"Weve encountered a character in SegaGaga [dreamcast rpg where the MC is a game dev] that might bother many long-time American Sega fans. In our present rough drafts, the characters name is Special Task Force Director Cool. SegaGaga most likely uses him as a reference to Sega of Americas former president, Tom Kalinske."
"According to everything weve translated so far, however, SegaGaga renders Kalinske a villain to the point that he opposes and nearly snuffs the plan intended to save Sega along with the rest of the videogames industry. Both Kalinske and Special Task Force Director Cool are American, and both drastically increased Segas hold over the American market. The games charactersall Japanese, of courseregard him as shrewd, an attitude that contrasts with the other characters confidence in the genius of a fun-loving wunderkind. Cool intrudes upon Project SegaGaga with the CEOs authority, just as the Japanese executives perhaps viewed Kalinskes presence as unfairly forced upon them by Nakayama. All of this, of course, casts Kalinske (by association with Cool) and a generalized idea of the American approach to game development in a bad light."
"During probably the only period during the Genesis era where Japan's management really knew what it was doing (as it relates to the U.S.), all of Kalinske's suggestions were implemented. To say it worked would be a gross understatement. By 1992, Sega had 55% of the market locked up (up from a measly 8%). Even more impressive, the company had grown from a $813 million dollar company in 1989 to a $3.6 billion dollar conglomerate in 1993.
By 1994, it appeared that Tom was the man, and Sega was crushing everyone (including Nintendo) under the blue paw of its flashy mascot and popular 16-bit console. Unfortunately, the man who had given all his confidence to Kalinske back in 1990 would essentially be forced to kick him in the groin in 1995. Sega of Japan was about to piss away all the success its American president had brought it."
Yet sales say otherwise. In a month by month breakdown of 94, they were basically tied all year, with the SNES beginning to take the lead the following year once again. Everything shows Nintendo outselling Sega from late 92 on when looking at sales by year. Not exactly sega crushing Nintendo unless crushing has a new meaning