How SEGA's Veteran Developers Recall Intense Crunch Culture During Saturn Era

During the transformative years of the 1990s and early 2000s, SEGA stood at the forefront of video game innovation, spearheading acclaimed franchises such as Phantasy Star and Sakura Wars.

However, the company's rapid pace of development came at a high personal cost to its teams.

In a rare look behind the curtain, three acclaimed developers with roots in the Phantasy Star and Sakura Wars series have shed light on the demanding workplace culture once prevalent at SEGA’s offices—an aspect of game development that resonates across the industry today. The developers, including industry figures such as Yoshida and Terada, reflected on the era when extended work hours were the norm, not the exception.

Yoshida recounted that, "In the 1990s, every SEGA office incorporated specialized nap rooms and showers.

Even as late as the 2000s, both of the Haneda office locations maintained these facilities, which developers actively used." He emphasized that staying at the office overnight was not just common practice but essentially expected of the staff, particularly during high-pressure development periods. Terada elaborated on the challenges his teams faced when deadlines loomed.

He explained that for projects requiring quick turnarounds, there was no alternative but to remain on-site overnight.

Terada went on to describe periods during which he would only return home on weekends, while Yoshida added that entire development teams participated in consecutive overnight sessions, especially in the rigorous final debugging phases that characterized the SEGA Saturn era. These candid memories give a sobering perspective on the measures developers once took to ensure the timely release of beloved titles on iconic platforms like the SEGA Saturn.

SEGA's decision to install nap rooms and showers in their workspaces reflected a broader industry trend of valuing crunch time as a necessary evil.

Fortunately, by 2012, SEGA chose to dismantle these nap and shower rooms, signaling a gradual shift in how developer welfare was addressed within the company. SEGA's legacy extends beyond its hit franchises and hardware innovations; it also serves as a case study in the evolving landscape of work culture within the video game industry.

Modern companies—and the audiences who support them—continue to reflect on these anecdotes as the conversation on work-life balance and sustainable development practices grows stronger.

With Nintendo and other industry leaders now placing a greater emphasis on employee well-being, SEGA’s history stands as both a caution and a catalyst for positive change in the next generation of game development.

SEGA Sakura Wars Saturn Sakura Phantasy Star developers Crunch SEGA Saturn Yoshida Terada Haneda