is a Japanese developer and retailer of video game and gambling products and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Sammy manufactures pachinko and pachislot machines, and it expanded into video game development in the 1990s with games such as Viewpoint, Survival Arts, and The Rumble Fish.
Sammy was founded as on November 1, 1975 as a spin-off of the arcade division of Satomi Corporation. The company primarily dealt with slot machines and arcade cabinets in Japan. Sammy largely left the video game industry by the late 1990s to focus on its pachinko and arcade management operations. In 2004, the company merged with video game developer and publisher Sega to form Sega Sammy Holdings.
History
Company origins as Sammy Industry
Sammy Corporation started in 1975 as Sammy Industry Co., Ltd. from the split of Satomi Corporation's manufacturing and marketing divisions for amusement arcade machines. In 1978, Sammy Industry built a factory in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo in order to take advantage of the growing popularity of video games, specifically invader games. During this year, it began game machine development.
In 1981, Sammy joined a subsidiary called "Nippon Dendousiki Yuugiki Kougyou Kyoudou Kumiai" and established a subsidiary called Sammy Sales and Marketing Co., Ltd. located in Osaka City.
In 1982, Sammy Industry started to market and sell pachislot machines. During this time, it launched the Empire pachislot machine. In 1988, an American subsidiary of Sammy Industry was established in California, US. They would sell video games from other companies in the US, and eventually, release redemption games (some of which were originally released by Banpresto in Japan). In this year, Sammy Industry expanded its market by venturing into sales and marketing of video game software.
thumb|left|150px|Former logo
In 1989, Sammy Industry relocated to Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture. At this time, it began selling its Aladdin single-bonus pachislot machine.
In 1990, Sammy Industry created a video game software and marketing division called Japan Soft Technology Co., Ltd. located in Nagoya City. Within this year, Sammy Industry created another gaming subsidiary called Nippon eicom Co., Ltd., established in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo. In 1991, Sammy absorbed its Sammy Marketing Co., Ltd. subsidiary and moved head office to Toshima-ku, Tokyo. In 1992, Sammy absorbed its Japan Soft Technology Co., Ltd. subsidiary. During this year, the American subsidiary was relocated to Illinois, US. In 1995, Sammy created a subsidiary called Techno Sammy Co., Ltd. for rationalization through expansion. This subsidiary was designed for sales and marketing for Pachinko machines. In this year, it launched the CR Gold pachinko machine. In 1996, Sammy created an American subsidiary called Sammy USA Corporation. It was established in Illinois, US. In 1997, Techno Sammy Co., Ltd. was absorbed into Sammy Industry. Sammy Industry formed a subsidiary called MAXBET Co., Ltd., established in Meguro-ku, Tokyo. Sammy opens an amusement arcade in Sagamihara city, Kanagawa.
Sammy Corporation aided in the establishment of Joyco Systems Corporation,
During 2003, Sammy was in talks with gaming conglomerate Sega to be part of the Sammy company. Despite Sega publicly declining the offer because the two companies lacked synergies, a takeover occurred in which Sammy purchased a 22.4 per cent stake in Sega from the company's one-time parent company, CSK. Sammy CEO, Hajime Satomi stated in a public statement that "In the future, we may take an additional stake in Sega," and that Sammy would not "Rule out the possibility of making Sega a subsidiary".
During mid-2004, Sammy bought a controlling share in Sega Corporation at a cost of $1.1 billion, creating the new company Sega Sammy Holdings, an entertainment conglomerate. Since then, Sega and Sammy became subsidiaries of the aforementioned holding company, with both operating independently, while the executive departments merged. Sammy handed its video game and arcade business to Sega to focus on pachinkos and pachislots only. The copyright to the back catalogue of Sammy's video games is owned by Sega.
In 2018, Sammy's offices were relocated to Shinagawa, Tokyo.