It’s Friday, and to kick off the weekend, we have some news coming out of Sega Amusements International (SAI), the UK-based representation of Sega in arcades owned by their Kaizen Entertainment holdings company. Let’s get into it.
Paul Williams Steps Down As CEO
Sega Amusements is going through a management shake-up, as Paul Williams, who has been leading the Western face of Sega Amusements’ operations for a few decades:
It is with sincere gratitude that we announce Paul Williams will be stepping down as CEO & Executive Chairman of Sega Amusements International. We are deeply thankful for Paul’s nearly 30 years of service and unwavering dedication as he now hands over the baton to the existing directors.
During his tenure, Paul transformed Sega Amusements International from a small team of 12, importing Japanese amusement games, into a leading global player in the Amusement Games industry. He was instrumental in establishing our manufacturing, R&D and software capabilities, and in building key divisions including Spares, Prize and Third-Party Development. His leadership drove the 2015 rebrand to Sega Amusements International Ltd., and in March 2021, he secured the company’s acquisition through a management buyout from SEGA Japan – a decisive step that safeguarded the company’s independent future. Since then, the business has expanded significantly, strengthened its operations, enhanced its product portfolio and delivered strong commercial performance – a testament to Paul’s vision and stewardship.
Looking ahead, the business remains in a strong and stable position under the leadership of the existing Board and management team, who have Paul’s complete confidence. His legacy will continue to guide our values and ambitions as we build on the momentum he created. Stakeholders can be confident that the company’s direction and success are secure, with experienced leadership ensuring continuity and stability for the future.
I’ve met Paul a few times and he’s always been great to talk to. I know he is a fan of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which is one major reason the company has had a couple of HD games over the years. Myself and the rest of us here at Arcade Heroes wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Who will replace him? That release above doesn’t say, although I do follow a few people at Sega Amusements on LinkedIn and one in particular recently made some changes to their profile that makes me wonder – but until there is an actual release, I’ll refrain from public speculation. I imagine that they’ll make an announcement soon.
Sega Amusements Brings Speed Rider 4DX To The West
Showing that management changes aren’t holding them back, Sega Amusements will be at IAAPA Expo Europe in just a few days to show off their latest brigade of games. While this particular game has not been mentioned as being a part of that line-up (it is possible that it won’t be there due to shipping times), they did announce this morning that they are taking orders for Speed Rider 4DX by IGS and Baohui.
For the quick rundown of features, this sequel has:
- Twin cabinet
- New bike controller drift slide mechanism (a first)
- Motion platform
- LED billboard
- 55″ 4k screens
- Lean sensor
- Player camera
- Air vent for wind effects
- 4.1ch audio system
- 12 tracks
- 8 upgradable bikes
- Link up to 4 players
The drift mechanism is pretty neat – as a gamer I think that’s a cool way to do something different with a bike racer, but as an operator I do hope it holds up with the way people are rough with these things.
This is an interesting pick from them, as I was wondering which major releases from GTI Asia China they might have selected, but I wasn’t expecting them to grab this particular game. If you had asked me before this, I would have assumed Storm Rider X, given that Sega has sold (and is still selling) Storm Rider 2 out West. That said, Sega Amusements have worked with Baohui before, still selling their Hyper Cross racing game as an example.
Naturally with it being the 4th game in the series, you might be wondering about the previous installments and who sold them in the West – I’m not sure about 1 or 2, as I don’t recall ever seeing those out here. 3 & 3DX however, were sold through Komuse for a short time, then there were some importers who were trying to sell the game in 2019 before 2020 came and wrecked those plans. I’m not sure how many locations might have grabbed one though.
Now that it will be sold through Sega Amusements, this should be the biggest reach that the series will ever had enjoyed here. Their site currently says “enquiry now” which means you can get a quote and place an order, and I imagine that they will begin shipping out pretty soon.
Do also note that there has been numerous movements regarding Maimai DX shipping recently, but we are still waiting on more official confirmation to publish about it. What do you think of today’s two pieces of Sega Amusements news?
