00:03SEGA
00:04Four letters that meant more than a company.
00:07They were an attitude, a rebellion.
00:10In a world ruled by a plumber in a red hat,
00:14SEGA dared to be different.
00:16They were the cool older brother, the one with the leather jacket and the fast car.
00:20SEGA wanted you to feel their games, to experience them,
00:24that you heard his name shouted from the television.
00:27They rose from the ashes of the post-war era to challenge the king of video games,
00:32building machines and icons that captured the imagination.
00:36His trip was a roller coaster.
00:39Innovation, risk, fierce competition, and a heartbreaking defeat.
00:44SEGA's war was not fought on battlefields,
00:47but in living rooms and school playgrounds around the world.
00:51Even after leaving the hardware business,
00:54Its spirit endured, transforming from a console manufacturer to a software powerhouse.
01:00This is the story of SEGA.
01:01His rise, his fall, and his legacy that still shapes video games today.
01:07Let's immerse ourselves in the legend.
01:11SEGA's story doesn't begin in Japan,
01:13but in the 1940s in Honolulu, Hawaii.
01:18Three Americans, Bromley, Bromberg and Hampert,
01:22They founded Standard Games,
01:24that supplied coin-operated amusement machines to military bases.
01:29After World War II,
01:31They moved to Tokyo and became Service Games of Japan,
01:36servicing and distributing machines for US bases.
01:40The real turning point came in the 1960s,
01:45when Service Games merged with Rosen Enterprises,
01:48directed by David Rosen.
01:51Rosen brought experience from the Japanese entertainment market,
01:55and together they formed SEGA Enterprises Ltd.,
01:58a name that originated from Service Games.
02:01SEGA went from importing to creating its own games,
02:04launching the innovative Periscope in 1966.
02:08The global success of Periscope proved that SEGA could do more than just distribute,
02:12They could invent.
02:14This was the spark that set SEGA on the right path
02:16to become a giant in video games.
02:19From its humble beginnings,
02:22SEGA was ready to change the world of entertainment.
02:25The journey from coin-operated machines to consoles had begun.
02:29SEGA's revolution was just beginning.
02:34In the 1970s and early 1980s,
02:38SEGA dominated arcades with hits like Frogger and Saxon.
02:41Their machines were a hallmark of quality and innovation.
02:45When the video game industry declined in North America,
02:49SEGA's solid arcade base in Japan kept them afloat.
02:53Sensing an opportunity, SEGA entered the home market with the SEGA 1000.
02:58and then with the more advanced SEGA Mark III, renamed Master System.
03:04The Master System technically outperformed the NES,
03:07But Nintendo's iron grip on third-party developers
03:10It stifled SEGA's growth in the United States and Japan.
03:13However, in Europe and Brazil, the Master System became a phenomenon.
03:20SEGA learned.
03:21Superior hardware was not enough.
03:24They needed a new strategy and a new hero.
03:27The stage was set for a bold move.
03:33SEGA refused to back down.
03:35Their answer, the 16-bit Mega Drive, Genesis in North America,
03:40a sleek and powerful console built for speed.
03:45With precise arcade ports and a next-generation processor,
03:49Genesis brought the arcade home.
03:51But SEGA knew that hardware alone wouldn't win the war.
03:56Enter Tom Kalinsky, who unleashed a legendary marketing campaign.
04:00Genesis does what Nintendont does.
04:02SEGA targeted teenagers, portraying Nintendo as childish.
04:06and to themselves as the cool and daring alternative.
04:10Sports games like John Madden Football solidified Genesis's appeal.
04:14The console war had begun.
04:17SEGA was gaining ground.
04:18But to really win, they needed a mascot that could rival Mario.
04:23The search for a hero was underway.
04:26SEGA was ready to change the game.
04:29The battle lines were drawn.
04:34SEGA needed a face.
04:36A hero with attitude.
04:38Enter Sonic the Hedgehog, fast, cool and unmistakably SEGA.
04:42Sonic's debut in 1991 was a technical marvel,
04:47showcasing the speed and style of Genesis.
04:50Including Sonic with the console was a masterstroke.
04:54Sales skyrocketed and Sonic became a global icon.
04:57But SEGA's success wasn't just Sonic.
05:01Intense hits like Streets of Rage and deep role-playing games like Phantasy Star 4
05:06They gave Genesis a diverse and mature library.
05:09The SEGA universe was bold, vibrant, and unforgettable.
05:13Whether you craved speed, action, or adventure,
05:16Genesis was fulfilling its obligations.
05:17SEGA had built more than just a console.
05:20He had built a legacy.
05:23The world was watching.
05:27In the early 90s, the console wars reached their peak.
05:32SEGA vs. Nintendo.
05:34Sonic vs. Mario.
05:35It was more than a business.
05:37It was a culture clash that played out in advertisements, magazines, and playgrounds.
05:42SEGA's aggressive marketing, led by Tom Kalinske,
05:46He gave it his all when the NHS was launched.
05:49Burst processing became the buzzword
05:52and direct game comparisons fueled the rivalry.
05:56SEGA lowered the price of Genesis, making it more accessible.
06:00The content was key.
06:01SEGA adopted mature games,
06:03While maintaining the famous and complete violence of Mortal Kombat,
06:07outselling the censored version of SNS.
06:11This measure even led to the creation of the ESRB rating system.
06:15By 1993, SEGA had captured more than half of the US 16-bit market.
06:24UUH, dethroning Nintendo, albeit only briefly.
06:28SEGA proved that Nintendo was not invincible,
06:31This led to innovation and gave players more options than ever before.
06:35For one brilliant moment, SEGA was on top of the world.
06:39But the war was far from over.
06:44As the 16 bits faded away,
06:47SEGA was racing to lead the 32-bit era.
06:51But mistakes like the SEGA CD and the 32X
06:54They confused consumers and depleted resources.
06:58The SEGA Saturn, powerful but complex,
07:01It competed against Sony's PlayStation and the Nintendo 64.
07:05A surprise early launch in the United States
07:08And a high price doomed the Saturn from the start.
07:12SEGA's reputation and finances suffered a blow.
07:16Its last stand, the Dreamcast, launched in 1999.
07:21Dreamcast was ahead of its time.
07:23Online game.
07:25An excellent library of games and record sales at launch.
07:28For a moment, SEGA seemed to be reborn.
07:32But the dream would not last long.
07:34The industry was about to change again.
07:40Dreamcast gained fans and critics,
07:43But it could not escape the looming shadow of Sony's PlayStation 2.
07:47PS2 DVD playback
07:50and the enormous support from third parties were irresistible.
07:53Previous failures of SEGA hardware
07:56They left them financially vulnerable and consumers wary.
08:01Key publishers such as Electronic Arts
08:03They refused to support Dreamcast,
08:05leaving gaps in his library.
08:07Despite the brilliant games,
08:10SEGA was unable to maintain the momentum.
08:12In 2001, SEGA announced the end of the Dreamcast
08:15and its exit from the console business.
08:18It was the end of an era,
08:19The console wars as we knew them were over.
08:23SEGA, once a titan,
08:26had fallen,
08:27But their story was not over.
08:31SEGA's exit from the hardware market triggered a transformation.
08:35Free from manufacturing,
08:37SEGA focused on what it did best,
08:39create great games.
08:41They became a third-party power,
08:44developing for former rivals like PlayStation,
08:47Nintendo and Xbox.
08:49See Sonic on a Nintendo console
08:51It was surreal,
08:52But it marked a new era.
08:55Franchises like Yakuza and Total War
08:57They found a large audience.
08:59SEGA's legacy isn't just in its games,
09:01but in the competition and innovation they inspired.
09:04They were pioneers in online gaming,
09:07They adopted mature themes
09:08and they proved that games could be for everyone.
09:11Today, the spirit of SEGA lives on in beloved franchises
09:14and in the new generations of players.
09:17SEGA survived,
09:19it adapted
09:19and continues to shape the future of video games.
09:22The legend endures.
Comentarios