A Close Look at SEGA & Parent Company CSK

Alex Smith of They Create Worlds, a podcast focused on documenting the video game industry as a whole, has released a two-part series on SEGA and its parent conglomerate, CSK Corporation (Computer Service Kabushiki-Kaisha). The series offers a well-researched and nuanced look at Isao Okawa, the owner of CSK & subsidiary SEGA Enterprises and the ultimate downfall of SEGA during the Dreamcast era.

Part 1 covers the origin of CSK and major players involved, Okawa’s bold move to pivot CSK during uncertain times, the purchase of SEGA from Gulf and Western, the decade-long corporate transition from U.S. company to a traditional Japanese company, and SEGA becoming publicly traded in Japan.

Crafting the World of WarCraft They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 230 – Crafting the World of WarCraft   World of Warcraft has stood the test of time for twenty years, and now we can explore the fascinating history behind its creation. The developers drew inspiration from MMOs like Ultima Online, EverQuest, Anarchy Online, Dark Age of Camelot, and more, incorporating what they loved while tackling unique challenges. From art style and storytelling to quest design, factions, and PvP, every aspect of the game presented obstacles to overcome. Despite launching with several rushed elements, WoW captivated a gaming audience eager for an accessible MMO—and went on to set records for years to come   TCW 054 – Blizzard: Vikings and WarCraft: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/blizzard-vikings-and-warcraft/ TCW 055 – Blizzard: Hellfire and The World… of WarCraft: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/blizzard-hellfire-and-the-world%E2%80%A6-of-warcraft/ How to play Necromunda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqAxPXd5y8g Place Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/41MvT5c The WoW Diary: A Journal of Computer Game Development [Second Edition] (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/4kzpxNT EverQuest Launch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AJdrc8ZsEI TCW 219 – Diablo 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/diablo-1/ TCW 220 – Diablo 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/diablo-2/ A Brief History of Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeB-1F-UKO0 Tabula Rasa Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGQ0Nb3U9kw Tabula Rasa Box Art: https://cdn.mobygames.com/covers/4266351-richard-garriotts-tabula-rasa-pre-order-bonus-pack-windows-front.jpg World of Warcraft Box Art: https://i.etsystatic.com/19063773/r/il/3b9985/2196312265/il_fullxfull.2196312265_13ii.jpg WarCraft 1 Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA40KEDV6Dc WoW V0.53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RszVOPx1apI&t=0s Duskwood Retrospective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2suPQAZMqc TCW 030 – Doom!: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/doom-1479057917/ Ed Bighead Campaign: https://www.facebook.com/RememberWhenNick/videos/remember-when-bigheads-campaign/279376435941596/ Snow White Trailer (1937): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L16P0rip9E4 13th Warrior Cave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTVze7cfwWU     New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com  Twitter: @tcwpodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1     Intro Music: Josh Woodward – Airplane Mode –  Music – "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode  Outro Music: RoleMusic – Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love    Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/    
  1. Crafting the World of WarCraft
  2. US Gold
  3. PopCap Games
  4. Donkey Kong
  5. Ray Kassar

Part 2 examines the circumstances leading to Okawa’s direct control as CEO of SEGA and the financial difficulties resulting from SEGA’s internal money lending, Okawa’s dream to make CSK and SEGA more network focused and his planned contingencies for potential failure.

Crafting the World of WarCraft They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 230 – Crafting the World of WarCraft   World of Warcraft has stood the test of time for twenty years, and now we can explore the fascinating history behind its creation. The developers drew inspiration from MMOs like Ultima Online, EverQuest, Anarchy Online, Dark Age of Camelot, and more, incorporating what they loved while tackling unique challenges. From art style and storytelling to quest design, factions, and PvP, every aspect of the game presented obstacles to overcome. Despite launching with several rushed elements, WoW captivated a gaming audience eager for an accessible MMO—and went on to set records for years to come   TCW 054 – Blizzard: Vikings and WarCraft: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/blizzard-vikings-and-warcraft/ TCW 055 – Blizzard: Hellfire and The World… of WarCraft: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/blizzard-hellfire-and-the-world%E2%80%A6-of-warcraft/ How to play Necromunda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqAxPXd5y8g Place Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/41MvT5c The WoW Diary: A Journal of Computer Game Development [Second Edition] (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/4kzpxNT EverQuest Launch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AJdrc8ZsEI TCW 219 – Diablo 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/diablo-1/ TCW 220 – Diablo 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/diablo-2/ A Brief History of Chess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeB-1F-UKO0 Tabula Rasa Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGQ0Nb3U9kw Tabula Rasa Box Art: https://cdn.mobygames.com/covers/4266351-richard-garriotts-tabula-rasa-pre-order-bonus-pack-windows-front.jpg World of Warcraft Box Art: https://i.etsystatic.com/19063773/r/il/3b9985/2196312265/il_fullxfull.2196312265_13ii.jpg WarCraft 1 Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA40KEDV6Dc WoW V0.53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RszVOPx1apI&t=0s Duskwood Retrospective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2suPQAZMqc TCW 030 – Doom!: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/doom-1479057917/ Ed Bighead Campaign: https://www.facebook.com/RememberWhenNick/videos/remember-when-bigheads-campaign/279376435941596/ Snow White Trailer (1937): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L16P0rip9E4 13th Warrior Cave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTVze7cfwWU     New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!   TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com  Twitter: @tcwpodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1     Intro Music: Josh Woodward – Airplane Mode –  Music – "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode  Outro Music: RoleMusic – Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love    Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/    
  1. Crafting the World of WarCraft
  2. US Gold
  3. PopCap Games
  4. Donkey Kong
  5. Ray Kassar

With Okawa’s passing in 2001, CSK shifted in a financial services direction, and ended up selling their stake in SEGA to Sammy, who then used this leverage to completely buy out SEGA a year later.

Alexander Smith is a reference librarian with a background in history, research, and law who has been delving into the history of the video game industry for over ten years. He has played a crucial role in the preservation of certain documents and artifacts in early video game history and has conducted over 100 oral history interviews with key executives in the evolution of the industry. Currently, he co-hosts a bi-monthly podcast dedicated to the history of the industry (also called “They Create Worlds”) and serves as a researcher and consultant for the Video Game Pioneers Archive oral history project of the Smithsonian Institution.

Smith claims his information is derived from “rare primary sources” including little-studied trade publications, personal papers collections, and oral history interviews with designers and executives, many of whom have never told their stories before.

About the author

SaturnDave

A massive Saturn fan since Christmas '96, Dave is enthusiastic about growing the community and spreading Saturn love and knowledge to fans old and new. Co-founding the SEGA SATURN, SHIRO! podcast back in 2017 and creating the SHIRO! SHOW in 2020, he seeks to create interesting and engaging Saturn-related content for the community. Dave's interests circle around game preservation, and he is a huge fan of game magazines and developer interviews.

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