SEGA Amusements International Ltd – based at 42 Barwell Business Park – and a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEGA Corporation headquartered in Japan, is being acquired by its management team.
Industry veteran Paul Williams, who has been employed by SEGA for 22 years, has led a Management Buyout of the company which is at the core of distribution of amusement games to markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the United States.
The new company will retain the name SEGA Amusements International Ltd (SAI) under a royalty agreement with SEGA Corporation, as well as manufacturing and distribution rights of SEGA-developed amusement games to most territories outside Japan. It will continue to offer parts, service and technical support for all SEGA amusement games previously sold into the market along with a wide range of merchandise.
Mr Williams said: “I am extremely pleased to have concluded this deal which secures the future of my team of employees who have supported me over the years. We will continue to work closely with our friends and colleagues at SEGA Japan to develop amusement games for the western market, alongside game development with our in-house R&D team headed by Patrick Michael.
“These products in conjunction with the games from our 3rd party suppliers will ensure we remain at the very pinnacle of game development, manufacture, and distribution to the amusement sector. We have a pipeline of product in development and to be shortly released that will deliver a series of blockbuster games. Certainly, exciting times ahead.”
A Chief Operating Officer for SEGA Corporation stated: “Paul and his team have done a tremendous job building up a local R&D resource in the western world that can now fully develop games suitable to the market at the right price. This, along with the excellent business relationships that have been developed with 3rd party supplier and customers, has led to year-on-year growth. It is only right and fitting that Paul now leads his team into the future as a separate company, focusing on the western market. SEGA Japan will still work very closely with SAI for future developments, and distribution of SEGA Japan developed amusement games into the western market and look forward to watching SAI grow.”
Coinciding with the buyout, SAI has just launched a new website – and later this year, it will roll out the SEGA Total Solutions e-commerce platform that will allow customers to buy spares parts and prizes online.