Sega

Sega is still the name many people attach to arcade roots, console history and game publishing, especially the long line of action, platform and character games it has carried over the years. By our assessment, its best trait is recognisable game identity: Sonic, arcade energy and a willingness to keep old brands alive alongside newer releases. The downside is that the company no longer sits where it once did in the console wars, so the name can feel more like a publisher’s badge than the centre of hardware life. In practice that means a mixed catalogue, nostalgia for some players and a modern business that is less about one machine than about software and licensing. Compared with Nintendo or Sony, Sega is the leaner, less dominant name, but also one with a very clear public memory. It is the sort of company people follow for specific series rather than for a single platform.