Sega CS3

From Sega Retro

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Sega CS3
Division of Sega Enterprises
Founded: 1991
Defunct: 1995
Headquarters:
Japan
1991
1995

Sega Consumer Research and Development Dept. #3 (nickamed Sega CS3, which it was officially renamed to in 1994)[1] was a video game research and development division within Sega. As the name suggests, it was the third "consumer"-specific R&D department created by Sega of Japan. It was managed by Makoto Oshitani until 1994,[2][1] developing Mega Drive games and seemingly every first-party game for Mega-CD during its latter years, and in its final year focused on Sega Mega Drive and Sega 32X while other departments handled the new Sega Saturn. Notable developers who got their start at CS3 include Takumi Yoshinaga, Youichi Shimosato, Kenji Murayama and Masato Nishimura.

Some evidence suggests CS3 housed the consumer sound department in 1993, with Tokuhiko Uwabo[3], Masayuki Nagao[4] and Katsuyoshi Nitta[5] known to have been part of CS3 Sound.

History

It is currently unknown exactly when Consumer Research and Development Dept. #3 was founded, if it was alongside CS1 and CS2 in 1991, or was first established in 1992. It had 3 programming sections in 1992, managed in order by Toshinori Asai, Takashi Shoji and Shuichi Katagi. It also had at least 2 design sections, the second of which was managed by Koichi Nagata, and only 1 known art section, managed by Masayuki Hasegawa.[6] Come 1993, its section managers were Keiichi Yamamoto (programming), Tomohiro Kondo (design) and Hiroyuki Kawaguchi (art)[6], known in 1993 to have had major input on the Mega-CD games Panic! (developed throughout 1992)[7] and/or Sonic the Hedgehog CD (developed throughout 1992 and 1993).[8]

In 1994 its producer became Hiroshi Aso[1], now being assigned to develop content for Mega Drive and 32X.[9][10] Another head developer in the department was art director Yukio Sato.[1] Several of the 32X games Aso produced feature individual developers who also worked on games by Sega CS4, another department focused on Mega Drive and 32X.[9][10]

It was abolished in 1995 alongside every other separate consumer department and merged into a temporary single department, with a new Sega CS3 established in 1996.[11]

Softography

List of staff

Photo gallery

References


Timeline of Sega of Japan research and development divisions








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