Sega is a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was founded by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart on June 3, 1960; shortly after, the company acquired the assets of its predecessor, Service Games of Japan. Sega developed its first coin-operated game, Periscope, in the late 1960s. Following a downturn in the arcade business in the early 1980s, Sega developed video game consoles, starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but struggled against competitors such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Sega released its next console, the Sega Genesis, in 1988; it found success outside Japan starting with Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991. In 2001, Sega stopped making consoles to become a third-party developer and publisher, and was acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega produces multi-million-selling game franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, and Yakuza, and is the world's most prolific arcade game producer. (Full article...)