Sega Corporation[a] is a Japanese multinational video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy

Holdings headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It produces several multi-million-selling game franchises for
arcades and consoles, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Angry Birds, Puyo Puyo, Super Monkey Ball, Total War,
Virtua Fighter, and Yakuza. From 1983 until 2001, Sega also developed its own consoles.

Sega was founded by American businessmen Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart as Nihon Goraku
Bussan[b] on June 3, 1960. Shortly after, the company acquired the assets of its predecessor, Service
Games of Japan. In 1965, it became known as Sega Enterprises, Ltd., after acquiring Rosen Enterprises, an
importer of coin-operated games. Sega developed its first coin-operated game, Periscope, in 1966. Sega
was sold to Gulf and Western Industries in 1969. Following a downturn in the arcade business in the early
1980s, Sega began to develop video game consoles, starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but
struggled against competitors such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1984, Sega executives David
Rosen and Hayao Nakayama led a management buyout, with backing from CSK Corporation.

In 1988, Sega released the Mega Drive (known as the Genesis in North America). The Mega Drive struggled
against competition in Japan, but the Genesis found success overseas after the release of Sonic the
Hedgehog in 1991 and briefly outsold its main competitor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, in
the US. Later in the decade, Sega suffered several commercial failures such as the 32X, Saturn, and
Dreamcast. In 2001, Sega stopped manufacturing consoles to become a third-party developer and
publisher, and was acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega Holdings Co. Ltd. was established in 2015;
Sega Corporation was renamed Sega Games Co., Ltd., and its arcade, entertainment, and toy divisions
separated into other companies. In 2020, Sega Games and Sega Interactive merged to become Sega
Corporation.

Sega's international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe are headquartered in Irvine, California, and
London. Its development studios include their internal research and development divisions (which utilize
the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega AM2 and Sonic Team brands for several core franchise entries), Sega
Sapporo Studio which mainly provides support for the Tokyo-based development teams as well as handling
partial game development,[4] & Atlus (including their R&D divisions, such as P-Studio and Studio Zero
respectively) and six development studios in the UK and Europe: Amplitude Studios, Creative Assembly,
Sports Interactive, Sega Hardlight, Two Point Studios and Rovio Entertainment (including Ruby Games).
Sega is one of the world's most prolific arcade game producers and its mascot, Sonic, is internationally
recognized. Its name and branding are used for owned and/or affiliated companies that operate
amusement arcades and produce other entertainment products, including Sega Fave; however, these are
largely separate ventures. Sega is recognized for its video game consoles, creativity and innovations. In
more recent years, it has been criticized for its business decisions and the quality of its creative output.

Being the entertainment contents division of Sega Sammy Holdings, forming one half of the Sega Sammy
Group,[5] Sega also owns a toy and amusement machine company, Sega Fave, which compromises their
arcade development & manufacturing divisions that were previously under Sega and two animation
studios: TMS Entertainment, which animates, produces, and/or distributes anime such as Lupin the 3rd,
Case Closed and Anpanman & Marza Animation Planet, which specializes in CG animation.