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Video Game History Foundation Recovers and Publishes 144 Sega Channel ROMs

The project rebuilds the defunct service’s catalog for research through a public archive featuring ROMs, primary documents, plus a companion documentary.

Overview

  • The release includes Sega Channel exclusives and previously unpublished prototypes, such as a never-before-seen Sega Genesis web browser.
  • VGHF says the recovery covers nearly all Sega Channel titles, likely resulting in digital backups for every unique Sega Genesis game released in the United States.
  • Preserved variants reflect the service’s size limits, including reduced-content builds like Super Street Fighter II and password-gated, split halves of linear games.
  • The effort drew on collaboration with former Sega Channel VP of programming Michael Shorrock alongside a collector who held backup tapes from the service.
  • The new digital library hosts Shorrock’s notes and presentations, including material on a planned successor called Express Games, with a documentary available on YouTube.