The Father of Sega Consoles

Sad news, Sega fans. Hideki Sato, the father of all of Sega's consoles from the SG-1000 to the Dreamcast, and Sega's honcho from 2001 until 2003, died on the 13th of February, 2026. And it doesn't help that his death happened on a Friday of all days...

What does the Sega SG-1000, the Sega Master System, the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, the Sega Saturn and the Sega Dreamcast all have in common? Hideki Sato stewarded the design of all of these Sega consoles. He also became Sega's honcho in 2001 when Sega exited hardware production to focus on third-party games for other platforms, and presided over the company until 2003.

If you want to feel old, just remember that Hideki Sato was Sega's honcho during a period when Sega was transitioning from hardware production to third-party publisher.