Known as the ‘Father of Sega Hardware’, Hideki Sato, the designer behind consoles like Dreamcast, Mega Drive, Master System, and more, has died at the age of 75.
As originally reported by Japanese outlet Beep21 on X, it was confirmed that on February 13, 2026, Hideki Sato died, with the post reading, “Known as the Father of Sega Hardware, Mr. Hideki Sato passed away yesterday. He was truly a great figure who shaped Japanese gaming history and captivated Sega fans all around the world.”
Hideki Sato developed Sega’s most iconic consoles
Many will know Hideki Sato as the designer behind some of their most nostalgic and beloved consoles, including all of Sega’s releases from 1983 with the SG-1000 up until the Dreamcast in 1999, which was considered a failure yet is now remembered as a nostalgic and beloved console with tons of classic games.
While originally taking part in leading the engineering teams behind every Sega console from 1983 until it stopped making hardware, Hideki Sato then went on to become the company president of Sega, following the death of Isao Okawa in 2001. Just two years later, Sato stepped down from this role and would eventually leave Sega in 2008.
Fans took to social media to express their feelings on the loss of Hideki Sato, commenting, “SEGA hardware was my youth. Thank you so much. Rest in peace.” Others echoed the sentiment, reminiscing on the nostalgic nature of his designs, “For about 20 years, you brought me so much joy. You were my very youth. Rest in peace.”
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