50 Fun Facts About Sega

Sega's name is an abbreviation of which earlier company name?

It was first used in 1954 on a slot machine called the Diamond Star, built for US military bases.

In which city was Sega's forerunner, Standard Games, founded in 1940?

Three American businessmen set it up to supply coin-operated machines, including slots, to military bases.

What was Sega's first self-made arcade machine, a submarine simulator released in 1966?

Its success in US malls helped standardise the 25-cent-per-play price for arcade games.

Which American conglomerate bought Sega in 1969?

David Rosen stayed on as CEO; Gulf and Western later became Paramount's parent.

Which 1982 Sega game was the first with isometric graphics?

Three years earlier, Head On had introduced the eat-the-dots gameplay Namco later used in Pac-Man.

Which 1979 Sega game introduced the maze-and-dots gameplay Namco later used in Pac-Man?

It came out of the arcade boom that pushed Sega's revenues past $100 million that year.

What was Sega's first home video game console, released in 1983?

It launched alongside the SC-3000 computer and sold 160,000 units, three times Sega's forecast, but lost to the Famicom.

Which Japanese software company backed the 1984 management buyout of Sega?

CSK's Isao Okawa became chairman and later forgave the company a $500 million loan.

Which toy company did Sega partner with to sell the Master System in North America?

Tonka's ineffective marketing handicapped sales; the console did much better in Europe and Brazil.

In which country has the Master System had lasting success through Sega's partner Tectoy?

By 2016 it had sold 8 million units there, and new versions are still released.

Which 1986 arcade game was Sega's best-selling cabinet of the 1980s?

Hang-On a year earlier had been so popular Sega could not keep up with demand.

What claw machine, introduced in 1985, became Japan's most commonly installed by 2005?

It arrived the same year as Hang-On during Sega's arcade resurgence.

What was the Genesis called outside North America?

It launched in Japan on October 29, 1988, a week after Super Mario Bros. 3 overshadowed it.

Which company declined to market the Genesis in North America before Sega did it itself?

The console launched in New York and Los Angeles on August 14, 1989.

What slogan did Sega of America use in its early 16-bit campaign against Nintendo?

The campaign was the work of Sega of America president Michael Katz, a former Atari executive.

Which game did Tom Kalinske replace as the Genesis pack-in with Sonic the Hedgehog?

The Japanese board disapproved, but Nakayama told Kalinske to go ahead and make the decisions for the West.

Whose boots inspired Sonic the Hedgehog's shoes?

His colour matched Sega's cobalt blue logo and his can-do attitude was modelled on Bill Clinton.

Which programmer's tech demo of a character rolling through a tube became Sonic the Hedgehog?

Ohshima designed the character and Yasuhara the levels.

Sega's colour handheld rival to Nintendo's monochrome portable was called what?

It was essentially a portable Master System and sold around 11 million units.

Which 1993 arcade game was the first 3D fighting game?

Its Saturn port sold almost one-to-one with the console at the Japanese launch.

What ratings body did Sega create in 1993 after controversy over Night Trap and Mortal Kombat?

Its ratings ran from GA to MA-17; Sega then helped form the ESRB after Nintendo objected to adopting it industry-wide.

Which Genesis add-on did Sega rush out in late 1994 because Nakayama feared the Atari Jaguar?

It played Genesis games but was not compatible with the Saturn, and interest collapsed after the holidays.

What was the announced US launch date for the Saturn, branded Saturn-day?

Sega instead launched it by surprise at the first E3 in May, enraging retailers such as KB Toys.

Which retailer stopped stocking Sega products after being left out of the surprise Saturn launch?

Sega shipped 30,000 consoles to four chains for immediate sale at E3 on May 11, 1995.

How many Saturn units did Sega sell worldwide over the console's lifetime?

The PlayStation outsold it three-to-one in the US in 1997; it did better in Japan than the Nintendo 64.

Which Japanese toy maker did Sega plan to merge with in 1997, in a deal called off that May?

Opposition from Bandai's mid-level executives killed the $1 billion stock swap; Nakayama resigned months later.

Which ex-Sony executive at Sega of America declared the Saturn was not our future at E3 1997?

He generally blocked 2D arcade games and RPGs from US Saturn release and was fired in August 1999.

Which photo sticker machine did Sega and Atlus launch in 1995?

Purikura earned Sega around ¥25 billion in 1997 and helped lay the foundations of selfie culture.

Sega World Sydney and Sega World London were the only overseas examples of what concept?

At least 100 were planned worldwide by 2000; the Japanese versions were called Joypolis.

Which arcade system board shared technology with the Dreamcast, allowing near-identical ports?

The name stood for New Arcade Operation Machine Idea; it was a cheaper alternative to the Model 3.

Which Dreamcast launch title was the first major 3D outing for Sega's mascot?

Sega promoted it with a large public demonstration at the Tokyo Kokusai Forum Hall.

On what date did the Dreamcast launch in North America?

It sold 225,132 units in 24 hours, which Peter Moore called the biggest 24 hours in entertainment retail history.

How much did the Dreamcast earn in its first 24 hours on sale in North America?

Within two weeks US sales passed 500,000, and by November the million mark.

Which Dreamcast game was reported to be the most expensive ever made at the time?

Yu Suzuki later said the real figure was closer to $47 million including marketing.

Who ran the Dreamcast's US launch for Sega of America after Stolar was fired?

He later told Sega's studio heads to abandon consoles, and they walked out of the meeting.

On what date did Sega announce the Dreamcast's discontinuation and its exit from consoles?

About 930,000 unsold units were still in inventory by April.

Which CSK chairman forgave Sega's debts and returned his stock shortly before his death in 2001?

He had loaned Sega $500 million in 1999 and long argued the company should quit hardware.

Why did Bill Gates reportedly decide against buying Sega, according to Joachim Kempin?

Instead Sega agreed to develop 11 games for the Xbox.

Which pachinko and pachislot manufacturer took over Sega in 2004?

Namco had tried to overturn the deal; the stock swap valued Sega at up to $1.8 billion.

Which Finnish studio, maker of Angry Birds, did Sega buy in 2023?

Angry Birds now sits alongside Sonic, Persona and Total War in Sega's franchise list.

Which British studio, known for Total War, did Sega acquire in 2005?

Sports Interactive, maker of Football Manager, followed in 2006.

Which Persona and Megami Tensei developer became a Sega subsidiary after Index went bankrupt?

Sega of America later moved from San Francisco to Atlus USA's headquarters in Irvine.

To which city did Sega of America move its headquarters in 2015?

The move from San Francisco was announced in January 2015.

Which publication named Sega the best publisher of 2020?

95 percent of its 28 releases that year scored above 75, with Persona 5 Royal and Yakuza 0 above 90.

Which Sega brand makes the Yakuza and Like a Dragon games?

It is one of the brands used by Sega's internal R&D divisions, alongside Sonic Team.

What is the name of the microconsole Sega announced for its 60th anniversary in 2020?

It launched in Japan on October 6, 2020; the Genesis Mini had come out in September 2019.

What was the name of the union formed by Sega of America workers in 2023?

Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega was the first of its kind in the US game industry, voted in 91 to 26.

Which 1970s Sega acquisition, a coin-op distributor, brought Hayao Nakayama into the company?

Nakayama later led the 1984 buyout and ran Sega through its Genesis peak.

Which pinball maker's division did Sega take over from 1994 to 1999, renaming it Sega Pinball?

SegaSoft was set up the next year to make original Saturn and PC games.

Which management sim series came to Sega with its 2006 purchase of Sports Interactive?

It sits in Sega's franchise list alongside Total War from Creative Assembly.