Work conditions at Sega were incredibly taxing, including the provision of sleeping quarters and showers up until 2012, as employees were often working beyond regular hours - "Employees were accustomed to sleeping at the workplace."
In the 1990s and 2000s, Sega's offices were a hub of creativity and intense work, equipped with nap rooms and showers to cater to the late-night sessions that were common among its developers. This unique work culture, however, began to shift in the early 2010s due to changing workplace policies and a move away from the tradition of extended office stays.
During some projects with short deadlines, developers like Takaharu Terada and Toru Yoshida would forego going home altogether, opting to sleep at the office. This was particularly true during the debugging stage, a crucial period around the Sega Saturn generation. Whole teams would pull all-nighters, turning the office atmosphere into something more akin to a club activity rather than continuous work.
Gaming sessions between developers Toru Ohara and Takaharu Terada served as a means for communication and idea generation during these late-night office hours. The relaxed environment allowed for creative sparks to ignite, leading to innovative ideas that shaped Sega's games.
However, as the gaming industry evolved, so did the perception of work culture. Crunch culture, a practice of overworking developers, became a more publicly discussed issue in the late 2010s and beyond. Major studios from both Xbox and PlayStation expressed their intentions to avoid overworking their developers, signalling a shift towards a healthier work-life balance.
By 2012, the nap rooms and showers in Sega offices had been removed, marking a significant change in the company's work culture. Yet, these facilities were still present in Sega offices in the 2000s, providing a glimpse into a bygone era.
Looking forward, there are new games in the pipeline that are worth keeping an eye on. As Sega continues to innovate and evolve, we can expect to see more exciting developments in the world of gaming.
