Effective today, the longstanding leader of SEGA’s videogame business, Mr. Naoya Tsurumi, will assume worldwide responsibility for SEGA’s Consumer Business, incorporating SEGA of Japan, SEGA of America and SEGA of Europe.

Mike Hayes is promoted to the newly created position of President & COO of both SEGA of America and SEGA of Europe, reporting directly to Mr. Tsurumi. This new role further aligns the two Western markets and ensures more aggressive collaboration across these growing territories in operations and product development.

“This unified organization will better position SEGA for growth across these key markets,” said Mr. Tsurumi.

“I’m delighted to be heading up the SEGA Western territories at such an exciting time in the company’s resurgence as a leading videogame publisher around the globe,” said Hayes. “As shown at E3 last week, SEGA has a winning line-up of titles over the next 12 months and beyond. The management changes announced today will ensure that SEGA’s Consumer Business is positioned for long-term growth and success.”

After more than four years as President & COO of SEGA of America, Simon Jeffery has resigned to pursue other interests. During his tenure, Jeffery led SEGA’s entrance into new gaming markets such as mobile and grew market share in the U.S. as well as the breadth of SEGA offerings as it transitioned from a hardware company.

Since 1992, Mr. Tsurumi has served in various roles and managed many critical functions at SEGA of America and SEGA of Europe, including overseeing operations, marketing, development and licensing for SEGA’s consumer game products.