Sega

Sega Corporation is a Japanese multinational video game developer and publisher based in Shinagawa, Tokyo, with international branches in both America and Europe. The company was founded by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart as Nihon Goraku Bussan on June 3rd, 1960 and shortly after acquired their previous company, Service Games of Japan (the namesake of the abbreviated 'Sega'). Originally a distributor of Slot Machines, Service Games was originally founded in Honolulu, Hawaii as Standard Games in 1940, eventually moving to Japan to avoid laws against slot gambling in the USA. In 1965, N.G.B. became known as Sega Enterprises after acquiring coin-operated game producer Rosen Enterprises. Sega was acquired by the Sammy Corporation in 2004 and is presently a subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings.

Sega's first coin-operated game was Periscope, a shooting gallery arcade game released in 1966. The company's first videogame, Pong-Tron, was released in 1973. Alongside its successful arcade endeavors, the company went on to produce a series of home consoles, including the Sega SG-1000, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega Saturn, and Sega Dreamcast. Sega's game and console production were in direct competition with Nintendo, briefly outselling the Super Nintendo Entertainment System but commercially failing towards the end of the 1990s, with Sega exiting the console market in 2001 to focus on third-party development and production.

The company is renown for several successful franchises including the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog [ソニックザヘッジホッグ] series, Total War, and Like a Dragon [龍が如く]. Sonic is particularly emblematic for the company, frequently starring in premiere titles for Sega's consoles and as a mascot for the company's compilations and promotions.