Editing Sega AM2 (section)

=== Precursors to AM2: Yu Suzuki and Studio 128 ===
[[File:Yu Suzuki - Game Developers Conference 2011 - Day 3.jpg|alt=A picture of Yu Suzuki|left|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Yu Suzuki]], the first head of AM2]]
[[Yu Suzuki]] joined [[Sega]] in 1983 as a [[Game programmer|programmer]].<ref name="Retro163">{{cite magazine|last=Marley|first=Scott|date=December 2016|title=Q&A with Yu Suzuki|magazine=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|issue=163|page=61}}</ref> At the time Suzuki joined Sega, there was only one development division at the company.<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine|date=June 1994|title=Yu Suzuki: Sega's driving force|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|issue=9|pages=45–50}}</ref> In his first year, he created a 2D boxing game called ''[[Champion Boxing]]'' for Sega's first home game console, the [[SG-1000]]. According to Suzuki, the executive staff at Sega found the game so impressive that they released it in arcades as-is by simply installing an SG-1000 into an arcade cabinet. He was promoted to project leader while still in his first year at the company.<ref name="Retro163" /> Suzuki's next project was the motorcycle racing game ''[[Hang-On]].'' To accomplish his desire to make a 3D game despite technological limitations at the time,<ref name="Robinson">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-22-out-ran-meeting-yu-suzuki|title=Out Ran: Meeting Yu Suzuki, Sega's original outsider|last=Robinson|first=Martin|date=March 22, 2015|website=[[Eurogamer]]|publisher=Gamer Network|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220185846/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-22-out-ran-meeting-yu-suzuki|archive-date=December 20, 2015|access-date=December 24, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> he specified the design of Sega's new [[List of Sega arcade system boards|Super Scaler]] [[arcade system board]],<ref name=":03">{{cite book|last=Horowitz|first=Ken|title=The Sega Arcade Revolution: A History in 62 Games|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=2018|isbn=9781476631967|pages=92–97}}</ref> which utilized [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] graphics and sprite-scaling.<ref name=":22">{{cite web|url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p3.html|title=IGN Presents the History of SEGA|last=Fahs|first=Travis|date=April 21, 2009|work=[[IGN]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314223825/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p3.html|archive-date=March 14, 2012|access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":52">{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/outrun/|title=OutRun|last=Grazza|first=Brian|date=October 5, 2017|website=Hardcore Gaming 101|publisher=Kurt Kalata|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014095055/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/outrun/|archive-date=October 14, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''Hang-On'' was very popular at launch and sold well for Sega.<ref name=":03"/> Suzuki's success followed with additional titles ''[[Space Harrier]]'', ''[[Out Run]]'', and ''[[Enduro Racer]]''.<ref name=":03"/>{{Sfn|Horowitz|2018|pp=100-102, 112-114}} He and his team relocated to "Studio 128", a more private location where ''[[After Burner]]'' and ''[[Power Drift]]'' were developed.{{Sfn|Horowitz|2018|pp=153-157}} He also worked on development of ''[[G-LOC: Air Battle]]'' and the [[R360]] arcade cabinet.<ref name=":1" /> Developer [[Toshihiro Nagoshi]] joined Sega in 1989 as a designer with Suzuki's team.{{Sfn|Horowitz|2018|pp=187-190}}