Former Sega president and console designer Hideki Sato passed away. Japanese media Beep21 reported the news of his death last weekend, and Sega subsequently issued a statement online to commemorate Hideki Sato's contribution to the company.
Sega posted on social media: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. Hideki Sato, who served as Sega's president from 2001 to 2003. Sega expresses condolences to his family and friends. His leadership laid the foundation for Sega's development, and his contributions had a profound and lasting impact on the entire gaming industry. We will always remember everything he devoted to the company, and all Sega colleagues here to remember him and express our deepest condolences."
Hideki Sato joined Sega in 1971 and worked with the Sega R&D team to design a number of the company's classic arcade devices and home consoles, including the SG-1000, SC-3000, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast. Later in his career, he served as Sega's president from 2001 to 2003, eventually retiring from the company in 2008.
Sega withdrew from competition in the console market after the launch of the Dreamcast, and this last console, co-created by Hideki Sato, is still remembered by players today. In 2014, Peter Moore, the former chief operating officer of Electronic Arts, talked about this console. He was the president of Sega America when the Dreamcast was released, saying that the console created a new era of online games.
According to Sega historical materials and VGC reports, this design concept originated from Hideki Sato’s desire to promote “play and communication” among players. For this reason, the Dreamcast console has a built-in modem and is equipped with a visual memory unit.