Difference between revisions of "Sega Club"

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(Big old rewrite, created History section)
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[[File:SegaClub logo.png|right|300px]]
 
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'''Sega Club''' was a brand applied to products by [[Sega of America]] in the mid-1990s. The aim was to group video games for younger children under the brand, presumably so consumers could spot children's games from a distance. In Brazil, similar branding named '''Mega Kids''' was introduced with the same purpose, and was applied to the same games (provided they were released in that region). Brazil would receive an entirely different [[Sega Club (Brazil)|Sega Club]] service in the months that followed - one which that could actually be classed as a club, complete with members.
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'''Sega Club''' ('''Mega Kids''' in Brazil) was a brand created [[Sega of America]] in the mid-1990s to promote video games for younger audiences.
  
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The Sega Club project came into fruition around July of 1994 with the release of ''[[Wacky Worlds]]'', but was vastly scaled down from its original intentions - Sega had planned to release a special "Sega Club" edition of the [[Sega Mega Drive]] (model 2), [[Control Pad (Mega Drive)|Control Pad]] and [[Mega Mouse]] with a colour scheme more akin to PAL variants of the console (and the switch from the Japanese model), but in the end, Sega Club branding was only applied to games. There was, however, a short run on Sega Club branded [[Six Button Control Pad (Mega Drive)|Six Button Control Pad]]s, though rather than adopting a unique colour scheme, Sega merely sold the smaller-styled Japanese stock and marketed it for "smaller hands".
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==History==
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The Sega Club came into fruition with the July 1994 release of ''[[Wacky Worlds]]'' as a singular banner to represent games appropriate for young children. Showing the [[Sega Genesis]] wasn’t exclusively for the older kids (per their recently-established anti-Nintendo corporate image), the label attempted to portray the system as having kids games too, mostly to tech-savvy parents.
  
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Several games were released with Sega Club branding; nine for the Mega Drive, three for the [[Sega Game Gear]] and one [[Sega Mega-CD]] game, ''[[Kids on Site]]''. In Brazil, the [[Sega Master System]] port of ''[[Bonkers Wax Up!]]'' also became part of the set. No equivalent system was put in place outside of the Americas, though the majority of these titles were released in other territories regardless. The unreleased ''[[Barbie Vacation Adventure]]'' was also set to become part of the series.
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[[Sega of America]] had planned to release a special "Sega Club" edition of the model 2 [[Sega Mega Drive]], [[Control Pad (Mega Drive)|Control Pad]], and [[Mega Mouse]], but in the end, only a Sega Club-branded Japanese-model [[Six Button Control Pad (Mega Drive)|Six Button Control Pad]] ever saw fruition. This release had a very limited run and was the only official way American gamers could acquire the smaller controller.
  
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Sega Club branding was only seen on products released during the latter half of 1994 and during 1995. By the time the [[Sega Saturn]] rolled out in North America, the branding was effectively axed, partly due to a defocusing on non-Saturn systems by Sega of America, but also due to the fact that very few (if any) games aimed at small children were released for the new console.
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The branding was only seen during the latter half of 1994 and during 1995. Largely unsupported by Sega of America as a whole, the company would soon after restructure around the [[Sega Saturn]], with the name not seeing use since. Sega would still continue to support the popular [[Sega Pico]], a more focused and successful presence in the children’s video game market.
  
 
==Promotional material==
 
==Promotional material==

Revision as of 09:19, 28 March 2021

SegaClub logo.png

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Sega Club (Mega Kids in Brazil) was a brand created Sega of America in the mid-1990s to promote video games for younger audiences.

History

The Sega Club came into fruition with the July 1994 release of Wacky Worlds as a singular banner to represent games appropriate for young children. Showing the Sega Genesis wasn’t exclusively for the older kids (per their recently-established anti-Nintendo corporate image), the label attempted to portray the system as having kids games too, mostly to tech-savvy parents.

Sega of America had planned to release a special "Sega Club" edition of the model 2 Sega Mega Drive, Control Pad, and Mega Mouse, but in the end, only a Sega Club-branded Japanese-model Six Button Control Pad ever saw fruition. This release had a very limited run and was the only official way American gamers could acquire the smaller controller.

The branding was only seen during the latter half of 1994 and during 1995. Largely unsupported by Sega of America as a whole, the company would soon after restructure around the Sega Saturn, with the name not seeing use since. Sega would still continue to support the popular Sega Pico, a more focused and successful presence in the children’s video game market.

Promotional material

  • US television advert

List of games

Mega Drive

Mega CD

Game Gear

Master System

References

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