Sega Enterprises will be launching into the year end game market with several new patents under its belt. A standard patent was awarded to the company's "Free-track System," a free-motion racing system of widespread use in horseracing medal games. Also patented: a technology enabling on-the-fly point-of-view conversions in 3DCG games. The company announced that it is currently negotiating payment terms for the use of these technologies by game makers. Virtual Racing (ARC), a title of 1992 vintage, was the first game in history to adopt Sega's point-of-view technology. The technology, which allows the player to switch between a top-down perspective and a view from the driver's seat, has become an indispensable item in the toolboxes of developers of racing games and other 3DCG titles.

World Derby (ARC, 1987) was the first title to successfully implement SCEI's Free-track System. A magnetic technology devised for racing miniature horses on a racetrack, the system has evolved into an industry standard in the medal game market. Sega's move to secure intellectual property rights to these technologies is destined to give it an edge in the battle to distinguish its products from those of its competitors. One thing is certain: the company's strategy is liable to create waves in the game industry for months (if not years) to come.