SEGA Tops Famitsu's Most Popular Game Companies in Japan

Seems like SEGA is doing something right in Japan! The publisher has just come out on top in a Famitsu reader poll, making it the most popular game company of 2002 and the biggest brand that gamers were looking forward to seeing over the next year.

In Famitsu's survey, SEGA was the publisher whose games readers were most eager to see in 2002, with 23% of the vote. It was followed by Squaresoft with 20%, then Nintendo (17%), Konami (11%) and Capcom (7%) to round off the top five.

Impressively, SEGA didn't even make the top five in the same poll last year; it has effectively knocked Squaresoft off of its 2001 top spot this time around. You can see a comparison and full breakdown below.

2002:

1. SEGA (23%)
2. Squaresoft (20%)
3. Nintendo (17%)
4. Konami (11%)
5. Capcom (7%)

2001:

1. Squaresoft
2. Namco
3. Konami
4. Enix
5. Sony

What's interesting here is that Nintendo is also a new appearance in the top five for 2002's poll. Given that the Gamecube has recently launched in Japan, and Sonic Team released a number of titles on Nintendo platforms over the last couple of months, there could be a sound reason for SEGA (and Nintendo's) rise in the chart.

In any case, with SEGA now third-party, it's an encouraging sign that there will be public support for the company's projects in the future.

Source: Famitsu (via Cloudchaser Nintendo)