From DCIGN:
According to a press release today, major Japanese pachinko maker Sammy has purchased 90% of stocks in Sega’s subsidiary SI Electronics for 134 billion yen (roughly USD$1.08 million). With this purchase, Sammy acquires SIE as a direct subsidiary and strengthens the relationship between Sega and Sammy. SIE will be responsible for research and developing the LCD chips to be used in future Sammy pachinko and pachisuro machines.
Sammy is one of the largest pachinko/pachisuro machine makers in Japan, responsible for roughly 78% of total pachisuro machine sales and 8% pachinko machine sales in Japan. With other recent acquisitions, Sammy has been attempting to expand into other areas of the amusement/entertainment industry, including softwares for the PlayStation, cellphones, and other platforms.
Sega, on the other hand, is one of the oldest console gaming software development houses in the world. The sale today is one of many changes with the recent pull out of the hardware home gaming industry by Sega. SI Electronics was responsible for many major components in Sega’s Dreamcast entertainment system.
Boring? Probably, but hopefully someone will find this news interesting. 🙂
Source: DCIGN