Sega of America
From Sega Retro
- For the company that traded as Sega of America between 1974 and 1984, see Sega Enterprises, Inc..
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Sega of America | ||||||||||
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Founded: 1986-03-10[1][2] | ||||||||||
Headquarters:
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Sega of America, Inc. is the American branch of video game developer Sega.
Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Softography
- 2.1 Discrete logic arcade
- 2.2 Master System
- 2.3 Mega Drive
- 2.4 Game Gear
- 2.5 Mega-CD
- 2.6 32X
- 2.7 Saturn
- 2.8 Dreamcast
- 2.9 Pico
- 2.10 IBM PC
- 2.11 Windows PC
- 2.12 LCD
- 2.13 Master System
- 2.14 Mega Drive
- 2.15 Game Gear
- 2.16 Sega CD
- 2.17 Pico
- 2.18 Sega 32X
- 2.19 Sega Saturn
- 2.20 Dreamcast
- 2.21 PlayStation 2
- 2.22 GameBoy Advance
- 2.23 Xbox
- 2.24 GameCube
- 2.25 Nintendo DS
- 2.26 PlayStation Portable
- 2.27 Xbox 360
- 2.28 Wii
- 2.29 PlayStation 3
- 2.30 Nintendo 3DS
- 2.31 Wii U
- 2.32 Xbox One
- 2.33 PlayStation 4
- 2.34 Nintendo Switch
- 2.35 PC
- 3 Photo gallery
- 4 External links
- 5 References
History
Pre-1986
Sega has technically had a presence in the United States ever since its 1946 inception as an American entity, but it was it’s later Japanese incarnation Sega Enterprises, Ltd. that would grow to see actual success. Acquired by Gulf+Western in 1969, the purchase allowed the company to expand into the American market in 1974 with the establishment of Sega Enterprises, Inc. in Los Angeles, California. Initially importing Japanese games while producing games of their own (and even a consumer television), this American branch also traded under the name “Sega of America” for the next decade.
Eager to expand Sega’s newfound presence in the United States, the company acquired American arcade developer Gremlin Industries to become Gremlin/Sega, and with the increased production capability was able to steadily establish itself in the arcades of the early 1980s. It also began to develop arcade ports for the fledgling home market, with games being released on the Atari VCS, home computers, and other platforms. Renaming itself Sega Electronics in 1982, the division continued to produce games up until its assets were purchased by arcade manufacturer Bally Midway the next year.
Later seeking to rejoin the American market, Sega Enterprises, Ltd. would established two new American subsidiaries: Sega Enterprises, Inc.[5] on March 21, 1985 to again distribute its arcade games in the West, and Sega of America, Inc. on March 10, 1986[6][2] to assist with consumer products like the upcoming Sega Master System. The two subsidiaries co-existed for several years and both had San Francisco Bay Area offices closely nearby another.
Tonka and the Master System
In late 1987 Sega of America partnered with Tonka to market and distribute their recently-launched (and poor selling) Sega Master System. Tonka’s knowledge of the American toy market was seen as highly valuable, and the joint venture exceeded expectations in turning around ailing Master System sales. While Sega of America choose not to continue this partnership, the experience it gained in the home console market would prove indespensable.
At this time, the American branch served mainly as a channel for bringing games to the West, and as a result Sega’s first home console saw little third-party support. Although sporting a library of quality Sega-produced titles, the console was unable to effectively establish itself in a market dominated by the wildly-popular Nintendo Entertainment System. Nearing the launch of what was now Sega of Japan’s upcoming 16-bit machine, American executives identified what they believed to be holding the company back, and what changes would be necessary, for eventually taking on Nintendo’s monopoly of the home market. Above all however, it was felt that the American market needed games tailored for American tastes; a philosophy would be at the heart of much of Sega of America’s methodology. Instead of waiting for the production of Japanese software, only to have to further localize them, Sega of America could establish in-house game development and produce software domestically.
![](/images/thumb/7/73/SegaofAmerica_ProductDevelopmentTeam_3.png/280px-SegaofAmerica_ProductDevelopmentTeam_3.png)
While the company prepared for the release of the Sega Genesis, newly-hired Director of Product Development Ken Balthaser realized many of these domestic productions would not be ready by the system’s launch. It was decided that Sega of America would contract third-party developers in the United States and Europe to ensure the Genesis launched with games tailored to American tastes. Externally-developed games would be supervised by a Sega of America producer who would coordinate between the two companies, with games often being conceptualized and seen to completion by the same producer.
A strong showing of quality sports games was also deemed as crucial to breaking through to the Western market, and together with the upcoming machine being leagues above what the Nintendo Entertainment System could currently provide, Sega of America was finally ready to introduce North America to the next generation. And it needed to show consumers that a geared-up competitor had finally arrived; one that could dethrone Nintendo.
Genesis Does
The 1989 launch of the North American Sega Genesis was overwhelmingly successful. While supported by a quality game library of foreign and domestic games (some featuring something novel - celebrity endorsements), the Genesis most strongly banked on its clever marketing to demonstrate the machine’s superiority over the existing Nintendo Entertainment System. Most notable was the 1990 ad campaign Genesis Does. Created by advertising agency Bozell, it was an instant hit with both Sega executives and the American public. With a tagline of “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t”, the campaign produced a stunning commercial featuring numerous celebrities, shots of colorful games, and a catchy accompanying song featuring the line “You can’t do this on Nintendo.” Many began to see Sega as not just the first real competitor to Nintendo, but as the next step entirely.
Suddenly, Sega of America had created a corporate image for themselves, but one framed by Nintendo: Sega was the cool, cutting-edge company that makes games for cool older American kids, and Nintendo was the safe, slow rival. With the arrival of Sonic the Hedgehog, the continued success of the Sega Genesis against the Nintendo juggernaut was all but assured, and while this corporate image would grow less appealing as more forced attitude was used, it showed that Sega was willing to focus everything in its power to show it was the true “anti-Nintendo.”
Sega of America would later establish the Videogame Rating Council rating system for its games in the summer of 1993. Created in response to Mortal Kombat’s Sega Genesis release to further differentiate mature themes in its games, the system would directly influence the design of the industry-wide Entertainment Software Rating Board created the following year.
32-bit era
The Sega Super 32X was originally designed as a standalone console to replace the Sega Mega Drive. In Japan, that platform was not as popular as had been hoped, and a more-modern but still backward-compatible system seemed more feasible. In the United States however, the Sega Genesis had a significant market share and was already installed in millions of American homes. Sega of America reasoned that to ask those consumers to replace their systems entirely was unfeasible, and the end result of these discussions was the Sega Super 32X’s redesign as a peripherial for existing Sega Mega Drive hardware.
Struggles selling the Sega Saturn in North America led to a scaling back of internal production and consolidation of many of Sega of America’s development teams.
Post-2001
Beginning in 2005, Sega of America underwent a string of wide restructurings. Sister company Sega Enterprises, Inc. merged with the company on April 1, 2008[5]. The resulting company retained the name Sega of America.
After a 2015 evaluation of the company’s future, it saw further downsizing, and relocated from its San Francisco, California office to one in Irvine, California. Now sharing offices with the Sega-owned Atlus USA, both companies are primarily focused on localization and licensing.
An additional office dedicated to handling the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise exists in Burbank, California. The office, and its team, go by the title Sonic Studio.
Softography
Discrete logic arcade
- Tracer (1976)
Master System
- ALF (1989)
- Dick Tracy (1991)
- Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1991)
- X-Men: Mojo World (1996)
Mega Drive
- Fantasia (1991) (production)
- M-1 Abrams Battle Tank (1991)
- Joe Montana Football (1991) (production)
- Dick Tracy (1991)
- Twin Cobra (1991)
- Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1991)
- Joe Montana II Sports Talk Football (1991) (production)
- California Games (1991)
- Ecco the Dolphin (1992)
- NFL Sports Talk Football '93 Starring Joe Montana (1992) (production)
- Taz-Mania (1992) (assistance)
- Sports Talk Baseball (1992)
- David Robinson's Supreme Court (1992)
- Evander Holyfield's "Real Deal" Boxing (1992) (assistance)
- Toxic Crusaders (1992)
- Cool Spot (1993)
- Disney's Aladdin (1993)
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- X-Men (1993) (production)
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1993) (assistance)
- The Ren & Stimpy Show Presents Stimpy's Invention (1993)
- College Football's National Championship (1994)
- ATP Tour Championship Tennis (1995)
- Garfield: Caught in the Act (1995)
- The Ooze (1995)
- X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995) (assistance)
- World Series Baseball '95 (1995)
- College Football's National Championship II (1995)
- Prime Time NFL Football Starring Deion Sanders (1995)
- World Series Baseball '96 (1996)
- Mega Games 10 (1997)
- World Series Baseball 98 (1997)
- NFL 98 (1997)
- Activator Command Demo (unreleased)
- B-Bomb (unreleased)
- Head Tracker Test Demonstration (unreleased)
- IO Check Program (unreleased)
- Monster Hunter (unreleased)
Game Gear
- Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1992)
- Poker Face Paul's Gin (1994)
- Poker Face Paul's Solitaire (1994)
- X-Men: GamesMaster's Legacy (1994)
- X-Men (1994)
- Poker Face Paul's Blackjack (1994)
- Poker Face Paul's Poker (1994)
- World Series Baseball '95 (1994)
- Chicago Syndicate (1995) (production)
- Garfield: Caught in the Act (1995)
- X-Men: Mojo World (1996)
Mega-CD
- Cobra Command (1992)
- Batman Returns (1993)
- Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1993)
- Ground Zero Texas (1993)
32X
- Doom (1994)
- Genesis 32X Sample Program (unreleased)
Saturn
- Bug! Playable Preview (1995)
- NHL All-Star Hockey (1995) (production)
- Sega Screams Volume 1 (1996)
- Sega Screams Volume 2 (1997)
- Astrocade (unreleased)
- Blast Track (unreleased)
Dreamcast
- Geist Force (unreleased)
- KRAD (unreleased)
- Frog Pond (unreleased)
Pico
- A Year at Pooh Corner (1994) (production)
- Storyware Sampler (1996)
- Sesame Street: Alphabet Avenue (1997)
IBM PC
- Joe Montana Football (1990)
Windows PC
- The Gigglebone Gang: AlphaBonk Farm (1994)
- Elroy Goes Bugzerk (1995)
- The Gigglebone Gang: Pantsylvania (1995)
- Elroy Hits the Pavement (1996)
- Garfield: Caught in the Act (1997)
- Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (1997)
- Daytona USA Deluxe (1997)
- Sega Puzzle Pack (1999) (production)
- Sega Smash Pack (1999) (production)
- Sega Smash Pack 2 (2000) (production)
LCD
- Baseball (1994)
- Ecco the Dolphin (1994)
- Eternal Champions: Special Moves Edition (1994)
- Football (1994)
Master System
- Joe Montana Football (1990)
- Ariel the Little Mermaid (1992)
- California Games II (1993)
- Ecco the Dolphin (1993)
- Home Alone (1993)
- Sonic Spinball (1993)
- Ecco: The Tides of Time (1994)
Mega Drive
- ToeJam & Earl (1991)
- Ariel the Little Mermaid (1992)
- Toxic Crusaders (1992)
- Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (1992)
- Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude (1992)
- Kid Chameleon (1992)
- Menacer 6-Game Cartridge (1992)
- TaleSpin (1992)
- Barney's Hide & Seek Game (1993)
- Cyborg Justice (1993)
- Dinosaurs for Hire (1993)
- Eternal Champions (1993)
- NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana (1993)
- Richard Scarry's Busytown (1993)
- Sonic Spinball (1993)
- The Berenstain Bears' Camping Adventure (1993)
- ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (1993)
- X-Men (1993)
- Bonkers (1994)
- College Football's National Championship (1994)
- Ecco: The Tides of Time (1994)
- Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition (1994)
- Shadowrun (1994)
- Taz in Escape From Mars (1994)
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1994)
- Wacky Worlds (1994)
- World Series Baseball (1994)
- College Football's National Championship II (1995)
- Comix Zone (1995)
- Ecco Jr. (1995)
- Striker (1995)
- The Adventures of Batman & Robin (1995)
- The Magic School Bus (1995)
- Vectorman (1995)
- World Series Baseball '95 (1995)
- X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995)
- Vectorman 2 (1996)
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Game Gear
- Joe Montana Football (1991)
- Ariel the Little Mermaid (1992)
- California Games II (1993)
- Ecco the Dolphin (1993)
- Home Alone (1993)
- Sonic Spinball (1993)
- Ecco: The Tides of Time (1994)
Sega CD
- Ecco the Dolphin (1995)
- Ecco: The Tides of Time (1995)
- Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side (1995)
- Wild Woody (1995)
Pico
- A Year at Pooh Corner (1994)
- Mickey's Blast into the Past (1994)
- Ecco Jr. and the Great Ocean Treasure Hunt! (1994)
- Tails and the Music Maker (1994)
- Smart Alex and Smart Alice: Curious Kids (1995)
- Crayola Crayons: Create a World (1995)
- Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Going Places (1995)
- Storyware Sampler (1996)
- Math Antics with Disney's 101 Dalmatians (1996)
Sega 32X
- After Burner II (1994)
- Cosmic Carnage (1994)
- Metal Head (1994)
- Motocross Championship (1994)
- Primal Rage (1994)
- Space Harrier (1994)
- Star Wars Arcade (1994)
- Virtua Racing Deluxe (1994)
- Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples (1995)
- Kolibri (1995)
- Knuckles' Chaotix (1995)
- Shadow Squadron (1995)
- T-MEK (1995)
- World Series Baseball starring Deion Sanders (1995)
- Virtua Fighter (1995)
- Spider-Man: Web of Fire (1996)
- Virtua Hamster (Unreleased)
Sega Saturn
- Bug! (1995)
- NHL All-Star Hockey (1995)
- Die Hard Arcade (1996)
- Three Dirty Dwarves (1996)
- Mr. Bones (1996)
- NBA Action (1996)
- Bug Too! (1997)
- Manx TT Super Bike (1997)
- NFL '97 (1997)
- Scud: The Disposable Assassin (1997)
- Sky Target (1997)
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Dreamcast
- NBA 2K (1999)
- NFL 2K (1999)
- Metropolis Street Racer (2000)
- NBA 2K1 (2000)
- NFL 2K1 (2000)
- Floigan Bros. Episode 1 (2001)
- Headhunter (2001)
- NBA 2K2 (2001)
- NCAA College Football 2K2 (2001)
- NFL 2K2 (2001)
- Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (2001)
- Ooga Booga (2001)
PlayStation 2
- Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (2001)
- NFL 2K2 (2001)
- NBA 2K2 (2002)
- NBA 2K3 (2002)
- NCAA College Basketball 2K3 (2002)
- NFL 2K3 (2002)
- Sega Soccer Slam (2002)
- World Series Baseball 2K3 (2002)
- ESPN College Hoops (2003)
- ESPN NFL Football (2003)
- NBA 2K (2003)
- ESPN College Hoops 2K5 (2004)
- ESPN Major League Baseball (2004)
- ESPN NBA 2K5 (2004)
- ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004)
- Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku (2004)
- Sega Genesis Collection (2006)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
GameBoy Advance
- Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms (2002)
- Phantasy Star Collection (2002)
- Super Monkey Ball (2002)
- The Revenge of Shinobi (Game Boy Advance) (2002)
- Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride (2003)
- Jet Set Radio (Game Boy Advance) (2003)
- Charlotte's Web (2006)
- Sonic Genesis (2006)
Xbox
- ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth (2002)
- World Series Baseball 2K2 (2002)
- NBA 2K2 (2002)
- NBA 2K3 (2002)
- NCAA College Basketball 2K3 (2002)
- NFL 2K2 (2002)
- NFL 2K3 (2002)
- Sega Soccer Slam (2002)
- ESPN College Hoops (2003)
- ESPN NFL Football (2003)
- ESPN NBA Basketball (2003)
- ESPN College Hoops 2K5 (2004)
- ESPN Major League Baseball (2004)
- ESPN NBA 2K5 (2004)
- ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004)
- Spartan: Total Warrior (2005)
GameCube
- NBA 2K2 (2002)
- NBA 2K3 (2002)
- NCAA College Basketball 2K3 (2002)
- NFL 2K3 (2002)
- Sega Soccer Slam (2002)
- Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku (2004)
Nintendo DS
- Sega Casino (2005)
- Charlotte's Web (2006)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
- Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Aliens: Infestation (2011)
- Captain America: Super Soldier (2011)
- Thor: God of Thunder (2011)
PlayStation Portable
- Sonic Rivals (2006)
- After Burner: Black Falcon (2007)
- Alien Syndrome (2007)
- Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars (2007)
- Sega Genesis Collection (2006)
- Sonic Rivals 2 (2007)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
- Full Auto 2: Battlelines (2008)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
Xbox 360
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)
- Full Auto (2006)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
- Condemned 2: Bloodshot (2008)
- Golden Axe: Beast Rider (2008)
- Iron Man (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Universe at War: Earth Assault (2008)
- Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (2009)
- Aliens vs. Predator (2010)
- Alpha Protocol (2010)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Captain America: Super Soldier (2011)
- Thor: God of Thunder (2011)
- Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013)
- The Cave (2013)
Wii
- Alien Syndrome (2007)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Samba de Amigo (2008)
- The Conduit (2009)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Tournament of Legends (2010)
- Captain America: Super Soldier (2011)
- Conduit 2 (2011)
- Thor: God of Thunder (2011)
PlayStation 3
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)
- Full Auto (2006)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
- Condemned 2: Bloodshot (2008)
Nintendo 3DS
- Captain America: Super Soldier (2011)
- Thor: God of Thunder (2011)
- Shinobi 3D (2012)
- Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014)
- Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (2014)
Wii U
- The Cave (2013)
- Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)
Xbox One
- Sonic Mania (2017)
PlayStation 4
- Sonic Mania (2017)
Nintendo Switch
- Sonic Mania (2017)
PC
- Tomcat Alley (1995)
- Rocket Jockey (1996)
- Obsidian (1996)
- Three Dirty Dwarves (1996)
- Emperor of Fading Suns (1997)
- Grossology (1997)
- Lose Your Marbles (1997)
- Scud: Industrial Evolution (1997)
- The Space Bar (1997)
- Fatal Abyss (1998)
- Flesh Feast (1998)
- Net Fighter (1998)
- Plane Crazy (1998)
- Relativity(1998)
- Sega Smash Pack (PC) (1999)
- Vigilance (1998)
- Sega Swirl (2000)
- The Matrix Online (2005)
- Charlotte's Web (2006)
- Condemned (2006)
- The Golden Compass (2009)
- Iron Man (2008)
- Space Siege (2008)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- Universe at War: Earth Assault (2008)
- Alpha Protocol (2010)
- MLB Manager Online (2011)
- Spiral Knights (2011)
- Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013)
- Godsrule: War of Mortals (2013)
- Sonic Mania (2017)
Photo gallery
External links
References
- ↑ California Business Search: Entity #C1299989
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sega Visions, "February/March 1993" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 81
- ↑ Summer CES Directory, page 269
- ↑ E3 2001 Directory, page 103
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ California Business Search: Entity #C1299989