alternatehistory.com

Hit by a bit of Genesis/Dreamcast nostalgia earlier today and this was floating through my mind...

In the wake of SEGA's exit from the console hardware race in the early 2000s they eventually merged with pachinko and pachislot giant Sammy Corporation. However, the subject of alternate partnerships around this period fascinates me even if I'm a little fuzzy as to who was courting them c. 2001-2004. I believe that were speculation Microsoft at one point considered doing so but from what I understand this is impossible due to Japanese protection laws (Japanese companies can't be bought out by foreign ones unless I'm mistaken). Though I realize that it's incredibly unlikely given their conservative corporate culture, would it have been ever possible for Nintendo to consider acquiring SEGA?

Note I said 'acquire' and not 'merge' as I believe the former is more likely as Nintendo only recently mentioned they were open to the latter. Admittedly it's highly doubtful: SEGA of the early '00s was a company plagued with a lot of problems and Nintendo is about to find itself squeezed between the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in the sixth generation of console gaming. A large decision like that is probably not wise and I'm unsure how or if Yamauchi/Iwata could be convinced to do so and how such a scenario might play out (licensing deals, 3rd party contracts, etc.).

So what say you, AH.com?
Top