Difference between revisions of "History of Sega in Kazakhstan"

Latest revision as of 15:37, 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=[[Nissho Iwai]] (1994-1996), [[Buka]] (1994-1999), [[Bitman]] (1996-1997), [[R-Style]] (1996-1999), [[NVT]] (2000-2001), [[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)'''
-==Nissho Iwai==
-[[Steepler]] released Famicom clone called Dendy in 1993, which became a hit console here, achieving, 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". Steepler started selling [[Sega]] clones like [[Pro 16 Bit]] and [[High Quality]] with the original Mega Drive 2 from Asia, [[Multi-Mega|Genesis CDX]]<ref>http://tv-games.ru/wiki/Companies/Steepler.html</ref> and US/EU/Asian/Bootleg games.
-[[Nissho Iwai]] got license to distribute games in CIS countries and in 1994 selects several authorized distributors such as [[Buka]] who supply [[Mega Drive]] 2<ref> Бука - Магазин Игрушек 1/95 page 57</ref> (EU/AS PAL), [[Mega-CD]] 2<ref> Бука - Магазин Игрушек 1/95 page 57</ref> (EU/AS PAL), [[Master System]] 2 (EU PAL), [[Game Gear]] (EU PAL), [[Sega Saturn]]<ref> Бука - Магазин Игрушек 1/95 page 57</ref> (AS NTSC/EU PAL), [[Mega Drive 32X]]<ref> Бука - Магазин Игрушек 1/95 page 57</ref>. With the time, Steepler started selling Mega Drive 2 from Nissho Iwai channels.<ref>https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/94004?query=steepler</ref>
-The wave of cheaper Mega Drive and Dendy clones begins to flood the Kazakhstan by flea markets, small stores and from specialized sellers (like [[Bitman]], [[Kenga]] and [[Subor]]), which means that the original systems reach a smaller number of people. Besides Famicom and Mega Drive clones, Sega had competition in form of [[Super Nintendo]] and [[Game Boy]] (distributed from November 1994 by Steepler<ref>https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/94004</ref>), [[3DO]] (distributed from late 1994 by Buka), [[PlayStation]] (distributed from March 1995 by Buka<ref>Бука - Магазин Игрушек 1/95 page 57</ref>, which distribution was taken over from July 1997 by Sony CIS<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/19980703064424/http://www.playstation-europe.com/playstation/pr/launch.htm</ref>), [[CD-i]] (distributed from 1995 by A –STIMUL<ref>http://zhurnalko.net/=sam/junyj-tehnik/1995-07--num57</ref> with chain of 3 authorised distributors) and [[Atari Jaguar]] (distributed from 1995 by [[Game Land]]).
+==Sega video game consoles==
+{{mainArticle|History of Sega in Russia}}
-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]].
+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.
-==Saturn, Dreamcast, new clones==
+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".
-Despite problems with clones, Sega said Mega Drive had good sales in Russia and CIS<ref>https://www.telecompaper.com/news/32-bit-consoles-to-be-launched-in-may-1996--81064</ref> and decides to push Sega Saturn. [[Sega Europe]] signed a deal with Bitman as distributor no.1{{Fileref|Migr_8_RU.pdf|page=91}} (making [[Super Bitman]] legal)<ref>https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/233963</ref>, Buka as distributor no. 2 and R-Style as distributor no. 3 and starts selling all Sega consoles in its stores in the PAL system.{{Fileref|Migr_8_RU.pdf|page=91}}. Sega Saturn turned out to be a failure and Bitman was bought by [[R-Style]] in 1997<ref>https://www.itweek.ru/themes/detail.php?ID=44981</ref>, which with Buka solds Sega consoles until late 90s. The region was flooded in the late 1990s and early 2000s with Mega Drive and Dendy clones from two channels: Asian by small sellers and flea markets and Russian by specialized sellers (like [[Simba's Video Games]] and [[New Game]]) with translated game boxes and later localized games into Russian.
-Sega wanted to market [[Dreamcast]] in late 2000, through Russian company [[NVT]]. They promised localized games into Russian and games in cheap jewel cases, but with the problems of 128-bit console, Sega gave up on the idea and stay with European versions. The pre-release sales of the console started on November 10, 2000 with promised of full release until end of the year.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20010409225930/http://sega.ru:80/news.phtml</ref> Larger plans for sales and marketing were canceled when Sega announced the end of production on January 31, 2001, which meant the end of all shipments to Russia and CIS.
+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]].
-Even before that, there were companies importing the Dreamcast from Europe on their own and in the end of 2000, due to pirated translations of games into Russian and their distribution through its own sales channel in CIS countries,<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20060901234208/http://vector.msk.ru:80/</ref> the console became popular. After [[Big Ben Interactive]] became a distributor in Western Europe, local Russian and Kazakh distributors bought out the consoles and distributed them and Dreamcast was received pretty well here just like PlayStation.
+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==