Difference between revisions of "Sega of America"

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| founded=1986-03-10<ref>California Business Search: Entity [https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?filing=&SearchType=NUMBER&SearchCriteria=C1299989 #C1299989]</ref>{{magref|sv|11|81}} | defunct=
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| headquarters=California, formerly San Francisco
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| headquarters=[[wikipedia:Irvine, California|Irvine, California, United States]]
 
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{{stub}}'''Sega of America''' ('''SoA''') is the company responsible for [[Sega]]'s North American operations. The sister division is [[Sega Europe]]. This page compiles all games which are made within American regions, or are developed by a Sega of America producer.
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{{stub}}'''Sega of America, Inc.''' is the American branch of video game developer [[Sega]].
  
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SoA is largely considered to be Sega's second base of operations, following [[Sega|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.
+
==History==
 +
===Pre-1986===
 +
Sega has technically had a presence in the United States ever since its [[History of Sega|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 [[wiki:Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]]. Initially importing Japanese games while producing games of their own (and even a [[Sega-Vision|consumer television]]), this American branch also traded under the name “Sega of America” for the next decade.
  
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Since the mid-1980s, Sega of America's primary role has been to localize 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.
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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.
  
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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]])
+
Later seeking to rejoin the American market, [[Sega Enterprises, Ltd.]] would established two new American subsidiaries: [[Sega Enterprises, Inc.]]<ref name="cbse"/> on March 21, 1985 to again distribute its arcade games in the West, and '''Sega of America, Inc.''' on March 10, 1986<ref>California Business Search: Entity [https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?filing=&SearchType=NUMBER&SearchCriteria=C1299989 #C1299989]</ref>{{magref|sv|11|81}} to assist with consumer products like the upcoming [[Sega Master System]]. The two subsidiaries co-existed for several years and both had [[wiki:San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco Bay Area]] offices closely nearby another.
  
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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). Over time, Sega of America became the dominant force within Sega, largely thanks to luminous executive [[Tom Kalinske]]. This was in thanks to marketing strategies of the Genesis in the US, as well as a strong line-up of games that defined Sega's library like ''[[Ecco the Dolphin]]'', ''[[ToeJam & Earl]]'', ''[[Comix Zone]]'', as well as sports games and other games based on western licenses and movies. The marketing influence of the ''[[:category:Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic The Hedgehog]]'' series is also of note, although besides ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', the game development staff remained Japanese throughout.
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===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 [[Sega 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.
  
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In the mid 90's, SoA largely fell of due to [[Sega Saturn]] compatibility and development being very hard for developers. During that period, Tom Kalinske generally disagreed with the policies of Sega of Japan, and went on to do edutainment, which was influenced by SoA's own efforts (mostly by [[Novotrade]]) on the [[Sega Pico]]. Another venture was [[SegaSoft]] an off-shoot branch that focused on original PC games, formed around the mid 90's. Around the same period, Sega of Japan launched a PC initiative by porting a variety of games.
+
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 [[wiki:Nintendo Entertainment System|Nintendo Entertainment System]]. Nearing the launch of what was now [[Sega of Japan]]’s upcoming [[Sega Mega Drive|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.  
  
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During the Dreamcast era, Sega of America came back strong, due to [[Visual Concepts]] and the 2K games - as well as strong marketing reminiscent of the Genesis days. Like on Saturn, the bias was more towards localizing Japanese games however. In 2005, Sega of America was hit with a large scale restructuring, with it being designed to appeal more to the Western market, due to it being becoming larger than the Japanese market. This however led to numerous questionable games, with some games being some of the worst in Sega's history. This includes licensed games ''[[The Golden Compass]]'', ''[[Aliens: Colonial Marines]]'' and ''[[Iron Man]]'', as well ill fated attempts to reboot SoJ franchises such as with ''[[Golden Axe: Beast Rider]]'' and ''[[Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric]]''.
+
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 [[Sega 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 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.
  
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Around 2015, Sega was evaluating on how they should handle the American branch in the future. Effectively, SoA was relocated from San Francisco to Irvine, California, to share the same office with [[Atlus USA]], which Sega had acquired earlier. The main purpose of the new Sega of America and Atlus USA, is to localize the Japanese games of their respective parent company. In addition, a dedicated office for the Sonic franchise in Burbank, California exists as well.
+
===Genesis Does What Nintendon’t===
 +
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 [[wiki:Nintendo Entertainment System|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.
  
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==Members==
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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.”
  
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*[[John Cheng]]
+
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 [[wikipedia:Entertainment Software Rating Board|Entertainment Software Rating Board]] created the following year.
−
*[[Aaron Webber]]
 
−
*[[Sam Mullen]]
 
  
−
==Former Members==
+
===32-bit Struggles===
 +
The [[Sega 32X|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 32X|Sega Super 32X]]’s redesign as a peripherial for existing [[Sega Mega Drive]] hardware.
  
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{{multicol|
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{{expand}}
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*[[Adrian Stephens]]
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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.
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*[[Al Nilsen]]
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*[[Bernie Stolar]]
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===End of an Era===
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*[[Bill Person]]
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*[[Brian Coburn]]
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===Post-2001===
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*[[Carol Ann Hanshaw]]
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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<ref name="cbse"/>. The resulting company retained the name Sega of America.
−
*[[David Delia]]
+
 
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*[[David Javelosa]]
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After a 2015 evaluation of the company’s future, it saw further downsizing, and relocated from its [[wikipedia:San Francisco, California|San Francisco, California]] office to one in [[wikipedia:Irvine, California|Irvine, California]]. Now sharing offices with the [[Sega]]-owned [[Atlus USA]], both companies are primarily focused on localization and licensing.
−
*[[David Rosen]]
+
 
−
*[[Deborah McCracken]]
+
An additional office dedicated to handling the [[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic the Hedgehog]] franchise exists in [[wikipedia:Burbank, California|Burbank, California]]. The office, and its team, go by the title [[Sonic Studio]].
−
*[[Diane A. Fornasier]]
+
 
−
*[[Ed Annunziata]]
+
==Softography==
−
*[[Eric Quakenbush]]
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{{CompanyHistoryAll|Sega of America}}
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*[[Erik Wahlberg]]
 
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*[[France Tantiado]]
 
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*[[Greg Becksted]]
 
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*[[Hideaki Irie]]
 
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*[[Hirokazu Yasuhara]]
 
−
*[[Howard Drossin]]
 
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*[[Jason Kuo]]
 
−
*[[Jerry Markota]]
 
−
*[[Jin Shimazaki]]
 
−
*[[John Sauer]]
 
−
*[[Keith Palmer]]
 
−
*[[Kunitake Aoki]]
 
−
*[[Masaaki Kawamura]]
 
−
*[[Michael Katz]]
 
−
*[[Michael Latham]]
 
−
*[[Patrick Riley]]
 
−
*[[Paul Rioux]]
 
−
*[[Peter Moore]]
 
−
*[[Rhonda Van]]
 
−
*[[Robert White]]
 
−
*[[Roger Hector]]
 
−
*[[Scott Berfield]]
 
−
*[[Scott Rohde]]
 
−
*[[Shinobu Toyoda]]
 
−
*[[Simon Jeffery]]
 
−
*[[Spencer Nilsen]]
 
−
*[[Stieg Hedlund]]
 
−
*[[Takaharu Utsunomiya]]
 
−
*[[Tom Kalinske]]
 
−
*[[Tony Van]]
 
−
*[[Yutaka Sugano]]
 
−
|cols=2}}
 
  
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=Softography=
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=== [[Master System]] ===
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''Unlike in Sega of Japan, all games are created with an external company''
 
−
== [[Master System]] ==
 
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
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* ''[[Monopoly]]'' (1987)
 
−
* ''[[Alf]]'' (1989)
 
 
* ''[[Joe Montana Football]]'' (1990)  
 
* ''[[Joe Montana Football]]'' (1990)  
 
* ''[[Ariel the Little Mermaid]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Ariel the Little Mermaid]]'' (1992)
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
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== [[Mega Drive|Genesis]] ==
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=== [[Mega Drive]] ===
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
−
* ''[[Dick Tracy]]'' (1990) (with [[Sega Technical Institute]])
 
−
* ''[[Art Alive!]]'' (1991)
 
 
* ''[[ToeJam & Earl]]'' (1991)
 
* ''[[ToeJam & Earl]]'' (1991)
−
* ''[[California Games]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Fantasia]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Joe Montana Football|Joe Montana II: Sports Talk Football]]'' (1991)
 
 
* ''[[Ariel the Little Mermaid]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Ariel the Little Mermaid]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Toxic Crusaders]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Toxic Crusaders]]'' (1992)
−
* ''[[Chakan: The Forever Man]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Evander Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing|Evander Holyfield's "Real Deal" Boxing]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Ecco the Dolphin]]'' (1992)
 
 
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Kid Chameleon]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Kid Chameleon]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Menacer 6-Game Cartridge]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Menacer 6-Game Cartridge]]'' (1992)
−
* ''[[NFL Sports Talk Football '93]]'' (1992)
 
 
* ''[[TaleSpin]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[TaleSpin]]'' (1992)
 
* ''[[Barney's Hide & Seek Game]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[Barney's Hide & Seek Game]]'' (1993)
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* ''[[Dinosaurs for Hire]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[Dinosaurs for Hire]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[Eternal Champions]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[Eternal Champions]]'' (1993)
−
* ''[[Home Alone 2: Lost in New York]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' (1993)
 
 
* ''[[NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[Richard Scarry's Busytown]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[Richard Scarry's Busytown]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[Sonic Spinball]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[Sonic Spinball]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[The Berenstain Bears' Camping Adventure]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[The Berenstain Bears' Camping Adventure]]'' (1993)
−
* ''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show: Stimpy's Invention]]'' (1993)
 
 
* ''[[ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[X-Men]]'' (1993)
 
* ''[[X-Men]]'' (1993)
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* ''[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]]'' (1994)
 
* ''[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]]'' (1994)
 
* ''[[Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition]]'' (1994)
 
* ''[[Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition]]'' (1994)
−
* ''[[Quest for the Shaven Yak Starring Ren Hoëk & Stimpy]]'' (1994)
 
 
* ''[[Shadowrun]]'' (1994)
 
* ''[[Shadowrun]]'' (1994)
 
* ''[[Taz in Escape From Mars]]'' (1994)
 
* ''[[Taz in Escape From Mars]]'' (1994)
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* ''[[Comix Zone]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Comix Zone]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Ecco Jr.]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Ecco Jr.]]'' (1995)
−
* ''[[Garfield: Caught in the Act]]'' (1995)
 
 
* ''[[Striker]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Striker]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[The Adventures of Batman & Robin]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[The Adventures of Batman & Robin]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[The Magic School Bus]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[The Magic School Bus]]'' (1995)
−
* ''[[The Ooze]]'' (1995)
 
 
* ''[[Vectorman]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Vectorman]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[World Series Baseball '95]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[World Series Baseball '95]]'' (1995)
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[Game Gear]] ==
+
=== [[Game Gear]] ===
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
 
* ''[[Joe Montana Football]]'' (1991)
 
* ''[[Joe Montana Football]]'' (1991)
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[Sega CD]] ==
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=== [[Sega CD]] ===
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
−
* ''[[Batman Returns]]'' (1993)
 
 
* ''[[Ecco the Dolphin]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Ecco the Dolphin]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side]]'' (1995)
−
* ''[[The Adventures of Batman & Robin]]'' (1995)
 
 
* ''[[Wild Woody]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Wild Woody]]'' (1995)
 
|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
==[[Sega Pico|Pico]]==
+
===[[Sega Pico|Pico]]===
 
*''[[A Year at Pooh Corner]]'' (1994)
 
*''[[A Year at Pooh Corner]]'' (1994)
 
*''[[Mickey's Blast into the Past]]'' (1994)
 
*''[[Mickey's Blast into the Past]]'' (1994)
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*''[[Storyware Sampler]]'' (1996)
 
*''[[Storyware Sampler]]'' (1996)
 
*''[[Math Antics with Disney's 101 Dalmatians]]'' (1996)
 
*''[[Math Antics with Disney's 101 Dalmatians]]'' (1996)
−
*''[[Sesame Street: Alphabet Avenue]]'' (1997)
 
  
−
== [[Sega 32X]] ==
+
=== [[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)
 
* ''[[Star Wars Arcade]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Virtua Racing Deluxe]]'' (1994)
 
* ''[[Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Kolibri]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Kolibri]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Knuckles' Chaotix]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Shadow Squadron]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[T-MEK]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[World Series Baseball starring Deion Sanders]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[World Series Baseball starring Deion Sanders]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Virtua Fighter]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Spider-Man: Web of Fire]]'' (1996)
 
* ''[[Spider-Man: Web of Fire]]'' (1996)
 +
* ''[[Virtua Hamster]]'' (Unreleased)
  
−
== [[Sega Saturn]] ==
+
=== [[Sega Saturn]] ===
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
 
* ''[[Bug!]]'' (1995)
 
* ''[[Bug!]]'' (1995)
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[Dreamcast]] ==
+
=== [[Dreamcast]] ===
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
 
* ''[[NBA 2K]]'' (1999)
 
* ''[[NBA 2K]]'' (1999)
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[PlayStation 2]] ==
+
===[[PlayStation 2]] ===
  
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[GameBoy Advance]] ==
+
=== [[GameBoy Advance]] ===
  
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[Xbox]] ==
+
=== [[Xbox]] ===
  
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[GameCube]] ==
+
=== [[GameCube]] ===
  
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[Nintendo DS]] ==
+
=== [[Nintendo DS]] ===
  
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[PlayStation Portable]] ==
+
=== [[PlayStation Portable]] ===
  
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
 
* ''[[Sonic Rivals]]'' (2006)
 
* ''[[Sonic Rivals]]'' (2006)
 
* ''[[After Burner: Black Falcon]]'' (2007)
 
* ''[[After Burner: Black Falcon]]'' (2007)
−
* ''[[Alien Syndrome (2007)]]'' (2007)
+
* ''[[Alien Syndrome (2007)|Alien Syndrome]]'' (2007)
 
* ''[[Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars]]'' (2007)
 
* ''[[Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars]]'' (2007)
 
* ''[[Sega Genesis Collection]]'' (2006)
 
* ''[[Sega Genesis Collection]]'' (2006)
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[Xbox 360]] ==
+
=== [[Xbox 360]] ===
  
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[Wii]] ==
+
=== [[Wii]] ===
  
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
−
*''[[Alien Syndrome (2007)]] (2007)''
+
*''[[Alien Syndrome (2007)|Alien Syndrome]] (2007)''
 
*''[[The Golden Compass]] (2007)''
 
*''[[The Golden Compass]] (2007)''
 
*''[[The Incredible Hulk]] (2008)''
 
*''[[The Incredible Hulk]] (2008)''
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|cols=2}}
 
|cols=2}}
  
−
== [[PlayStation 3]] ==
+
=== [[PlayStation 3]] ===
  
 
* ''[[Condemned: Criminal Origins]]'' (2005)
 
* ''[[Condemned: Criminal Origins]]'' (2005)
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* ''[[Condemned 2: Bloodshot]]'' (2008)
 
* ''[[Condemned 2: Bloodshot]]'' (2008)
  
−
== [[PlayStation 3]] ==
+
=== [[Nintendo 3DS]] ===
−
 
 
−
{{multicol|
 
−
* ''[[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)
 
−
|cols=2}}
 
−
 
 
−
== [[Nintendo 3DS]] ==
 
  
 
* ''[[Captain America: Super Soldier]]'' (2011)
 
* ''[[Captain America: Super Soldier]]'' (2011)
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* ''[[Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice]]'' (2014)
 
* ''[[Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice]]'' (2014)
  
−
== [[Wii U]] ==
+
=== [[Wii U]] ===
  
 
* ''[[The Cave]]'' (2013)
 
* ''[[The Cave]]'' (2013)
 
* ''[[Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric]]'' (2014)
 
* ''[[Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric]]'' (2014)
  
−
== [[Xbox One]] ==
+
=== [[Xbox One]] ===
  
 
* ''[[Sonic Mania]]'' (2017)
 
* ''[[Sonic Mania]]'' (2017)
  
−
== [[PlayStation 4]] ==
+
=== [[PlayStation 4]] ===
  
 
* ''[[Sonic Mania]]'' (2017)
 
* ''[[Sonic Mania]]'' (2017)
  
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=== [[Nintendo Switch]] ===
  
 
* ''[[Sonic Mania]]'' (2017)
 
* ''[[Sonic Mania]]'' (2017)
  
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== External Links ==
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== External links ==
 
*[http://www.sega.com Official Website]
 
*[http://www.sega.com Official Website]
  
 
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{{SegaOverseas}}

Revision as of 06:55, 16 July 2021

This short article is in need of work. You can help Sega Retro by adding to it.

Sega of America, Inc. is the American branch of video game developer Sega.

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.[3] on March 21, 1985 to again distribute its arcade games in the West, and Sega of America, Inc. on March 10, 1986[4][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 Sega 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.

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 Sega 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 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 What Nintendon’t

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 Struggles

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.


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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.

End of an Era

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[3]. 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

Master System

Mega Drive

Game Gear

Mega-CD

32X

Saturn

Dreamcast

IBM PC

Windows PC

Master System

Mega Drive

Game Gear

Sega CD

Pico

Sega 32X

Sega Saturn

Dreamcast

PlayStation 2

GameBoy Advance

Xbox

GameCube

Nintendo DS

PlayStation Portable

Xbox 360

Wii

PlayStation 3

Nintendo 3DS

Wii U

Xbox One

PlayStation 4

Nintendo Switch

PC

References

  1. ↑ California Business Search: Entity #C1299989
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sega Visions, "February/March 1993" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 81
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named cbse
  4. ↑ California Business Search: Entity #C1299989

External links

Overseas Sega companies, studios and subsidiaries
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Visual Concepts
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Sega (China) Network Technology Co., Ltd
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Sports Interactive
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Three Rings Design
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Atlus USA
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Go Game
Sonic Studio
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