Sega shuffles management

On Monday, mobile developer-publisher Ngmoco announced that it had tapped former Sega of America president Simon Jeffery to lead its new publishing efforts. The news was somewhat surprising, considering that until Ngmoco made its announcement, it was assumed that Jeffery was still leading Sega's North American operations, a position he has held since 2005.

Today, Sega broke its silence on Jeffery, confirming the executive's departure as part of a reorganization of its global business structure. As part of the shake-up, Sega's current head of video game operations Naoya Tsurumi will now lead up the publisher's entire consumer entertainment business, a segment within Sega Sammy that also encompasses toys and mobile phones.

Sega also named a new head of its Western operations. Current Sega of Europe president and chief operating officer Mike Hayes will now be responsible for both sides of the Atlantic, taking on Jeffery's former role at Sega of America. Hayes will report directly to Tsurumi.

The mix-up at Sega's top level comes as its parent company struggles through the ongoing global economic crisis. In May, Sega Sammy reported fiscal-year revenues of ¥429 billion ($4.49 billion), a year-over-year contraction of 6 percent. The Japanese company did manage to substantially trim its losses to ¥22.9 billion ($239.5 million), down from ¥52.5 billion ($549.5 million) in fiscal 2008.