Sega Co-Founder David Rosen Dies at 95

David Rosen, a co-founder of Sega and a pivotal figure in the development of Japan's postwar arcade industry, died on December 25, 2025, at his home in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles. He was 95 years old and passed away peacefully, surrounded by family members, according to a statement from his spokesman, Brad Callaway.

Rosen's career in the gaming world began after he served as a U.S. Air Force pilot during the Korean War and chose to remain in Japan amid the country's economic recovery in the 1950s. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he initially established Rosen Enterprises, importing photo booths from the United States to meet the growing demand for identification cards among Japanese citizens. The business quickly expanded into pinball tables and other coin-operated amusement machines, which proved highly profitable. In a 1996 interview with Next Generation magazine, Rosen recalled, "Right off the bat, the machines were tremendously successful. It's embarrassing to say this, but the return generally came in less than two months."

By the mid-1960s, Rosen's ventures had intersected with those of Nihon Goraku Bussan, a Hawaii-based importer that had acquired assets from...