Sega Corporation

▪ Japanese company

      software and hardware company created in the United States—but now based in Japan—that developed computers and electronic game technology. Sega originated in 1940 as Standard Games, a coin-operated game company in Hawaii.

      While providing games for military bases, the company was called Standard Games, but, following a move to Japan in 1952, the company was renamed Service Games of Japan. Service Games of Japan later merged with Rosen Enterprises to create Sega Enterprises. Sega released a popular arcade game called Periscope in 1965 and also created arcade standouts Zaxxon (1982) and Out Run (1986). In the early 1980s, Sega released its first console system, the SG-1000, which generated more than $200 million in revenue. Over the next few years, Sega underwent several ownership changes. The company released more consoles—the Sega Master System (1986) and the Sega Genesis (1988)—beginning a serious competition with its main rival, the Nintendo console, for control of the video game market.

      After seeing the Master System defeated by the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega launched an aggressive marketing campaign and, with the help of the Sega Genesis's superior technology, was able to recapture a large portion of the video game market. When the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was released in the early 1990s, Sega introduced Sonic the Hedgehog, a game based on a speedy blue rodent designed to seem more modern than Nintendo's mascot, Mario, from the Mario Brothers game series. Sonic spawned many popular games and became the face of the company. A long battle for video supremacy with Nintendo ensued, which resulted in Sega's defeat; nevertheless, both companies thrived throughout the so-called console wars.

      Sega went on to create several more console systems, including the Saturn in 1994 and the Dreamcast in 1998, but new companies entering the competition and poor sales caused Sega to abandon console development entirely in 2001. Sega has since focused on software design and worked as a third-party game developer for its most successful franchises, such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Virtua Fighter.

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