An interesting document full of classified information from SEGA of America is circulating in forums. Fans of the company have analyzed it and have found very striking details about the company's strategy during the 90s.
As you probably know, during those years there was fierce competition between SEGA, PlayStation and Nintendo. Part of the document just about this dispute and how SEGA believed they had everything to win and bury PlayStation.
SEGA thought it could take down PlayStation
In the 272-page document there is one email that got a lot of attention from gamers. It is a message written by Tom Kalinske, former CEO of SEGA of America, where he talks about their supposed advantage over Sony and PlayStation.
The executive believed that the SEGA Saturn would wipe out their competition since it was a hit in Japan. His prediction was that something similar would happen in the United States; however, we know that history did not prove him right. The system did little against PlayStation and Nintendo 64, and was a flop in the United States. Subsequently, things got complicated for SEGA, which eventually left the console market.
"We are killing Sony. In every [store in Japan], Saturn hardware is sold out and there are stacks of Playstation. The retailers commented they can't compare the true sales rate because Saturn sells out before they can measure accurately.
"I wish I could get all our staff, sales people, retailers, analysts, media, etc. to see and understand what's happening in Japan; they would then understand why we will win here in the U.S. eventually," Kalinske said.
The document also delves into the rivalry that existed between SEGA's American and Japanese divisions, as Kalinske had made significant strides in pushing the brand in this region. Despite this, his time at SEGA came to an end after the Saturn disaster.
This is huge. A 272-page PDF of classified Sega of America docs from ~1996 was just posted online.
— John Harrison - Mega Drive Shock (@MegaDriveShock) July 3, 2023
There is so much info here that it's almost overwhelming. Manufacturing costs, retail margins, sales, product strategies, emails, etc.https://t.co/2XWbpu9QdK pic.twitter.com/akhxdK7fwd
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