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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Ever Happened to Video Game Maker Sega?
K.K. Sega (Japanese: Kabushiki Sega), better known in Europe and the U.S. as Sega Corporation, was the third major provider of video games and consoles alongside Nintendo and Sony from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. However, the history of the now Japanese company actually began decades earlier, not in Japan, but in the U.S. Today, Sega is focusing on its own rich tradition, which is now set to be made future-proof. When Shuji Utsumi announced a renaissance of Sega at the Game Awards 2024 in Los Angeles, the joy among the brand's legions of fans was boundless. 'Gamers loved Sega because we showed them a new style, a new attitude, and a new lifestyle,' said the CEO of Sega America and Sega Europe. They have some great pillars, including 'Sonic,' 'Yakuza,' and 'Persona.' 'At the same time, we also have other titles that perfectly reflected Sega's style, attitude, and context. And I think players will love it if we do it right. It will be a challenge–expectations are high–but if we master this, we can become Sega again,' Utsumi promised. In fact, Sega's history goes back much further than 'just' to 'Sonic,' 'Yakuza,' 'Persona' (1990s), or even older iconic video games like 'Space Fury,' 'Monaco GP,' or 'Subroc.' A history that was extremely eventful, so much so that it is sometimes even described as 'confusing.' To do justice to each of these twists would probably require a book or at least a dissertation. Therefore, this text condenses the events, but all crucial facts are, of course, considered. Sega's Cradle Is in Hawaii Sega, as we know it today, originated from a company founded in 1940. But not, as one might expect, in Japan by Japanese people, but by three Americans: Martin Bromley, Irving Bromberg, and James Humpert. The trio laid the foundation for what would later become Sega in Honolulu, Hawaii, then still under the name Standard Games. The name already suggests that they saw a flourishing business field in leisure entertainment, which they wanted to serve with coin-operated machines. Initially, they had the U.S. soldiers stationed in Hawaii in mind. Eleven years later, in 1951, the company relocated to Tokyo, as the U.S. Congress had meanwhile banned the installation of slot machines on military bases. This decision is known in U.S. economic history as the 'Gambling Devices Transportation Act.' Entertainment for U.S. Soldiers Overseas At this time, the U.S. was at war with Korea, so the contingents of U.S. bases in the Pacific had been significantly increased. This also applied to Japan, which had been under U.S. occupation since the end of World War II. By the end of 1945, the U.S. had stationed more than 350,000 soldiers there, who represented another promising clientele for the three entrepreneurs. The GIs, far from home in a country whose language was completely foreign to them, were looking for entertainment. And Bromley and Co. wanted to offer their compatriots this with imported coin-operated machines. Additionally, traditionally oriented Japan was gradually opening up to the American way of life. Many renowned U.S. companies from all economic sectors were vying for this new market. The Japanese economy itself had also recognized the opportunities here, and many domestic companies were seeking foreign partners, primarily from the U.S. Thus, the vending machine operator Nihon Goraku Bussan, founded in 1951, entered into a partnership with Bromley just a year later, whose company had been called Service Games of Japan since the move to Japan. In 1960, they founded the subsidiary Japan Entertainment Trading Company, which soon became one of the largest providers of jukeboxes, slot machines, and vending machines. A Fourth American Lays the Foundation for Sega And another American entered the scene. David Rosen was a U.S. soldier stationed in Japan who decided to stay there after his service. Rosen had developed an appreciation for Japanese culture and, like Bromley, recognized the market opportunities. So, in 1954, he founded Rosen Enterprises, which initially sold photo booths but soon also imported used slot machines from the U.S. While the Japanese company received a license for U.S. military bases, the intended expansion to the entire Japanese market initially seemed hardly possible. Japan, in the midst of reconstruction, had a 6.5-day workweek. The Japanese Ministry of Trade considered distraction through slot machines counterproductive and denied Rosen the necessary license to install the machines. It wasn't until 1957 that he managed to convince the authorities that entertainment and economic growth were not mutually exclusive. Rosen believed that workers who could relax through entertainment in their limited free time would actually fuel the economic upswing. His argument was so convincing that he was eventually granted the license. And Rosen was proven right. The slot machine market was now booming, and Rosen Enterprises soon dominated the Japanese market. Both Rosen and Bromley recognized that a merger of the market leaders–Rosen Enterprises in slot machines, Nihon Goraku Bussan in jukeboxes–would benefit both companies. Read also: Most Valuable Video Game Sold for $2 Million The Modern Sega Emerges Initially, the plan was to operate under the name Rosen Enterprise. After all, it was Rosen who held the necessary license. However, the former GI had enough sense and heart to realize that this would have further hurt the Japanese spirit, already deeply wounded by the devastating consequences of World War II. Therefore, they decided on the name Sega Enterprises Ltd., based on the initials of Service Games. Thus began the actual history of Sega in July 1965. Now that the company also had production facilities, they began developing their own machines. The first hit the market in 1966, called 'Periscope,' and was based on the idea behind the game known to us as 'Battleship.' 'Periscope' became an international success, which in turn attracted the attention of the U.S. company Gulf and Western. For three years, the Americans courted Sega, and in 1969, the acquisition finally took place. Sega was now a 100% Gulf and Western subsidiary but was able to retain both its name and logo, as well as Rosen as the chairman of the board. In 1983, Sega Also Entered the Console Market In the following years, Sega continued to grow steadily–including through the acquisition of the U.S. competitor Gremlin–and regularly released more arcade games. These included titles like 'Space Attack,' 'Monaco GP,' 'Eliminator,' 'Pulsar,' and 'Frogger.' All these games were well thought out and executed, giving Sega a reputation as a provider of high-quality games. According to 'Historycorner,' 'Space Fury' was 'the first arcade game to offer colored vector graphics and voice synthesis. The player controlled a spaceship and had to fend off attacks from enemy ships. The spoken announcements, such as 'Prepare for battle!' had an almost hypnotic appeal. And the 1982 follow-up 'Subroc' gave Sega a unique selling point, as it was the first commercial video game in stereoscopic 3D format. Around the same time, Sega responded to a new trend that had begun in the early 1980s and was growing. Companies like Atari had already celebrated initial successes with game consoles. Sega now picked up on this trend and developed versions of its most successful arcade games for the most common game consoles. And it wasn't long before Sega itself appeared on the market with a console. SG-1000, Sega's First Own Game Console On July 15, 1983, Sega introduced its first own game console, the SG-1000. However, it had to compete on the very same day with the 'Nintendo Entertainment System' released by Nintendo–better known as NES. The SG-1000 was not destined for great success, partly due to the strong competition and partly due to the high price Sega demanded in markets outside Japan. Additionally, 1983 saw the preliminary collapse of the video game industry, known as the 'Video Game Crash.' As a result, numerous companies, including the former market leader Atari, Inc., went bankrupt. This development was only halted in 1985 when Nintendo's NES console and the now legendary game 'Super Mario Bros.' also appeared on the American market and became major sales hits there. Read also: Why the 'Power Glove' for the NES Flopped 35 Years Ago Back to the Roots Such successes were only partially granted to the consoles that followed the SG-1000. Successors like the 'Sega Mega Drive' or later 'Sega Saturn' sold excellently, so much so that Sega dominated the North American and thus the world's most important gaming market in early 1994. But the 'Mega Drive' was already six years old at that point and had long reached its expiration date. Sega's attempts to modernize the console were not well received by fans. As a result, the company lost more than 30% market share within twelve months. This was not least due to the successor, the 'Sega Saturn.' While it initially sold brilliantly, it had to account for its enormous technical complexity. Sega simply had too few games available that were compatible with the console. However, this was far from the peak of the disaster. In the 1999/2000 fiscal year, Sega had to report a loss of $400 million. This was only partly due to the 'Sega Saturn' successor introduced at the end of 1998, the Dreamcast console. Rather, it was the imbalance between revenue and the excessively high development and production costs that had brought Sega to the brink of collapse. They simply failed to offer something competitive against the likes of Sony's 'PlayStation' and Nintendo's 'GameCube.' Mega Drive Is Today Sega's Best-Known Console Thus, in the top 20 best-selling game consoles to date, only one Sega model, the 'Sega Mega Drive,' is found, and it ranks just 19th. No wonder, then, that they exited the game console market as early as 2004. In the same year, they merged with the Sammy Corporation, then the leading manufacturer of 'Pachinko' machines, to form Sega Sammy Holdings. A 'Pachinko' is a gambling machine similar to a 'pinball' machine but with an automatic payout like a slot machine. Sega now focused exclusively on developing and producing games for the various platforms of the competition. Thanks to the aforementioned merger, the company was able to report a 31% increase in profit to $577 million as early as 2006. Consequently, this focus has hardly changed to this day and will not change in the future. There will definitely be no more Sega consoles, Utsumi confirmed. Instead, they will invest in their own classics like 'Golden Axe,' 'Virtua Fighter,' or 'Jet Set Radio.' 'We will introduce these games to a new audience rather than just treating them as museum pieces,' said the CEO of Sega America and Sega Europe. Sega's iconic legacy is to be made future-proof. So, we can look forward to it. The post What Ever Happened to Video Game Maker Sega? appeared first on TECHBOOK.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The return of 'Backyard Sports': What it took to recover lost IP rights and bring back the franchise
Listen and subscribe to Yahoo Finance Sports Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. IP revivals are everywhere in gaming and movies right now, but the rights to beloved franchises aren't always easy to track down. Just ask Lindsay Barnett, a former elementary school teacher who made it her mission to bring "Backyard Sports" to modern consoles using several lawyers, a private investigator, and a lot of reverse engineering. The "Backyard Sports" games were an incredibly popular series of desktop PC video games in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The earliest games, developed by Humongous Entertainment, featured a series of cartoon children as possible teammates to recruit, while later installments featured kid versions of some professional players, like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter in "Backyard Baseball 2001." Though the original franchise ended a decade ago with the release of "Backyard Sports: Baseball 2015" and "Backyard Sports: NBA Basketball 2015," it made a comeback in October 2024 when Playground Productions rereleased "Backyard Baseball '97." As of July 8, fans of the series can now play "Backyard Baseball '01" too. "These games were my favorites growing up," Barnett, founder and CEO of Playground Productions, said on the Sports Report podcast (see video above or listen below). "I was a very sporty little girl in Chicago, and this was the game that made me fall in love with baseball and football. I was looking for great content for kids and especially great games that they could be playing on their computers, and this franchise was nowhere to be found." This embedded content is not available in your region. Barnett, who taught elementary public school in Chicago for nine years, explained that teaching remotely during the COVID era set her on the path to find out how to make these games accessible to children again. "['Backyard Sports'] hadn't had a game come out in almost a decade when I started looking for it," she recalled. "And so I did the normal process of first searching on Google and then asking IP lawyers — and it was not findable. One of the lawyers said, 'Hey Lindsay, you could hire a private investigator to track the rights down.' And that just sounded like a great COVID project. And so I was like, let's do that." She said it took six months to find out who owned the intellectual property rights for "Backyard Sports," but she eventually acquired them for her own production company, which she founded in 2022. Once she acquired the rights to the IP, her company also needed to obtain the rights to the individual pro players who were featured in the games. "We were able to get 28 out of the 31 players, and I was just so excited because, honestly, we did have to go player by player for the majority of them," Barnett explained. "Some of them are in the retired players union ... We wound up hiring an awesome guy named Zach Oliver to help track people down." Getting player rights wasn't the only roadblock Barnett faced while reviving a well-loved IP. She explained that she and her team have been reverse-engineering the code to make it playable on current platforms. "The process of it has actually been quite complicated because we don't have the source code," Barnett said. "It took us a little bit longer to actually reverse engineer and make it possible on mobile. And then through that process, we actually discovered new technology to be able to make it playable on PlayStation and on Nintendo Switch." Two and a half years after her journey started, "Backyard Baseball '97" was rereleased on Steam, bringing the franchise back in full force for fans new and old. The game was later released for iOS and Android in March 2025 and on PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch in June 2025. "Backyard Soccer '98" was also made available on Steam in 2024, and four other games in the beloved franchise are set to be rereleased in the coming years. "We're really inventing a playbook in some ways, which is very exciting for us because we have a big piece of IP that's independently operated, and so we have a lot of flexibility on how we bring things to market," Barnett said. "It's actually quite exciting for us because we're learning a lot, but we're able to do it with the integrity that we all share on our team, which is making sure that we're making great children's family content and we can set our own kinds of standards." Each week, Sports Report with Joe Pompliano coaches you through the latest sports business news so you can play the financial game for financial gain. You can find more episodes on our video hub or watch on your preferred streaming service. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Video Games Are Quietly Becoming The Next Fintech Frontier
Over the Shoulder Angle of a Young Female Gamer Winning in a Video Game on Personal Computer in a ... More Neon Lit Living Room at Home. Cozy Evening at Home in Loft Apartment. Video games are no longer just digital entertainment; they're financial ecosystems. From 'Roblox' to 'Fortnite,' modern platforms are handling billions in real-world payments through wallets, currencies, and in-game economies. Players store value, exchange assets, and earn income in these environments, sometimes without realizing they're engaging in financial transactions. According to the company's Q42024 earnings report, Roblox developers and creators earned $922.8 million—up from $740.8 million in 2023. Users spend immense sums on digital items, using Roblox's proprietary currency, Robux. Players convert dollars into tokens, purchase virtual goods, tip creators, and sometimes even receive payouts. These are not isolated features; they're increasingly central to how games operate and generate revenue. This shift hasn't gone unnoticed by regulators, and it should be on fintech leaders' radars as well. What's emerging is a parallel financial system with few of the obligations imposed on banks or payment processors. In April 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a report examining the growing prevalence of banking functions in video games. It noted that consumers are spending billions on virtual goods by transferring funds into gaming platforms—often with limited refund options, little fee transparency, and no standard user protections. Shortly after, the CFPB issued a proposed interpretive rule clarifying that many digital wallets and stored-value accounts could fall under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. That includes platforms where consumers deposit funds, access them through in-game wallets, and use them for purchases within a defined ecosystem. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The rule, which was later rescinded in 2025, would have extended regulatory safeguards like fee disclosures, fraud liability limits, and error resolution to platforms whose stored-value systems function like prepaid products. Although the rollback provided temporary relief for developers, it signaled how regulators are beginning to view these platforms: not as games, but as gateways to financial risk. Game Design Choices Carry Real Compliance Risk Regulators have also turned their attention to the ways games nudge users into spending. In December 2022, Fortnite developer Epic Games paid a landmark $520 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it used dark patterns and billing practices that led to unauthorized charges. More recently, in January 2025, the FTC announced a $20 million settlement with 'Genshin Impact' developer Cognosphere. Regulators accused the company of using manipulative loot box systems that hid the true cost of purchases and misled players, particularly minors, about their odds of success. The settlement requires age-gating, odds disclosure, and clearer purchase mechanics. The enforcement trend is clear: if a platform uses behavioral tactics to encourage spending, especially among children, regulators will treat it as a consumer protection issue, not a UX decision. Why Fintech Leaders Should Care California is emerging as a leader in applying state laws to video game monetization. In 2024, the attorney general and Los Angeles city attorney reached a $500,000 settlement with Tilting Point Media over alleged violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) involving children's data use in the game SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off. Meanwhile, New York has also taken steps to address the risks associated with in-game monetization. In 2024, the state's Division of Consumer Protection issued a consumer alert warning about the financial and data privacy risks tied to in-game purchases, particularly loot boxes. What's happening in video games today is reshaping how the next generation experiences money. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are growing up with seamless, social, in-game financial interactions. These aren't just expectations. They're conditioning. Fintech companies and the investors backing them should take note. Gaming platforms are winning trust by offering intuitive, creative, and frictionless payment experiences. But they're also surfacing regulatory and ethical issues fintech has wrestled with for years: consent, transparency, refund rights, and youth protection. Those who learn from the best parts of gaming UX and avoid the pitfalls will be well-positioned to serve the next generation of users. Because the future of money isn't being invented in a bank lobby. It's being beta tested in a game lobby.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zach Cregger's Resident Evil reboot won't stick to the game's labyrinthine lore
Over its 30 years or so of zombie hordes, Umbrella Corporation lab leaks, and Las Plagas infections, Resident Evil has amassed one of the most expansive and confusing mythologies in horror. At this point, Resident Evil games bounce around their labyrinthine timeline as often as they change gameplay styles. Fittingly, it has an equally obtuse movie mythology, with Paul W.S. Anderson's long-running series following his muse Milla Jovovich and abandoning the source material in favor of his post-apocalyptic whims. Audiences read Anderson's Final Chapter to the series in 2017, leading to a first shot at a reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City, which stuck closer to the games' mythology and we swear came out in 2021. The following year, Netflix released a live-action TV series to join a long-running franchise of Japanese animated movies, a Netflix CG animated series, and a documentary about the unmade George A. Romero adaptation. We have plenty of Resident Evil stuff, and more on the way. Speaking to SFX Magazine [via Bloody Disgusting], director Zach Cregger, who is helming the reboot after finishing his next film, Weapons, has already begun preparing fans for a movie that is nothing like the games. 'I am a gigantic Resident Evil game fan,' Cregger said. 'I've played them all. I don't know how many times I've just looped [Resident Evil 4] again and again. I just love it. I'm definitely not trying to be completely obedient to the lore of the game. I'm trying to tell a story that just feels authentic to the experience you get when you play the games.' Still, Cregger says that he doesn't believe he's 'breaking any major rules' by taking 'the title back to its horror roots' with a movie that's more faithful to the tone of 'the initial games,' e.g., more survival horror than a first-person shooting in the Bayou. 'All I want to do is just make a really good movie and tell a story that's compelling,' he continues. 'I know that I'm gonna be happy with the movie, and hopefully other people will, too.' 'I will also say, I've never seen a movie like it,' he continued. 'It doesn't jump around like Weapons and Barbarian, but it is still unto itself.' As long as there is a master of unlocking, we'll be fine. Resident Evil infects theaters on September 18, 2026. More from A.V. Club Ari Aster is just asking questions, like "How the hell do we get off this thing?" Whisper Of The Heart left a lo-fi legacy unique to Studio Ghibli Senate holds late-night vote to cut funding to NPR and PBS Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
EA Sports College Football 26 includes major opt-out within UNC football program
College football fans and gamers were able to get access to EA Sports College Football 26 on Monday, as the game was available for early access for those who preordered the game. For fans who want to play as North Carolina, there is a noticeable omission from the game if you look on the sidelines in Chapel Hill. Head coach Bill Belichick is one of 12 coaches who declined to be in the game for this year's version Advertisement . Instead, UNC fans will notice a computer-generated "Hector Luna" roaming the Kenan Stadium sidelines. Joining Belichick amongst head coaches to decline invites: Colorado's Deion Sanders,Miami's (FL) Mario Cristobal, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Utah State's Bronco Mendenhall, Western Kentucky's Tyson Helton, Jacksonville State's Charles Kelly, Stanford's Frank Reich, UAB's Trent Dilfer, Louisiana-Monroe's Bryant Vincent, New Mexico's Jason Eck and Kent State's Mark Carney. This isn't anything unusual for Belichick, as he didn't give his likeness to the Madden franchise in past years of the game as well. Belichick hasn't coached in the NFL since 2024, but during games, Madden likes to reference dynasties, past history and other memorable moments to make gameplay more interesting. Advertisement Despite Belichick's long history of NFL success, highlighted by eight Super Bowl Championships and 17 AFC East Titles, 2025 will be his first as a college coach. North Carolina reshaped a large part of its projected fall 2025 roster through the transfer portal, landed commitments from several touted class of 2025 and 2026 recruits, plus stole commitments from other programs. Though EA Sports' CFB 26 release is an exciting moment for many sports fans and gamers across the country, it's likely the least of Belichick's worries right now. The Tar Heels are in desperate need of a return to relevancy, which Belichick has a strong capability to bring. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC football head coach Bill Belichick opts out of EA Sports College Football 26
