Difference between revisions of "History of Sega in Kazakhstan"

Latest revision as of 14:37, 27 August 2024

History of Sega in Kazakhstan


Official Sega distributor(s): Nissho Iwai (1994-1995), Buka (1994-1999), Bitman (1996-1997), R-Style (1996-1999), NVT (2000-2001), 1C-SoftClub (2005-present)

Kazakhstan declared independence in 1991. Since that year, the country has been a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Sega video game consoles

Main article: History of Sega in Russia.

Back in the days of the Soviet Union, Sega tried to enter the market with the special model of first Master System (SECAM signal, lack of card slot and Alex Kidd in Miracle World built in) through Beryozka stores selling luxury goods, but the lack of good advertising, a small distribution network and the luxurious nature of the system resulted in failure.

The regional video game market began to emerge after 1991, when the first imported Western consoles (like NES or Atari 2600) and clones (such as Rambo 2600) began to reach the country. Steepler released Famicom clone called Dendy in 1993, which became a hit console, achieving here, next to Russia and Ukraine, the highest sales results from post Soviet region. Their video games had been distributed in Kazakhstan by company called "Disney".

The original Sega consoles (Mega Drive II, Master System II, Game Gear, Mega CD II and Mega Drive 32X) were released in 1994 through the Nissho Iwai trading house and its sub-distributors, local ones and from Russia (like Buka). The Steepler company itself sold clones and original Sega consoles, but over time it began to focus on official Nintendo systems like Super Nintendo and Game Boy.

From mid-90s, marekt was under pressure of bootleg sellers that distributed Mega Drive clones in flea market or stores. The systems were imported from Asia or from Russia and more organized were Bitman, Kenga and Subor. The video gaming around this time wasn't the same everywhere. There existed a places where people had better and worse access to games, whatever it was original or pirate one. People could get information from Russian press, books or TV shows like Novaya Real'nost' supported by Steepler and broadcast from 1995-1996 on ORT channel available in all former USSR republics or region shows made in Kazakhstan like Dendy or Strana Igr.

Even when Bitman began cooperation with Sega Europe from January 1996, replacing Nissho Iwai, bringing Sega Saturn and selling Super Bitman legally, new wave of clones appeared again.

Although the Sega Dreamcast was announced for release in CIS countries in 2000 by NVT, it was canceled due to Sega's problems, which resulted in a rash of pirated games translated into Russian and imports.

Today all brands of clones from Asia or Russia and can be easily find in shops specialized in distribution of that kind of products.

1C SoftClub

In the following years, most of the games were released by the 1C SoftClub^[1] with translated boxes and localized games into Russian. Sega games are also available from digital distribution, and Kazakhstan, when it comes to digital keys, belongs to the RU-CIS-UA region. Until 2018, digital game distribution platforms such as Steam suggested lower prices for the region.

The only Sega game that distribution has been stopped in CIS countries was Company of Heroes 2.^[2]

Sega Mega Drive clones can still be find from Asian and Russian distribution channel.

Sega Amusement

Since 2006, the distribution of arcade machines and equipment for children produce by Sega is being carried out by KidsPlay.^[3]

QubicaAMF is a strategic partner in Russia and CIS countries.

Sititek

Sititek is the official distributor of Sega Toys in Russia and CIS countries.^[4]

References

History of Sega by Country
Asia
Afghanistan \| Armenia \| Azerbaijan \| Bahrain \| Bangladesh \| Bhutan \| Brunei \| Cambodia \| China \| Georgia \| Hong Kong \| India \| Indonesia \| Iran \| Iraq \| Israel \| Japan \| Jordan \| Kazakhstan \| Kuwait \| Kyrgyzstan \| Laos \| Lebanon \| Malaysia \| Maldives \| Mongolia \| Myanmar \| Nepal \| North Korea \| Oman \| Pakistan \| Philippines \| Qatar \| Russia \| Saudi Arabia \| Singapore \| South Korea \| Sri Lanka \| Syria \| Taiwan \| Tajikistan \| Thailand \| East Timor \| Turkey \| Turkmenistan \| United Arab Emirates \| Uzbekistan \| Vietnam \| Yemen
North America
Antigua and Barbuda \| Bahamas \| Barbados \| Belize \| Canada \| Costa Rica \| Cuba \| Dominica \| Dominican Republic \| El Salvador \| Grenada \| Guatemala \| Haiti \| Honduras \| Jamaica \| Mexico \| Nicaragua \| Panama \| Puerto Rico \| Saint Kitts and Nevis \| Saint Lucia \| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines \| Trinidad and Tobago \| USA
South America
Argentina \| Bolivia \| Brazil \| Chile \| Colombia \| Ecuador \| Guyana \| Paraguay \| Peru \| Suriname \| Uruguay \| Venezuela
Europe
Albania \| Andorra \| Austria \| Belarus \| Belgium \| Bosnia and Herzegovina \| Bulgaria \| Croatia \| Cyprus \| Czechia \| Denmark \| Estonia \| Finland \| France \| Germany \| Gibraltar \| Greece \| Greenland \| Hungary \| Iceland \| Ireland \| Italy \| Latvia \| Liechtenstein \| Lithuania \| Luxembourg \| Malta \| Moldova \| Monaco \| Montenegro \| Netherlands \| North Macedonia \| Norway \| Poland \| Portugal \| Romania \| San Marino \| Serbia \| Slovakia \| Slovenia \| Spain \| Sweden \| Switzerland \| Ukraine \| United Kingdom
Australasia
Australia \| Fiji \| Guam \| Micronesia \| New Zealand \| Papua New Guinea
Africa
Algeria \| Botswana \| Djibouti \| Egypt \| Eswatini \| Ghana \| Kenya \| Lesotho \| Libya \| Mauritania \| Morocco \| Mozambique \| Namibia \| Nigeria \| Sierra Leone \| Somalia \| Sub-Saharan Africa \| South Africa \| Tunisia \| Uganda \| Zambia \| Zimbabwe

[1] ttps://vrgames.by/publ/obzor-vanquish

[2] ttps://www.destructoid.com/company-of-heroes-2-removed-from-sale-in-russia-259439.phtml

[3] ttp://brunswickbowling.kz/about/sng.php

[4] ttps://desole.ru/brands/sititek/

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 | flag=Flag KZ.svg
 | title=
-| distributors=[[Buka]] (1994-1999), [[Bitman]] (1996-1997), [[R-Style]] (1997-1999), [[NVT]] (2000-2002), [[1C-SoftClub]] (20xx-present)
+| distributors=[[Nissho Iwai]] (1994-1995), [[Buka]] (1994-1999), [[Bitman]] (1996-1997), [[R-Style]] (1996-1999), [[NVT]] (2000-2001), [[1C-SoftClub]] (2005-present)
 | ratingsboard=
 }}
 Kazakhstan declared independence in 1991. Since that year, the country has been a member of the '''Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)'''
-==Video game consoles==
-After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Dendy console, distributed by [[Steepler]] since 1993 in CIS countries, gained popularity. In November 1993, Sega entered the Russian market with the help of [[Nissho Iwai]] and [[Forrus]]. At that time, no distribution channel had yet been established for the CIS countries, so the inhabitants had to settle for the numerous clones that began to flock to these regions. One of the sellers of such clones was Steepler, which started selling [[Pro 16 Bit]] and [[High Quality]]. Soon Steepler and the newly formed Dendy chain of stores began selling consoles under the names Mega Drive 2, some of which were original imported from Asia and others were clones that looked like the originals. [[Multi Mega|Genesis CDX]] consoles were also sold, as well as games for the above systems in various specifications (Asian, American and Bootleg)
-By 1994/1995 the first officially-licensed Sega products arrived in the CIS. Nissho Iwai began expanding into the CIS territories and managed to get resellers in the region. One of the main distributing companies selling Sega products was [[Buka]]. Thanks to that, CIS countries got the Mega Drive 2 (European PAL and Asian PAL), [[Sega Saturn]] (Asian NTSC and later European PAL), [[Sega Mega-CD]] model 2 (Asian NTSC and European PAL), [[Sega Game Gear]] (European PAL), [[Master System]] 2 (European PAL) and [[Sega 32X]] (unknown specification). Steepler / Dendy also started selling the Mega Drive 2 console from the official Nissho Iwai channels, so thanks to this, the original consoles could also be found in their stores, although they were still more expensive than fakes.
-At the same time, the number of specialized resellers of the counterfeit Sega and Dendy consoles has increased. The two most important sellers at the time were [[Bitman]] with [[Super Bitman]] and [[Turbo Bitman]] and [[Kenga]] with [[Mega-Ken]] and the fake [[Unlicensed_Mega_Drive_clones_(Mega_Drive_2)_in_Russia#Mega_Drive_2_.28Kenga.29|Mega Drive II]]  (the second company obtained the rights to officially sell [[Multi Mega]] in 1995 in CIS countries)
+==Sega video game consoles==
+{{mainArticle|History of Sega in Russia}}
-Despite the large piracy, Sega recognized Mega Drive as a success in the CIS countries. To act even more effectively against piracy, in 1996 Bitman, became the distributor No.1 of [[Sega Europe]] in both Russia and the CIS, replacing Forrus role. Bitman distribute the Mega Drive 2, [[Sega Saturn]], [[Sega Mega-CD]] model 2, [[Sega Game Gear]], [[Sega 32X]] and [[Sega Pico]] in addition to the Super Bitman all in the European PAL system.{{Fileref|Migr_8_RU.pdf|page=91}}<ref>https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/233963?query=bitman</ref> After the success of Mega Drive, Sega had high hopes for the distribution of Sega Saturn. The Russian and CIS markets have become a priority among former Eastern Bloc countries.<ref>https://www.telecompaper.com/news/32bit-consoles-to-be-launched-in-may-1996--81064</ref> Despite the efforts of Buka and Bitman, Sega Saturn just as in other countries of the world did not sell as good as Mega Drive.
+Back in the days of the Soviet Union, [[Sega]] tried to enter the market with the special model of first [[Master System]] (SECAM signal, lack of card slot and ''[[Alex Kidd in Miracle World]]'' built in) through [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryozka_(Russian_retail_store) Beryozka] stores selling luxury goods, but the lack of good advertising, a small distribution network and the luxurious nature of the system resulted in failure.
-In 1997, Bitman was acquired by [[R-Style]], which inherited the former's distribution agreement. R-Style continued selling Saturn (European PAL and NTSC-U), Mega Drive II (European PAL), Mega CD II (European PAL) and Pico (European PAL).
+The regional video game market began to emerge after 1991, when the first imported Western consoles (like [[NES]] or [[Atari 2600]]) and clones (such as Rambo 2600) began to reach the country. [[Steepler]] released Famicom clone called Dendy in 1993, which became a hit console, achieving here, next to Russia and Ukraine, the highest sales results from post Soviet region. Their video games had been distributed in Kazakhstan by company called "Disney".
-[[Sega Dreamcast]] has also reached Kazakhstan. In 2000 [[NVT]] was appointed a distributor and started selling consoles.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20010409225930/http://sega.ru:80/news.phtml</ref> Consoles were sold along with Russian documents. The end of 2000 was marked by a boom for DC consoles in the CIS countries, which was related to the mass distribution of Russified versions of games (pirated ones) and the decrease in prices of the console and games thanks to official distribution.{{fileref|Radio 2001-12 RU Dreamcast.gif|}} Despite the failure of Dreamcast in the world, in the CIS countries the console was well received and could be bought until the end of 2003. The original games were rare and pirate games were popular, which were translated into Russian. Several companies producing unoriginal Russian translations such as [[Vector (company)|Vector]], had their representatives in the CIS.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20060901234208/http://vector.msk.ru:80/</ref>
+The original Sega consoles ([[Mega Drive]] II, [[Master System]] II, [[Game Gear]], [[Mega CD]] II and [[Mega Drive 32X]]) were released in 1994 through the [[Nissho Iwai]] trading house and its sub-distributors, local ones and from Russia (like [[Buka]]). The Steepler company itself sold clones and original Sega consoles, but over time it began to focus on official Nintendo systems like [[Super Nintendo]] and [[Game Boy]].
+From mid-90s, marekt was under pressure of bootleg sellers that distributed [[Mega Drive]] clones in flea market or stores. The systems were imported from Asia or from Russia and more organized were [[Bitman]], [[Kenga]] and [[Subor]]. The video gaming around this time wasn't the same everywhere. There existed a places where people had better and worse access to games, whatever it was original or pirate one. People could get information from Russian press, books or TV shows like [[Novaya Real'nost']] supported by Steepler and broadcast from 1995-1996 on ORT channel available in all former USSR republics or region shows made in Kazakhstan like [[Dendy (TV show)|Dendy]] or [[Strana Igr]].
+Even when Bitman began cooperation with [[Sega Europe]] from January 1996, replacing Nissho Iwai, bringing [[Sega Saturn]] and selling [[Super Bitman]] legally, new wave of clones appeared again.
+Although the [[Sega Dreamcast]] was announced for release in CIS countries in 2000 by [[NVT]], it was canceled due to Sega's problems, which resulted in a rash of pirated games translated into Russian and imports.
+Today all brands of clones from Asia or Russia and can be easily find in shops specialized in distribution of that kind of products.
 ==1C SoftClub==
-In the following years, some games were released by the [[1C Company]]. The company's branch - [[1C SoftClub]] has dealers in this region. Sega games are also available from digital distribution, and Kazakhstan, when it comes to digital keys, belongs to the RU-CIS-UA region. Until 2018, digital game distribution platforms such as Steam suggested lower prices for the region.
+In the following years, most of the games were released by the [[1C SoftClub]]<ref>https://vrgames.by/publ/obzor-vanquish</ref> with translated boxes and localized games into Russian. Sega games are also available from digital distribution, and Kazakhstan, when it comes to digital keys, belongs to the RU-CIS-UA region. Until 2018, digital game distribution platforms such as Steam suggested lower prices for the region.
 The only Sega game that distribution has been stopped in CIS countries was [[Company of Heroes 2]].<ref>https://www.destructoid.com/company-of-heroes-2-removed-from-sale-in-russia-259439.phtml</ref>
-== Mega Drive clones==
+[[Sega Mega Drive]] clones can still be find from Asian and Russian distribution channel.
-In the CIS countries, can still be find [[Sega Mega Drive]] clones. Most of them are from Russia.
 ==Sega Amusement ==
@@ Line 34: / Line 39: @@
 ==Sititek==
-[[Sititek]] is the official distributor of Sega Toys in Russia and CIS countries.<ref>https://www.fansimag.ru/tovary-dlya-detey/domashniy-planetariy/disk-proekcionnyy-sititek-dlya-planetariev-homestar-romanticheskiy-6743/</ref>
+[[Sititek]] is the official distributor of Sega Toys in Russia and CIS countries.<ref>https://desole.ru/brands/sititek/</ref>
 ==References==