Sega co-founder David Rosen dies at 95

David Rosen, a co-founder of the video game company Sega, has died at the age of 95. He passed away at his home in Los Angeles on December 25, according to a family spokesman and several news reports on the matter.

Rosen, a US Air Force veteran, founded an import business in Japan after the Korean War. In 1965, his company, Rosen Enterprises, merged with another company, Nihon Goraku Bussan, to form Sega, an abbreviation for "Service Games". Rosen played a central role in guiding Sega from an arcade game importer and manufacturer into a major player in the home console market.

Under his leadership, Sega achieved early success with influential arcade titles such as Periscope, an electromechanical game that helped establish the company's international profile in the 1960s. As the company evolved, Sega later became widely known for its home consoles, including the Master System and the Mega Drive, branded as the Genesis in North America.

Rosen played a central strategic role in expanding Sega's presence in the United States and guiding its international growth, particularly through the establishment and development of Sega of America. While day-to-day management of Sega's Japanese home console business in the 1980s and 1990s was led by other executives, Rosen remained a key figure in the company's global operations and continued as a director until his retirement in 1996.

His funeral was held on January 2. Rosen is survived by family members.