SEGA(R) Purchases Prominent U.S. Development Studio
Leading Publisher Acquires Notable San Francisco-Based Developer
Establishes New Internal Development Arm in North America
LONDON (April 4, 2006) - SEGA Holdings U.S.A., Inc. today announced its acquisition of acclaimed developer Secret Level, Inc. Founded in 1999 and headed up by Jeremy Gordon, San Francisco-based Secret Level, Inc. is a leading video game developer well-known in the industry for developing cutting-edge next-generation technology.
"In recent years, SEGA has rebalanced its development strategy to be more Western focused," said Naoya Tsurumi, CEO, SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. "On the heels of our first, successful studio acquisition with The Creative Assembly, the addition of this development powerhouse further moves SEGA toward its goal of becoming a leading next-generation publisher."
Blended Strategy: External Studios plus Internal Development
After aggressively building a successful external development portfolio over the past 18 months, SEGA turned efforts inward to strengthen its global in-house development capabilities, looking keenly at strong next-generation developers to help it remain competitive.
According to Simon Jeffery, President & COO, SEGA of America, Inc., "We looked long and hard at building an internal studio from scratch, but were so impressed with the team at Secret Level and their next-gen technology that we decided to create our internal development infrastructure through a direct acquisition, one that could fulfill our dynamic growth plans and produce high quality games."
A SEGA development partner for almost a year, Secret Level, Inc. will take advantage of SEGA's vast library of content to stretch its legs for the next-generation systems. According to Jeremy Gordon, President of Secret Level, Inc., "SEGA's incredible library of IP and global publishing muscle will enable us to realize our full technical and creative potential. It's become clear that a combined SEGA and Secret Level are greater than the sum of our parts."
The Secret Level, Inc. development studio will continue to operate out of its current office in San Francisco.
About SEGA® of America:
SEGA of America, Inc. is the American Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America's Web site is located at www.sega.com .
About SEGA® Holdings U.S.A., Inc.:
SEGA Holdings U.S.A., Inc. is the U.S. holding company for the American arms of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. Subsidiaries of SEGA Holdings U.S.A. include SEGA of America, Inc.
About SEGA® Europe Ltd.:
SEGA Europe Ltd. is the European Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe's web site is located at www.sega-europe.com
About Secret Level, Inc.:
Secret Level, Inc., creates original game titles, tools, and technologies for the console entertainment industry. Founded in late 1999, Secret Level is located near SBC Park in San Francisco, and has steadily grown to accommodate several talented teams. Secret Level develops for both current and future generation platforms, including Sony PlayStation®2, Microsoft Xbox, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360, and the PSP (PlayStation®Portable) system. Secret Level also holds "Tools & Middleware" licenses from both Sony and Microsoft. For more information about Secret Level or any Secret Level product, please visit the company's Web site at www.secretlevel.com.