Sega Amusements Changes Name Paul Williams Becomes CEO

LONDON -- Sega Amusements Europe Ltd., the arcade division of the renowned videogame brand, announced that it's changing its name to Sega Amusements International Ltd.

"Clarifying many months of speculation surrounding the global organizational changes at Sega, today's announcement reveals a great deal more about substantive changes being made to strengthen the organization, keeping it at the pinnacle of the amusement industry," SAI said in its official release.

Among those changes, Sega of America, the company's consumer division, announced in early 2015 that it was cutting its workforce as part of a "group structure reform" and redirecting its attention on digital PC and mobile games. | SEE STORY

Newly named Sega Amusements International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sega Interactive Co. Ltd, a division of Japan's Sega Sammy Holdings. SAI said it will expand its reach in the EMEA, Russia and the Americas. Sega Japan will focus on its domestic market, extending SAI autonomy in markets outside of Japan. SAI said it will focus on developing territory-specific products.

To this end, dedicated R&D teams based in the UK and U.S. will be led by senior game designer Mr. Ogasawara, who created Sega's Transformers and Let's Go Jungle arcade games. He will reside in the UK. SAI sales teams in Europe and the U.S. will continue to focus on amusement machines, merchandise and spare parts. These teams will appoint new sales positions for the Asian market.

Sega Amusements chief operating officer Paul Williams advances to chief executive of SAI. "We're extremely optimistic about the future for the entire out-of-home entertainment industry," Williams said. "The chance to grow into these new markets presents us with exciting opportunities we fully intend on maximizing. Sega is recognized as a leading industry entertainment company. We now have the means to leverage this valuable brand to a worldwide audience."

Sega Amusements International's headquarters remains in London, which is considered to be the central time zone for international businesses. The address is 42 Barwell Business Park, Leatherhead Rd., Chessington, Surrey KT9 2NY. The company is online at segaarcade.com.