Sega aims to grab a 15 per cent share of the game software market in Japan and the US during the 2003-4 business year, and 12 per cent of the European arena. COO Tetsu Kayama said that Sega's goal "is to become the world's largest game software provider".

In order to achieve this, the company reckons it will have to sell 25 millions units between the two in 2003-4; 15 million in the US and ten million in Japan, with a further ten million going to Europe. In the company's current business year (ending March) it hopes to sell 12.7 million units, so it's clearly got a long way to go.

However, the goal is hardly unattainable. Sega has been a dedicated game maker since it gave up making consoles at the end of March. The figures so far this year represent sales of games developed last year, most of which have been released on the ailing Dreamcast. International deals with Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo mean that in coming years the firm is likely to more than triple its software output, which is exactly what it needs to do. With so many recognizable brands and consoles to work with, it's hardly surprising that Kayama's sights are set so high.

Earlier this year, Sega handed its Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance and PC publishing over to third parties in order to focus on development. This was after having shelved its Dreamcast games console at a great financial loss. One of the reasons the company is still solvent is an incredibly generous donation of stock by late president Isao Owaka. ®

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