David Rosen, Sega Co-Founder Who Changed the World of Video Games, Dies

6 Jan at 08:33 Comment Views: 29

Sega co-founder David Rosen has passed away at the age of 95. His spokesperson, Brad Callaway, confirmed that Rosen died peacefully at his Los Angeles residence on Christmas Day.

Alongside Martin Bromley, Ray Lemaire, and Dick Dodderer, Rosen was a foundational figure in Sega’s evolution. Originally established as Service Games to manage arcade and coin-operated machines, the venture eventually transformed into a titan of the home console market.

Reflecting on the company’s early years in a 1996 interview with Next Generation Magazine, Rosen noted:

The arcade machines were an instantaneous success. It is almost modest to admit, but we typically saw a full return on our investment in less than two months.

During that period, I was launching shooting and hunting galleries all across Japan, and fortune favored us… I don’t recall the exact numbers, but by the time I moved on, there wasn’t a single city that didn’t host at least one of our locations.

Rosen remained at the helm of Sega until its acquisition by Gulf+Western and was instrumental in the establishment of Sega of America. His leadership oversaw the release of iconic hardware, including the SG-1000, Master System, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Gear, and the Saturn, along with various landmark peripherals.

He further remarked: