Sega (The Resistance)

Sega started out as Service Games since 1940; they eventually spread out into video gaming after a variety of failed ventures including a taxi service and a chain of love motels. Its history of strict censorship kept most mature Sega games in Japan while North America and Europe gets versions that are watered-down and censored.

Summary


Sega had their start as "Service Games" in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1940. The company made coin-operated amusement machines for soldiers in the American military, such as slot machines. In 1951, Raymond Lemaire and Richard Stewart moved to Japan and began distributing their products to nearby American bases.

Meanwhile, in 1954, David Rosen, an American Air Force officer, started a business called Rosen Enterprises, which soon became Service Games's chief competitor. The two companies merged in 1965, and the combined company was named SEGA, or Sega. A year later, the company evolved from a distributor to a manufacturer of products. Under Rosen, Sega prospered, making various arcade games under the control of Gulf+Western, now known as Viacom.

By 1979, Sega's revenues climbed to over $100 million. In 1982, they released the arcade industry's first game with 3D effects, SubRoc-3D. The arcade crash of 1983 hurt Sega, but the company survived. In 1984, Rosen resigned, and after moving around from owner to owner, Sega ultimately ended up under the ownership of the CSK Holdings Corporation.

In 1983, Sega released their first home console, the SG-1000. The product was a modest success, and paved the way to the more popular Master System in 1985. The Master System was in direct competition with the Nintendo Entertainment System, and although it ultimately was less popular, actually sold better in European and Brazilian markets.

In 1984, Sega was acquired by this current owner, the computer and network services company CSK Holding Corporation led by Isao Okawa, who bought the company from David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama and keep both as Regional CEO's of the company

Sega's biggest success yet came in the form of the Sega Genesis. The Sega Genesis was a 16-bit system, a major step up from the earlier 8-bit systems of earlier times. Although initially released in Japan in late 1988, and in the West in 1989 and 1990, the Genesis initially had trouble finding widespread success outside of Europe until 1991's surprise hit Sonic the Hedgehog. Made specifically as a new mascot for Sega, Sonic was considered the "cool" alternative to Nintendo's Mario. From that point on, Sega was considered a notable competitor to Nintendo outside of Japan.

Return of Sega
Sega, one of Japan's finest exports, has came back with a new console. With the current state of the gaming industry today, a company with the background and experience such as Sega could make a big splash if it would be willing to invest back into the hardware market.

Rumors have been swirling about a new console for the past few years and this device could just be a streaming-capable system with no footing. Sega would be better off forking out the big bucks and making a dent in the market. While it may not need to compete directly with Sony and Microsoft in terms of featuring that type of hardware, Sega could venture to compete with the likes of Nintendo and ultimately find itself profitable.

Once the Sega Duo comes out in 2026, Sega starts to compete with Sony, Samsung, Apple and Google. They came out of hardware retirement and re-entered the console market. The Video Game Crash of 2038 would eventually cause people to play Sega games again through emulators on their PCs and Android tablets. Sega Eclipse would break even during the Gaming Depression, passing the muster as "educational simulation software."