SEGA has issued a statement regarding the sad passing of Hideki Sato who was instrumental in the development of classic SEGA hardware such as the SEGA Mega Drive, Saturn, Dreamcast and more. The Japanese company says that they will “always remember his contributions to our company” and they extend their deepest condolences to everyone. You can read SEGA’s full written statement down below.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hideki Sato, who served as President of SEGA from 2001 to 2003. SEGA would like to offer its condolences to his family and friends. Starting his career with the development of arcade machines, Mr. Sato was instrumental in the development of iconic home consoles, including the SG-1000, SC-3000, Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast. His leadership helped lay the foundation of SEGA, and his contributions had a significant and lasting impact on the entire gaming industry. We will always remember his contributions to our company, and all of us at SEGA extend our deepest condolences as we honor his memory.”
This is the second passing of someone in the gaming industry in the span of a day. May he rest in peace.