David Rosen, Sega co-founder, dies aged 95

David Rosen, the co-founder of Sega, has died aged 95. He remained a director of the company until 1996 and was described as instrumental in the birth and rise of the video game business in Japan, overseeing the establishment of Sega of America and the Mega Drive's success in the 1980s and 90s.

A US Air Force pilot during the Korean War, Rosen stayed in Japan after being stationed there and in 1954 set up Rosen Enterprises. He began by importing photo booths, then expanded into pinball tables and other coin-operated machines for shops, restaurants and cinemas. In 1965 he merged his company with Nihon Goraku Bussan, whose coin-op business Service Games was shortened to Sega.

Under Rosen, Sega moved from importing to designing its own arcade games and set up its own arcades. The company produced electromechanical titles such as Periscope and Killer Shark, and later arcade hits including Outrun, Space Harrier and AfterBurner; 1990s games Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter helped establish Sega as a technological leader.

From the late 1970s Rosen also pursued home TV games, overseeing the Master System and the Japan 1988 launch of the Mega Drive, which he insisted be renamed Genesis for the US market. Rosen was noted for recruiting key executives, including Hayao Nakayama in 1979 and US hires such as Michael Katz; Tom Kalinske became CEO of Sega of America in 1990.

Key Topics

Culture, David Rosen, Sega, Mega Drive, Master System, Japan