Long before it took the home video game console market by storm, Sega was already an arcade powerhouse. Parlaying its dominance in coin-operated machines into the home video game boom of the 1980s, the Japan-based company soon expanded with branches in Europe and the U.S., and continues to lead the gaming industry in design and quality.

Drawing on interviews with former developers and hundreds of documents, this history follows the rise of Sega, from its electromechanical machines of the mid-1960s to the acquisition of Gremlin Industries to its 2003 merger with Sammy Corporation. Sixty-two of Sega's most popular and groundbreaking games are explored.