Sega

Sega Corporation, a Japanese video game company headquartered in Tokyo, operates as a subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings. Known for its arcade and console games, Sega has produced franchises that sell millions of copies worldwide, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Angry Birds, Football Manager, Phantasy Star, Puyo Puyo, Super Monkey Ball, Bayonetta, Total War, Virtua Fighter, Megami Tensei, Sakura Wars, Persona, and Yakuza. From 1983 to 2001, Sega also manufactured its own consoles, a period that defined its identity in gaming history.

Founded on June 3, 1960, by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart as Nihon Goraku Bussan, the company quickly absorbed the assets of its predecessor, Service Games of Japan. After acquiring Rosen Enterprises in 1965, it became Sega Enterprises, Ltd. Its first coin-operated game, Periscope, launched in 1966. Sega was sold to Gulf and Western Industries in 1969. When the arcade business slumped in the early 1980s, Sega shifted to home consoles, starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but struggled against Nintendo's dominance. In 1984, executives David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama led a management buyout backed by CSK Corporation.

Sega released the Mega Drive (or Genesis in North America) in 1988. While it faced tough competition in Japan, the Genesis found success overseas, especially after the debut of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991, briefly outselling the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. After commercial failures like the 32X, Saturn, and Dreamcast, Sega exited the console market in 2001 to become a third-party developer and publisher. It was acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega Holdings Co., Ltd. formed in 2015, leading to a reorganization that merged Sega Games and Sega Interactive back into Sega Corporation in 2020.

Sega's international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are based in Irvine, California, and London. Its development studios include internal R&D divisions like Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sonic Team, plus Sega Sapporo Studio for support, Atlus (with its own R&D), and five UK/European studios: Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Sega Hardlight, Two Point Studios, and Rovio Entertainment (including Ruby Games). Sega remains a major arcade game producer, and its mascot Sonic enjoys global recognition. The company is praised for its creativity and innovations, but has faced criticism for some business decisions and inconsistent quality in recent years. As part of Sega Sammy Holdings, Sega also owns Sega Fave (toys and amusement machines) and two animation studios: TMS Entertainment, known for anime production, and Marza Animation Planet, specializing in CG animation.[edit]