SegaSoft

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SegaSoft, Inc.[2], later SegaSoft Networks, Inc. was a software company formed in 1995 as a joint venture between Sega of America and Sega's then-parent company CSK following a corporate shake-up. CSK owned 60% of the company, while Sega of America owned the remaining 40%[3].

SegaSoft replaced Sega of America's product development group - the team behind several accessories for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Saturn. 150 of mostly SoA staff moved to the department when it opened[4]. Despite its name, it was pitched as an independent company from Sega with a focus on producing video games "for all platforms". This initially led to some speculation that it was CSK/Sega's back door for producing games for the PlayStation[3], but in the end it chose only to serve the PC and Sega Saturn markets.

It was originally tasked with developing software, the group found itself publishing more software by the end of the decade, as well as maintaining perhaps their biggest achievement, the Heat.net multiplayer game system, which was adopted by numerous computer games over its short history. It was never wholly independent, sharing marketing and PR services with SoA[4], and of course retained the "Sega" name, despite the relationship being publicly downplayed.

SegaSoft was part of a vision of a more streamlined and smaller Sega of America. Part of the reasoning behind this move was due to Bernie Stolar's dislike of the Saturn hardware - SegaSoft in fact developed the original white paper for the successor console, the Sega Dreamcast, of which development was subsequently clawed back by Sega of Japan and produced back in Sega's home country.

For all intents and purposes, SegaSoft disbanded around April or May 2000[5], having lost its hardware division some months prior. Many of its staff were merged into Sega.com, another online-focused vehicle for Sega's US operations.

Softography

Saturn

Dreamcast

Pico

PlayStation

Windows PC

List of staff

Promotional material

  • SegaSoft Promotional Video (1996)

  • US (game catalogue)


References

  1. ↑ http://www.segasoft.com/news/history.html (Wayback Machine: 1997-06-19 00:07)
  2. ↑ http://segasoft.com/ (Wayback Machine: 1997-02-10 19:57)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Next Generation, "July 1996" (US; 1996-06-18), page 16
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Next Generation, "July 1996" (US; 1996-06-18), page 17
  5. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/hurthr/details/experience/


Timeline of Sega of America research and development divisions









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