Mark Cerny, the architect behind PlayStation’s hardware, recently shared insights from his stint at Sega during the late 1980s. Reflecting on those days, he described the atmosphere at the company famous for Sonic the Hedgehog as comparable to a “sweatshop.”
During an episode of the My Perfect Console podcast, Cerny clarified that his comments pertained specifically to Sega’s Tokyo office during a time when the company faced intense competition from the industry giant, Nintendo. The era was marked by considerably smaller team sizes in game development compared to today’s large-scale projects.
Inside the Pressurized Work Environment
Cerny recounted how the dynamics of game development shifted from the days of Atari, where a single individual or a small group created games. At Sega, teams usually comprised three people: a programmer, a designer, and an artist.
Cerny noted, “We would sleep at the office” due to the directive from then-president Hayao Nakayama to match Nintendo’s success by releasing a larger quantity of games for the Master System.
However, Cerny believed this strategy was flawed. Instead of a high volume of mediocre titles, he argued that Sega should have concentrated on fewer, higher-quality games to boost console sales. He emphasized that two strong titles could significantly drive console success.
The Controversy Behind Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega’s approach eventually allowed for more investment in certain projects, most notably Sonic the Hedgehog. Yet, despite the game’s success, its creator Yuji Naka faced criticism for exceeding the budget. The project, initially allocated for three developers over ten months, expanded to four and a half developers over 14 months, leading to budget issues that resulted in Naka leaving the company.
Cerny mentioned that the pressure at Sega was to produce games capable of selling millions, part of Nakayama’s “Million Seller Project.” While Sonic’s sales were a triumph, Naka was reportedly unsatisfied with the working conditions and his compensation, even after receiving the “president’s bonus,” which doubled his annual salary to $60,000.
Reflections and Career Transitions
Despite the challenges, Cerny highlighted some positive experiences during his time at Sega, mentioning how he worked alongside industry legends like Naka and Rieko Kodama, famous for creating Skies of Arcadia. However, the taxing environment prompted Cerny to move back to the U.S. in 1991, where he contributed to Sonic 2 before embarking on a long-standing career with PlayStation.
Image credit: Mintaha Neslihan Eroglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty.