Sega Nerds

Interview with Simon Jeffey

Posted by Ryan. Filed under Interviews, North America, Ryan.

MCVUK recently had an in-depth interview with president and COO of Sega of America Simon Jeffrey. He told MCVUK about the good relationship between Sega of America and Sega of Europe, calling them a “happy family.” He also talked about Sega’s western line-up and plans for the future among other interesting things. I recommend giving it a good read, it’s all good stuff!

“[Sega European president] Mike Hayes and his team are some of the most terrific people in the entire games business,” he explains. “We really all do get on like one big happy family. Most publishers are predominantly European, or predominantly American. We call ourselves Sega West – and we are equals. It’s a model that we think truly brings unique advantages and strengths.”

Jeffrey explains: “Sega can proudly beat our collective chests and say that at E3 2005, when much of the industry was saying that Nintendo had already lost the next-gen race, we were saying: ‘Hang on a minute, this is a great idea. Nintendo is pulling out of the arms race and headed in a completely different direction – a mass market direction.’

[Thanks to Joe Musashi]