David Rosen (businessman)

Rosen served in the United States Air Force from 1948 to 1952. He was primarily in Japan and the Far East during the Korean War,{{cite book |title=Computer and Video Game Law: Cases and Materials |first=Ashley S. |last=Lipson |author2=Robert D. Brain |publisher=Carolina Academic Press |year=2009 |page=7 |isbn=9781594604881}} and remained there after his service. In 1954 Rosen started Rosen Enterprises, Inc., which focused on selling art created in Japan to the American market, and photo studios for Japanese identification cards. The photo business was called Photorama and Rosen established studios in hundreds of locations all over Japan.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1993/06/sega/|title=The Next Level: Sega's Plans for World Domination|magazine=Wired |via=www.wired.com}}

In 1957, Rosen Enterprises, Ltd. shifted its focus and pioneered the importation and operation of coin-op amusement machines popular in the United States, to Japan to meet the growing leisure market. Rosen leveraged his existing business relationships and locations of his Photorama photo studios to roll out the amusement machines.{{cite magazine|title=Did You Know that Sega Was Started by an American? |magazine=Next Generation|issue=24|publisher=Imagine Media |date=December 1996|pages=6–10}}

In 1965, Rosen Enterprises, Ltd. merged with Nihon Goraku Bussan, Ltd. (aka Service Games).{{Cite web|url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/ewu_2002_1.pdf|title=The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Sega|access-date=2012-04-26|archive-date=2012-08-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821172953/http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/ewu_2002_1.pdf|url-status=dead}} Nihon Goraku Bussan, Ltd. used the brand name Sega (the name originates from SErvice GAmes Japan) for their jukeboxes and slot machines which were located on United States military bases for amusement purposes. After the merger of the two companies, Sega Enterprises Ltd. was established and Rosen became chairman, chief executive officer and president of the resulting company.

Rosen co-founded the Japan Amusement Association in 1967 and was elected as chairman.

{{main|Sega Periscope}}

In 1966, under Rosen's direction, Sega Enterprises Ltd., created its first original game, called Periscope,{{Cite web|url=https://segaretro.org/Periscope|title=Periscope|date=November 21, 2020|website=Sega Retro}} which led to the introduction of 25¢ play in the United States and began Sega's export business.

After meeting with Charles Bluhdorn in 1969, Rosen and partners agreed to sell Sega Enterprises Ltd. to the conglomerate Gulf+Western Industries, Inc., although Rosen remained CEO of the Sega division. In the early 1970s Sega was made a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures Corporation, which was also owned by Gulf+Western. During this period Barry Diller and Michael Eisner, both at Paramount joined Rosen on the Board of Sega and Rosen joined the Board at Paramount.

In 1978, Sega Enterprises acquired a distribution company, Essco Tdg., that was founded by Hayao Nakayama and an arcade game manufacturer, Gremlin Industries.

After the death of Bluhdorn, Gulf+Western wanted to sell off manufacturing assets, including Sega. Consequently, Sega's United States assets were sold to Bally Manufacturing Corporation.

Having already moved his family to Los Angeles and not wanting to return to Japan full-time, Rosen declined the opportunity of solely purchasing the Japanese assets of Sega. In March 1984, Rosen and Hayao Nakayama put together a buyout group led by Isao Okawa and purchased Sega's Japanese assets. Okawa became chairman and Nakayama became president of Sega Ltd. This allowed Rosen to remain in the states while Nakayama was charged with the day-to-day operations of Sega's headquarters in Japan.

Rosen agreed to set up Sega of America and oversee the US & overseas operations, and he became chairman of Sega of America which was headquartered in Los Angeles. Rosen remained a director of Sega (Japan) until 1996, and at that time he resigned from both Sega (Japan) and Sega of America.

Rosen is currently retired and living in Los Angeles.

Rosen was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Fay (née Sachs) and Samuel Rosen.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RtkjAQAAIAAJ&q=DAVID+ROSEN+FAY+Sachs|title=Who's who in California|date=December 21, 1981|publisher=Who's Who Historical Society|isbn=9780960316625|via=Google Books}} He married Masako Fujisaki in 1954, and adopted a daughter. Rosen is Jewish.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150715003604/http://www.joystickdivision.com/2009/08/8_interesting_facts_gaming_companies.php "8 Interesting Facts About Gaming's Greatest Companies"] - Sega Was Founded By Americans
• [http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/ewu_2002_1.pdf "The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Sega"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821172953/http://www.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/sites/default/files2/ewu_2002_1.pdf |date=2012-08-21 }} by Eddy Wu
• [https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.06/sega.html?pg=3&topic= "WIRED, The Next Level: Sega's Plans for World Domination"] Dec 1993
• [http://segaretro.org/Periscope SegaRetro Periscope Game]

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Category:Living people

Category:1930 births

Category:United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War

Category:American businesspeople

Category:Jewish American military personnel

Category:Sega people

Category:American video game businesspeople

Category:21st-century American Jews

Category:Gulf and Western Industries