Sega Studio USA
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Native name
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ソニックチーム |
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Romanized name
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Sonikku chīmu |
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Formerly called
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Sega AM8 |
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| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Ōta, Tokyo, Japan |
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Key people
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| Products | List of Sonic Team games |
| Parent | Sega Games Co., Ltd. |
| Website | sonicteam |
Sonic Team (Japanese: ソニックチーム Hepburn: Sonikku chīmu?, formerly Sega AM8) is a Japanese video game development division of Sega. The division was established as Sega AM8 in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1988, and was renamed to Sonic Team in 1991 after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis home console. The game was huge a commercial success for Sega, and started the long-running Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. In the mid 1990s, the studio began to create and develop new intellectual properties, whilst continuing to oversee production on the Sonic series.
Following the release of Sonic Adventure in 1998, some staff of Sonic Team moved to the United States to form Sonic Team USA. Sega's financial troubles led to several major structural changes at the company in the early 2000s, with development division United Game Artists being absorbed by Sonic Team in 2003, and Sonic Team USA eventually becoming Sega Studios USA in 2004.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a rivalry was forming between Japanese video companies Sega and Nintendo due to the release of their 16-bit era video game consoles: the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Sega needed a mascot character that was as synonymous to their brand as Mario was to Nintendo. To distinguish themselves from Nintendo, Sega wanted a killer app and character that could appeal to an older demographic than preteens, demonstrate the capabilities of the Genesis system, and ensure commercial success in North America.
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