Sega Interactive R&D3

Japan Founded 2015

R&D Div. #3 (第三研究開発本部開発一部) was the first third division of Sega Interactive. It was spun out of Sega R&D1. It is unclear exactly when it was founded, but it seems to have coincided with the founding of Sega Interactive. The earliest recorded public mention of its existence came in November 2015, and in December the company's recruitment page was updated to mention R&D3 for relevant products instead of R&D1. R&D3 acted as a spiritual successor to Sega AM3, which had merged with AM1 in 2008. However, it was not a direct replica, as various former AM3 staff remained at R&D1, as did their former franchise Initial D Arcade Stage (although there is very little public evidence to confirm or deny this). Instead, it carried over former AM3 franchise World Club Champion Football, and R&D1’s new franchises maimai and Wonderland Wars. R&D3 was best known for its trio of rhythm game series: the afore-mentioned maimai, Chunithm (conceived at R&D1) and the brand new Ongeki. This naturally led to the department's sound section being the best-known for all R&D departments, especially as one of its members was Takenobu Mitsuyoshi. R&D3 overall mostly maintained and updated existing series, with Ongeki and the retooled WCCF Footista being the closest the department had to brand new games. It was merged with Sega Games in 2020, becoming a new department in the 5th Development Div. of Sega Asia & Japan Studio HQ.

Sega Interactive R&D3 at a Glance

Sega Interactive R&D3 operated as a specialized development unit within the Japanese gaming landscape from its emergence in late 2015 until its integration into a larger division in 2020. The team produced sixteen titles during this period, all developed under their own name rather than published by them. Their entire catalog focuses exclusively on two genres: Arcade and Music. Every single game they released was built for the Arcade platform, indicating a strict commitment to coin-op hardware over home consoles or mobile devices. The studio spent most of its active years in the 2010s, releasing fourteen games between 2016 and 2019. They only managed two releases in the 2020s before the department was merged into Sega Games. Their work primarily involved maintaining and updating existing series rather than creating entirely new worlds. The group is best known for managing three rhythm game franchises: maimai, Chunithm, and Ongeki. Specific titles from these series include Chunithm Amazon Plus, released in April 2019, followed by Maimai DX in July of that year. Later releases included Chunithm Crystal in October 2019 and its successor Chunithm Crystal Plus in July 2020. They also handled updates for maimai DX Plus in January 2020. R&D3 was established as a spiritual successor to the former Sega AM3 division, though it did not inherit every element of that legacy. While they took over World Club Champion Football and developed the new rhythm title Ongeki, other franchises like Initial D Arcade Stage remained with R&D1. The department included Takenobu Mitsuyoshi in its sound section, a detail that highlights their focus on audio quality within these arcade experiences. Their output was not massive by industry standards, yet it remained consistent within their narrow niche of rhythm-based cabinet games. The studio did not attempt to diversify into other genres or platforms during its five years of operation. After the merger in 2020, the team ceased to exist as a separate entity and became part of the fifth Development Division under Sega Asia & Japan Studio HQ.

Total Games

—

Avg Rating

2016

First Release

2020

Latest Release