured in the game: the Toyota Celica GT-Four, the Lancia Delta HF Integrale and Lancia Stratos. The Stratos is only unlocked if the extra Lakeside track is completed in first place; then it may be used in any of the game's modes (championship, time attack and split-screen multiplayer). Codemasters have cited Sega Rally as a strong influence on the first Colin McRae Rally game.
- Golden Axe - Golden Axe is a side-scrolling arcade fighting game released in 1989 by Sega. Makoto Uchida was the primary developer of the game and also was responsible for the creation of Altered Beast. The game places the player in control of one of three warriors each bent on revenge against the vile dictator Death Adder. Death Adder has taken over the once peaceful land of Yuria and murdered their friend and partner, Alex. According to the Killer List of Videogames, Golden Axe is the most important arcade game of the year 1989. Several ports of the game were created, most notably for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Sega Master System. Several sequels followed.
The game focuses on three heroes. One of them is a battle axe-wielding dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead, from the mines of Wolud whose twin brother was killed by the soldiers of Death Adder. Another is a male barbarian, Ax Battler, wielding a two handed broadsword looking for revenge for the murder of his mother. The last is a long-sword wielding Tyris Flare, a female amazon, whose parents were killed by Death Adder.
Discontinued Franchises or on Hiatus
- Panzer Dragoon - Panzer Dragoon is a series of video games by SEGA, created first by its internal Team Andromeda and later, the Smilebit development team. Aside from the RPG Panzer Dragoon Saga, the games are of the rail shooter genre. All games follow the story of a lone hero or heroine fighting an evil empire in a post apocalyptic world, while riding a Dragon. The games are notable for using their own language — "Panzerese", consisting of a mixture of Ancient Greek, Latin and Russian language words as those languages were a hobby of Yukio Futatsugi, one of the core designers of the first game. This pseudo language is used during cutscenes (in a manner similar to the 'Cityspeak' in the film Blade Runner).
- Sega Sports - Football, basketball, hockey, and tennis games (formerly published under the ESPN label)
- Shinobi - Shinobi (忍, Shinobi?) is an umbrella term for the central character in a series of video games developed by Sega commonly referred to as the Shinobi series. The name Shinobi is used as a code-name throughout the series to hide the true identity of its bearer. It has been adopted by various characters, most prominently Joe Musashi, the protagonist of the original series of games (Shinobi -- Shinobi III).
Shinobi debuted in 1987, in the arcade title Shinobi, and has since featured in eleven other official Shinobi titles and one spin-off game. Nightshade is currently the last game in line.
- Alex Along with Alex Kidd and Sonic the Hedgehog, the Shinobi ninja has long been one of Sega's flagship characters, acting as a mascot for a short time in the late 1980's when the ninja boom was in full force. Its games are a showcase of Sega's technical accomplishment. Today the games are still noted for their high quality of graphics, gameplay and music, as well as their high level of difficulty.
- Streets of Rage - The Streets of Rage series (original name in Japan ベア・ナックル Bare Knuckle series) is a well-known beat 'em up series developed by Sega. The series centers around the efforts of several heroes, including series mainstays Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, to rid a troubled city from the rule of crime boss Mr. X and his syndicate.
- ShenmueShenmue (シェンムー, Shenmue?) (IPA: [ʃɜnmu]) (2000) is an Action-adventure/RPG/FREE for the Sega Dreamcast, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki of Sega-AM2. Suzuki coined a new genre title, FREE (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment), for the game, based on its unparalleled interactivity and freedom, as well as the innovative real-time and weather systems. Shenmue covers the first chapter of an epic story which continues into Shenmue II and has yet to see completion. When it was first released it was considered the most expensive video game ever produced, at a cost of over $20,000,000. [1]
- Crazy Taxi - Crazy Taxi was first released in arcades in 1999 and was ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. Subsequently, it has been brought to the PlayStation 2, and GameCube in 2001; and then PC and Game Boy Advance in 2002. It is the first game in the Crazy Taxi series.
A mission-based driving game was a substitute for OutRun since Outrun has been upgraded Crazy Taxi is on Hiatus.
- Alex Kidd - Alex Kidd is a video game character who is a monkey-like boy with big ears in a red jumpsuit. He was Sega's mascot prior to Sonic the Hedgehog.
- Fantasy Zone - Fantasy Zone is a surreal arcade game created by Sega in 1986. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Sega Master System and the Sega Game Gear. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-opa who fights nonsensical enemies in settings atypical of the traditional scrolling shooter, thus it is considered a cute 'em up.
In the game, the player's ship is placed in a level with a number of bases to destroy. When all the bases are gone, the stage boss appears; when the boss is defeated, the player moves on to the next level. There are two buttons: shoot and bomb; the normal shot is generally useful though weak, while bombs are powerful though of narrow use. One major difference between this and many other shooters is that the player can turn around and fly the other way; the screen will scroll along with the player. There is also a shop that occasionally can be accessed. The player can buy items and weapons from it using coins from defeated enemies.
The game Space Harrier, also by Sega and released the previous year, supposedly takes place in "the Fantasy Zone" as well (Space Harrier begins the phrase "Welcome to the 'Fantasy Zone'! Get Ready!"). It includes the same bright pastel color scheme, although the game scrolls into the screen as opposed to horizontally. However, this may be just a coincidence.
- Ecco the Dolphin - Ecco the Dolphin is the collective name given to a series of video games published by Sega which primarily take place underwater. They were originally developed for the Sega Mega Drive (known as the Sega Genesis in North America) and Sega Dreamcast video game consoles, but have since been ported to numerous systems. The games are named after their main character, Ecco, a young bottlenose dolphin. They are known for being unique and highly challenging titles. Ecco was created by E. Ettore "Ed" Annunziata,[1] who also produced the Mega Drive game Chakan: The Forever Man.
The Ecco the Dolphin games hinge on the idea that cetaceans are sapient beings and have their own society under the waves. In the Mega Drive/Genesis games, humans are barely acknowledged and never by name. The cetaceans also call themselves "Singers". In the Dreamcast game, dolphins and presumably other cetaceans have united with humans in a cross-species society.
- Wonder Boy - Wonder Boy was a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone (formerly Escape).
Most of the games that were under the Wonder Boy name in North America and Europe were part of the Monster World series in Japan. Three of the six Wonder Boy/Monster World games belong in both series. There are five Wonder Boy games and four Monster World games.
- Virtual On - Cyber Troopers Virtual-On (電脳戦機バーチャロン, Dennō Senki Bācharon?, roughly "Computer Fighting Machine Virtual-ON") is a series of video games, created by Sega's AM3 (Amusement R&D Dept.#3) later renamed Hitmaker, and first published for the arcade in February 1995. The gameplay consists of a fast, action oriented gameplay, where quick reflexes are of the utmost importance. The game has seen 4 iterations, and has been ported to several consoles.
The mecha designs for all installments of the series were done by famous robot designer Hajime Katoki.
Other merchandise has also been released for the general public such as Plastic Models, Original Soundtracks, Trading Figures and even Audio Drama CDs.
One Hit Wonders
- Skies Of Arcadia - From the creators of the orignal Phantasy Star games comes a spiritual sequel in the form of Eternal Arcadia
Skies of Arcadia is a console role-playing game developed by Overworks and published by Sega in 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast. It was released in Japan in October 2000, and subsequently in North America in November 2000 and in PAL territories in April 2001. An enhanced remake, Skies of Arcadia Legends, was released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003. Known as Eternal Arcadia in Japan, the game's story focuses around Vyse, a young pirate, and his friends as they attempt to stop the Valuan Empire from reviving ancient weapons which could destroy the world.
It was critically well received thanks to its stylish graphics and light-hearted setting, which contrasted with the then highly popular cyberpunk-influenced brand of dark fantasy that was popularized by such games as Final Fantasy VII.[citation needed] A similar motif was used by Final Fantasy IX, released around the same time for the Sony PlayStation. The game's musical soundtrack was composed by Yutaka Minobe and Tatsuyuki Maeda.
[edit] Internal structure
Internally, the company is made up of various research and development teams created throughout the 1980s, called the "AM" (Amusement Machine) teams. In 2000 Sega decided to turn their AM teams into second-party developers that would focus on software development for the Sega Dreamcast video game console. Due to AM2's popularity they chose to keep their original name. Additionally, after the first Sonic the Hedgehog game was released, Sega AM8 changed its name to Sonic Team and have since maintained this name.
Although the teams were separate there was a healthy sense of competition between the various teams which had resulted in some of the most remarkable and innovative gaming events. In 2003 United Game Artists was merged with Sonic Team.
[edit] 2004 restructure
On July 1, 2004 Sammy merged the AM teams into three groups. The merge did not affect Sega-AM2 or Sonic Team.
Global Entertainment Software R&D, which was led by Yuji Naka until 2006. "GE" currently focuses on developing video games for home consoles.
- Dept. #1, headed by Akinori Nishiyama
- Dept. #2, headed by Akira Nishino
- Dept. #3, headed by Yuji Naka
- Mobile Content R&D Dept, headed by Kazunari Tsukamoto
- Sega Studio U.S.A. R&D, headed by Takashi Iizuka
- Sega Studio China R&D, headed by Makoto Uchida
New Entertainment R&D, which is led by each department head. "NE" currently focus' on the development of new content for the arcade and home console markets.
- Dept. #1, headed by Toshihiro Nagoshi
- Dept. #2, headed by Yu Suzuki
Amusement Software R&D, which was led by Hiroshi Kataoka until 2006. "AM" currently focus' on the development of games for amusement machines.
- Dept. #1, headed by Atsushi Seimiya
- Dept. #2, headed by Hiroshi Kataoka
- Dept. #3, headed by Mie Kumagai
- Racing Games R&D Dept., headed by Kenji Arai
- Sports Design R&D Dept., headed by Takayuki Kawagoe
- Family Entertainment, headed by Hiroshi Uemura
[edit] People
Yu Suzuki - Previously the head of AM2, and is attributed with being behind numerous arcade classics including Hang-On, Out Run, Space Harrier, After Burner II, and Virtua Fighter, just to name a few. In 1999, his first ever console-specific title, Shenmue, launched in Japan, and was the most expensive game ever produced. In 2003's internal restructure, he formed a new internal studio named Digitalrex, which was reintegrated into Sega before finishing any games.
Yuji Naka - The head of Sonic Team and responsible for internal QA procedures. Naka made a name for himself in 1991 as lead programmer of Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit), though his previous work includes Phantasy Star, Space Harrier and Fist of The North Star / Hokuto no Ken (released on Sega Mark III in 1986) renamed Last Battle on Master System and re-released as Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.11 on Playstation2 in 2004. His titles since include NiGHTS Into Dreams, Phantasy Star Online and Samba de Amigo. In 2004 his team was merged with United Game Artists, giving the team control over Rez and Space Channel 5.
Toshihiro Nagoshi - Headed up Amusement Vision and is head of the Sega Creative Control centre. Mainly famed for arcade titles, his credits include Daytona USA, Spikeout and Super Monkey Ball. In 2003, he served as the producer for the Nintendo and Sega collaborative GameCube effort F-Zero GX alongside Shigeru Miyamoto. He has been a regular columnist for Edge Magazine in the UK.
Tetsuya Mizuguchi - Headed United Game Artists and created critically acclaimed games such as Sega Rally Championship, Space Channel 5, and Rez. He first worked with AM3 and during his time there, they released Sega Rally and Manx TT. In 1996, he left AM3 to create AM Annex (which would later be called AM9 and finally United Game Artists). AM9 created Sega Touring Car Championship, Sega Rally 2, Space Channel 5 and Space Channel 5: Part 2, and Rez. After the Sega-Sammy merge, he left Sega to head Q Entertainment, which has now released Meteos and Lumines for the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable, respectively.
[edit] Historic legal case
Sega lost the Sega v. Accolade case, which involved independently produced software for the Sega Genesis console that copied a small amount of Sega's code. The verdict set a precedent that copyrights do not extend to non-expressive content in software that is required by another system to be present in order for that system to run the software. The case in question stems from the nature of the console video game market. Hardware companies often sell their systems at or below cost, and rely on other revenue streams such as in this case, game licensing. Sega was attempting to "lock out" game companies from making Genesis games unless they paid Sega a fee (ostensibly to maintain a consistent level of quality of games for their system.) Their strategy was to make the hardware reject any cartridge that did not include a Sega trademark. If an unlicensed company included this trademark in their game, Sega could sue the company for trademark infringement. Though Sega lost this lawsuit, all later Sega systems seemed to incorporate a similar hardware requirement.
[edit] Sega Content Guidelines
During its tenure as both a hardware and software manufacturer, Sega had developed a Sega Seal of Quality, similar to the Nintendo Seal of Quality to avoid the pitfalls that were often seen as the causes for the Video Game Crash of 1983. Before a video game could be sold on any Sega system, it had to be reviewed by Sega to ensure that the game did not contain any bugs, and conformed to the company's censorship guidelines.
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Sega also owns the entertainment fun center, GameWorks, which was founded in 1997.
[edit] Advertisement campaigns
Sega has had a long history of different slogans and ad campaigns.
- The Arcade Experts. (early 80's)
- The challenge will always be there.
- Now, there are no limits.
- Welcome To The Next Level.
- The "SEGA!!! "scream.
- Do me a favour, plug me into a Sega (talking TV).
- To be this good takes AGES, To be this good takes SEGA.
- Segata Sanshiro
- Hot hits today! Hot hits on the way!
- Sega, c'est plus fort que toi ! ('Sega, it's stronger than you!', cult French TV slogan, early 90's)
- It's Thinking. (promotion for Dreamcast)
- Up to 6 billion players. (Early Dreamcast tagline)
- Siga a Sega! ("Follow Sega!", used in Brazil during the early 90's)
- Genesis does what Nintendon't! (During the Sega/Nintendo console wars)
[edit] References
- segasammy.co.jp - Sega financial report
- Yahoo! Finance details for Sega Corporation
- Yahoo! Finance details for Sega of America
- Sega's entry into and growth in the American market is documented in Terry Sanders' film The Japan Project: Made in Japan.
[edit] External links
- Sega of America's official website
- Sega Sammy Holdings official website
- Sega Nerds Sega news from the past to the present
- Unofficial history of Sega
- Retrospective of Sega Consoles: part 1, part 2
- Sega-16 - online resource for everything Genesis/Mega Drive.
- Sega.WS - Sega Website with various interviews with high-level Sega staff
- Hacking CulT - a site for those, who have always dreamt of programming Sega consoles
- The History of Sega
- System 16 - The Arcade Museum (Sega section)
- Sega Amusements Europe
- SegaBlog - Sega related news blog.
| Series: | Sonic the Hedgehog | Super Monkey Ball | Crazy Taxi | Virtua Fighter | Phantasy Star |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Wow Entertainment | Sega-AM2 | Hitmaker | Amusement Vision | STI | Sega Rosso | Smilebit | Overworks | Sonic Team | United Game Artists | SegaSoft |
| Consoles: | SC-3000 | SG-1000 | SG-1000 Mark III | Master System | Mega Drive/Genesis (CD | 32X) | Pico | Saturn | Dreamcast |
| Handheld: | Game Gear | Mega Jet | Nomad |
| Combination Units: | WonderMega/X'eye | Multi-Mega/CDX | TeraDrive | Mega PC |
| Services: | Sega Channel | Sega Meganet | SegaNet | Dreamarena |
| Arcade: | System 16 | System 24 | System 32 | Model 1 | Model 2 | Model 3 | Titan Video | NAOMI | NAOMI 2 | Chihiro | Triforce | Lindbergh |
