Editing Master System (section)

=== Decline ===
[[File:Sega-Mastery-System-MkII-Console-FL.jpg|thumb|Master System II, a cost-reduced version released in 1990 by Sega]]
[[File:Sms3compacttransparent.png|thumb|Master System III Compact manufactured by Tectoy]]
[[File:Scompact.png|thumb|Master System Super Compact by Tectoy]]
Although the Master System was a success in Europe, and later in Brazil, it failed to ignite significant interest in the Japanese or North American markets, which, by the mid-to-late 1980s, were both dominated by Nintendo.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Kent|first=Steven L.|url=https://archive.org/details/ultimatehistoryv00kent|title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World|publisher=Prima Publishing|year=2001|isbn=0-7615-3643-4|location=Roseville, California|pages=303, 343, 360|author-link=Steven L. Kent|url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="MarketShare1988">{{Cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Nintendo's Market Share 1988|publisher=[[Ascential|EMAP]]|year=2001|location=London|page=35}}</ref><ref name="MarketShare1990">{{Cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Nintendo's Market Share 1990|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|year=1999|location=New York|page=60}}</ref> By 1988, Nintendo held 83 percent of the North American video game market.<ref>{{cite news|last=McGill|first=Douglas C.|date=December 4, 1988|title=Nintendo Scores Big|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/04/business/nintendo-scores-big.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2|url-status=live|access-date=March 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524041326/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/04/business/nintendo-scores-big.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2|archive-date=May 24, 2013}}</ref> With Sega continuing to have difficulty penetrating the home market, Sega's console R&D team, led by Ishikawa and supervised by Sato,<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 3, 2015|title=How Sega Built the Genesis|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103090922/http://www.polygon.com/features/2015/2/3/7952705/sega-genesis-masami-ishikawa|archive-date=November 3, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2015|work=Polygon|publisher=[[Vox Media]]}}</ref> began work on a successor to the Master System almost immediately after its launch.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Harris|first=Blake J.|title=Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation|title-link=Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|year=2014|isbn=978-0-06-227669-8|location=New York, New York|page=386}}</ref><ref name="siliconera2">{{Cite web|author=Sato|date=September 18, 2013|title=Sega's Original Hardware Developer Talks About The Company's Past Consoles|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2013/09/18/segas-original-hardware-developer-talks-about-the-companys-past-consoles/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230217/http://www.siliconera.com/2013/09/18/segas-original-hardware-developer-talks-about-the-companys-past-consoles/|archive-date=December 2, 2013|access-date=November 23, 2013|website=Siliconera|publisher=[[Curse LLC]]}}</ref> Another competitor arose in Japan in 1987 when Japanese computer giant [[NEC]] released the PC Engine ([[TurboGrafx-16]] in North America) amid great publicity.<ref name="IGNHistory">{{Cite web|last=Fahs|first=Travis|date=April 21, 2009|title=IGN Presents the History of Sega (page 4)|url=https://ign.com/articles/2009/04/21/ign-presents-the-history-of-sega?page=4|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221125331/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/04/21/ign-presents-the-history-of-sega?page=4|archive-date=February 21, 2014|access-date=October 5, 2013|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis}}</ref>

Sega released its next console, the [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] Mega Drive, in Japan on October 29, 1988.<ref name="RetroinspectionMD">{{cite journal|journal=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|title=Retroinspection: Mega Drive|last=Sczepaniak|first=John|issue=27|year=2006|pages=42–47|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref> The final licensed release for the Master System in Japan was ''[[Bomber Raid]]'' in 1989.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> In the same year, Sega was preparing to release the new Mega Drive, rebranded Genesis, in North America. Displeased with Tonka's handling of the Master System, Sega reacquired the marketing and distribution rights to the Master System for the United States. In 1990, Sega released the remodeled Master System II, designed as a lower-cost version without the Sega Card slot.<ref name="Retroinspection" /><ref name="Allgame" /> Sega promoted the new model, but it sold poorly.<ref name="Retroinspection" /> By early 1992, Master System production had ceased in North America, having sold between 1.5&nbsp;million and 2&nbsp;million units,<ref name="sheff_1993">{{cite book|last=Sheff|first=David|title=Game Over |year=1993|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=New York, New York|isbn=0-679-40469-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxyXUi336egC&q=master+systems|edition=1st|author-link=David Sheff|access-date=January 16, 2012|page=349}}</ref><ref name="startribune">{{cite news |title=16-Bit Hits – New video games offer better graphics, action |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:STMB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EFE44C5DC10D939&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0ECC86DE7A4704AD |newspaper=[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]] |url-access=subscription |via=[[NewsBank]] |date=October 15, 1991 |access-date=April 7, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110080330/http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004 |archive-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref> behind both Nintendo and [[Atari Corporation|Atari]], which controlled 80 percent and 12 percent of the market respectively.<ref name="NYTdismiss">{{cite news|title=Company News; Nintendo Suit by Atari Is Dismissed|date=May 16, 1992|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/16/business/company-news-nintendo-suit-by-atari-is-dismissed.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=September 19, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023164857/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/16/business/company-news-nintendo-suit-by-atari-is-dismissed.html|archive-date=October 23, 2014}}</ref> The last licensed Master System release in North America was ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (1991).<ref name="Retroinspection" /><ref name="RGamerMaster" />

In Europe, where the Master System was the best-selling console up until 1990,<ref name="CVG4"/><ref name="SP18"/> the NES caught up with and narrowly overtook the Master System in Western Europe during the early 1990s, though the Master System maintained its lead in several markets such as the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain.<ref>{{cite magazine | magazine=[[Screen Digest]] | title=Finance & Business | date=March 1995 | url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/208776076/Screen-Digest?secret_password=2ntzw5zfrtsy8kxequmg | pages=56–62 | access-date=May 23, 2021}}</ref> In 1993, the Master System's estimated active [[Installed base|installed user base]] in Europe was 6.25&nbsp;million units, larger than that of the Mega Drive's 5.73&nbsp;million that year but less than the NES's 7.26&nbsp;million.<ref name="digest_60">{{cite journal|date=March 1995|journal=[[Screen Digest]]|publisher=Screen Digest Ltd.|page=60|title=Sega Consoles: Active installed base estimates}}</ref> Combined with the Mega Drive, Sega represented the majority of the European console market that year.<ref name="digest_61">{{cite journal |date=March 1995 |title=Total 8-bit and 16-bit Cartridge Consoles: Active installed base estimates |journal=Screen Digest |publisher=Screen Digest Ltd. |page=61}} ([[cf.]] here [https://books.google.com/books?id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&q=nintendo+active+installed] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324035924/https://books.google.com/books?ei=L0UeT47oMouEhQeoldjNDQ&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=sega+active+installed&q=nintendo+active+installed|date=March 24, 2017}} and here [https://books.google.com/books?id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Western+Europe+8550+13390+13510+9570%22] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022622/https://books.google.com/books?ei=200eT4yAK8y1hAfsncjRDQ&id=jFnvAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22EU+as+listed+%3A+6730+10430+10460+7.410%22&q=%22Western+Europe+8550+13390+13510+9570%22|date=March 24, 2017}})</ref> The Master System II was also successful and helped Sega to sustain their significant market share. Releases continued into the 1990s in Europe, including ''[[Mercs]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' (both 1992), and ''[[Streets of Rage 2]]'' (1994).<ref name="Retroinspection"/>

The Master System has had continued success in Brazil, where dedicated "plug and play" consoles emulating the original hardware continue to be sold by Tectoy, including portable versions. These systems include the '''Master System Compact'''<ref name="Retroinspection" /> and the '''Master System III''',<ref name="retrogamer_tectoy">{{cite journal|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|title=Company Profile: Tec Toy|journal=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|year=2006|issue=30|pages=50–53|issn=1742-3155|location=London, UK}}</ref> and Tectoy has also received requests to remake the original Master System.<ref name=":0" />  A 2012 article on [[Universo Online|UOL]] wrote that Tectoy re-releases of the Master System and Mega Drive combined sold around 150,000 units per year in Brazil.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uol.com.br/start/ultimas-noticias/2012/07/30/vinte-anos-depois-master-system-e-mega-drive-vendem-150-mil-unidades-por-ano-no-brasil.htm |title=Vinte anos depois, Master System e Mega Drive vendem 150 mil unidades por ano no Brasil |trans-title=Twenty years later, Master System and Mega Drive sell 150,000 units a year in Brazil |last=Azevedo |first=Theo |date=July 30, 2012 |website=[[Universo Online|UOL]] |publisher= |access-date=July 16, 2023 |lang=pt }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/brazil-is-a-video-game-alternate-universe-where-sega-beat-nintendo|title=Brazil Is An Alternate Video Game Universe Where Sega Beat Nintendo|last=Smith|first=Ernie|date=July 27, 2015|work=Atlas Obscura|access-date=December 11, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621140933/http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/brazil-is-a-video-game-alternate-universe-where-sega-beat-nintendo|archive-date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> By 2016, Tectoy said they had sold 8&nbsp;million units of Master System branded systems in Brazil.<ref name="MDB">{{cite web|url=http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm|title=Console em produção há mais tempo, Master System já vendeu 8 mi no Brasil |trans-title=Console in production for a longer time, Master System has sold 8 million in Brazil |last=Azevedo|first=Théo|date=May 12, 2016|website=[[Universo Online]]|publisher=[[Grupo Folha]]|language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514115923/http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/05/12/console-em-producao-ha-mais-tempo-master-system-ja-vendeu-8-mi-no-brasil.htm|archive-date=May 14, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=May 13, 2016|quote=Comercializado no Brasil desde setembro de 1989, o saudoso Master System já vendeu mais de 8 milhões de unidades no país, segundo a Tectoy.}}</ref>