Sega of America
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Sega of America (SoA) is the company responsible for Sega's North American (i.e. the United States, Canada and Mexico) operations.
SoA is largely considered to be Sega's second base of operations, following Sega of Japan which ultimately makes the final decisions. Sega of America was Sega's second attempt at cracking the US market - its first, a company known as "Sega Enterprises, Inc." had previously make traction in the region in the late 1970s and early 1980s, only to have much of its assets sold to Paramount in the wake of the North American video game crash of 1983. Sega subsequently pulled back for a few months (establishing a relationship with Bally Midway for arcade and home console distribution), but re-entered the market some time later with the intent of marketing the Sega Master System to the American populace.
Since the mid-1980s, Sega of America's primary role has been to localise Japanese games for English-speaking regions. It was established relatively early on that an American presence was needed for Sega as the Japanese executives did not understand the American market well enough, although differences in opinion and mismanagement between the two "sides" led to much friction during the 1990s, with some believing this ultimately led to Sega's pull-out of the console hardware market in 2001.
At first, Sega of America allied with Tonka for Master System distribution, though following the launch of the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis in North America), it began to play a much more significant role in the industry. Sega of America's efforts greatly influenced the video game industry as we know it today (for example, it created the VRC ratings board, which led to first industry-wide system, the ESRB)
For many years it was believed that America could not produce video games to Japanese standards - SoA's first home-grown game, Monopoly needed to be "saved" from poor quality production and impending delays in 1988, and this trend often continued, with SoA adopting a policy of quantity over quality (attempting to develop and publish significantly more games than rivals Nintendo to give the impression that Sega systems were backed by more developers, and were hence seen as superior). It began to create hardware (such as the Sega 32X), and later branched out into other areas through the likes of SegaSoft, only to be reeled back in by Japan towards the end of the 90s and greatly reduced in size (and power).
Today, like Sega Europe, Sega of America primarily exists to assist in localisation and deal with public relations, with the majority of actual development being done in Japan (or by external companies). At its peak in the early 1990s, SoA developed games through small internal studios, Sega Technical Institute and via various "second party" companies such as BlueSky Software and Western Technologies. It is responsible for franchsies such Ecco the Dolphin, ToeJam & Earl and Eternal Champions, and invested significant amounts of funds into sports games (often released under the Sega Sports banner). Relationships were also very close to Electronic Arts.
Contents
- 1 Softography
- 1.1 Master System
- 1.2 Mega Drive
- 1.3 Game Gear
- 1.4 Sega CD
- 1.5 Sega 32X
- 1.6 Sega Saturn
- 1.7 Dreamcast
- 1.8 PlayStation 2
- 1.9 GameBoy Advance
- 1.10 Xbox
- 1.11 GameCube
- 1.12 Nintendo DS
- 1.13 PlayStation Portable
- 1.14 Xbox 360
- 1.15 Wii
- 1.16 PlayStation 3
- 1.17 PlayStation 3
- 1.18 Nintendo 3DS
- 1.19 Wii U
- 1.20 Xbox One
- 1.21 PlayStation 4
- 1.22 PC
Softography
Master System
- Monopoly (1987)
- Alf (1989)
- 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
- Dick Tracy (1990)
- Art Alive! (1991)
- ToeJam & Earl (1991)
- California Games (1991)
- The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1991)
- Fantasia (1991)
- Joe Montana II: Sports Talk Football (1991)
- Ariel the Little Mermaid (1992)
- Toxic Crusaders (1992)
- Chakan: The Forever Man (1992)
- Evander Holyfield's "Real Deal" Boxing (1992)
- Ecco the Dolphin (1992)
- Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (1992)
- Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude (1992)
- Kid Chameleon (1992)
- Menacer 6-Game Cartridge (1992)
- NFL Sports Talk Football '93 (1992)
- TaleSpin (1992)
- Barney's Hide & Seek Game (1993)
- Cyborg Justice (1993)
- Dinosaurs for Hire (1993)
- Eternal Champions (1993)
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1993)
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana (1993)
- Richard Scarry's Busytown (1993)
- Sonic Spinball (1993)
- The Berenstain Bears' Camping Adventure (1993)
- The Ren & Stimpy Show: Stimpy's Invention (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)
- Quest for the Shaven Yak Starring Ren Hoëk & Stimpy (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)
- Garfield: Caught in the Act (1995)
- Striker (1995)
- The Adventures of Batman & Robin (1995)
- The Magic School Bus (1995)
- The Ooze (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
- Batman Returns (1993)
- Ecco the Dolphin (1995)
- Ecco: The Tides of Time (1995)
- Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side (1995)
- The Adventures of Batman & Robin (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)
- Sesame Street: Alphabet Avenue (1997)
Sega 32X
- Star Wars Arcade (1994)
- Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples (1995)
- Kolibri (1995)
- World Series Baseball starring Deion Sanders (1995)
- Spider-Man: Web of Fire (1996)
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)
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) (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) (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)
PlayStation 3
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)
- Full Auto 2: Battlelines (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)
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)
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)
- Company of Heroes 2 (2013)
- Godsrule: War of Mortals (2013)
- Sonic Mania (2017)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III (2017)