Hideki Sato, known as the father of Sega hardware, has reportedly died

Hideki Sato, who led the design of Sega’s beloved consoles from the ’80s and ’90s, died on Friday, in line with the Japanese gaming web site Beep21. He was 77. Sato labored with Sega from 1971 till the early 2000s, however he is greatest recognized for his involvement within the growth of the Sega arcade video games and residential consoles that outlined many late Gen X and early millennial childhoods, beginning with the SG-1000 to the Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast.

Sato went on to function Sega’s president from 2001 to 2003. Within the put up asserting his dying, Beep21, which interviewed Sato quite a few occasions over time, wrote (translated from Japanese), “He was actually an excellent determine who formed Japanese gaming historical past and captivated Sega followers all all over the world. The joy and pioneering spirit of that period will stay without end within the hearts and reminiscences of numerous followers, for all eternity.” Sato’s passing comes only a few months after that of Sega co-founder David Rosen, who died in December at age 95.