Sega

Sega’s involvement in pinball spans two distinct chapters under different corporate entities. In the late 1970s, Sega Enterprises manufactured Electromechanical and early Solid State pinball machines in Japan for both domestic and export markets, operating as a full-line amusement company across multiple game categories. These early machines are uncommon on the Western collector market and represent an independent thread of pinball history rooted in Japan’s own coin-op industry.

The better-known chapter began in 1994, when Sega’s American operations acquired the pinball manufacturing assets of Data East, entering the business fully formed with inherited factory space, tooling, and design talent. Sega Pinball’s five-year run produced a catalog of licensed machines reflecting the company’s brand relationships: James Bond 007 (1996), Batman Forever (1995), Lost In Space (1998), and Harley Davidson (1999) were among the titles. The division also had a Spanish subsidiary, Segasa, which manufactured games for the European market. The overall pinball market contracted sharply in the late 1990s, and in 1999 Sega exited the business, selling its assets to Gary Stern — who used them to found what would become the dominant force in modern pinball manufacturing.