The Sega Saturn Celebrates 30 Years in Europe
While it celebrated its 30th birthday in Japan last November and the 30th anniversary of its surprise American launch in May, today marks another significant three-decade milestone in the Saturn’s journey: The launch of the PAL machine.
 Europe had been something of a stronghold for Sega, having dominated the console scene since the arrival of the Master System. As such, hopes were high for the arrival of Saturn. While not quite the surprise that the U.S. launch was, the PAL release was similarly chaotic.
James The SEGAHolic of The SEGAGuys goes in depth on the lead up the Saturn launch, the viral marketing campaigns, sales through Europe and much, much more in this brand new video covering the console’s U.K. release:
Ultimately, many of the same challenges the Saturn faced in the U.S. applied in Europe, with the PlayStation coming in strong a mere two months later. However, in the U.K. at least, the first few months were a closer run race, with 25,000 Saturns sold versus 35,000 PlayStations.
Despite the commercial fate of the Sega Saturn in Europe, it leaves a legacy that cannot be denied, not least in hearts and minds of its fans, who revelled in its classic library, found solace in Sega Saturn Magazine and who still champion the console today.
The latest SEGAGuys podcast, in which they’re join by fellow Brits Dibbs Ahoy and Bedgell of Gaming for Ages, celebrates the anniversary of the U.K. launch whilst exploring the U.K. Sega community during that period:
The PAL Saturn experience, while often suffering from the usual localisation and optimisation challenges typical of the format, was still a special one, so I hope you’ll join us in celebrating this anniversary wherever you are!
SHIRO!
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The MegaDriver |
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Husband, Father of 3, Analyst, Gamer and Half of The SegaGuys podcast.
Dan is a HUGE SEGA fan, and the Saturn is his favorite game console of all time! | |
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