The influential engineer behind Sega's classic gaming systems from the 1980s and 1990s, Hideki Sato, passed away on Friday, as reported by the Japanese publication Beep21. At the time of his death, he was 77 years old. Sato contributed to Sega starting in 1971 and continued through the early 2000s, gaining fame for his role in creating arcade titles and home systems that shaped the youth of many in the later Generation X and earlier millennial generations, from the SG-1000 up to the Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast.
Later, Sato held the position of Sega's president between 2001 and 2003. In their tribute following the announcement of his death, Beep21—a site that had conducted multiple interviews with him over the decades—stated (translated from Japanese): 'He stood as a monumental personality in the annals of Japanese video games, enchanting Sega enthusiasts globally. The thrill and innovative drive of those times will endure eternally in the minds and recollections of innumerable supporters.' This loss follows closely on the heels of the death of Sega co-founder David Rosen, who passed in December at 95.