Leaked emails from '90s reveal that Sega was confident that it would beat Sony

The retailers commented they can't compare the true sales rate because Saturn sells out before they can measure accurately. Our interactive displays are better, our software displays and stocking far superior. It is not unusual to see 40-50 copies of Panzer Zwei or Virtua Fighter 2 stocked in even small stores and they are selling fast. I wish I could get all our staff, sales people, retailers, analysts, media, etc. to see and understand what's happening in Japan; they would then understand why we will win here in the U.S. eventually.

How do we show that at E3? The Saturn's market dominance in Japan declined when Final Fantasy VII was released on the PlayStation in 1997.

To be fair, the Sega Saturn was very popular and sold really well in 1996. The sales were mainly driven by the popularity of Virtua Fighter and the console did outsell the PlayStation in Japan. However, the success was short-lived and PlayStation rose in popularity with the release of Final Fantasy VII in 1997.

Sega eventually left the console market in 2001, five years after the email was sent, opting to focus on game development. Kalinske resigned as CEO of the company just six months after the leaked emails. He revealed in a 1999 interview with the Wall Street Journal that he was not a fan of the Saturn architecture and believed no one would successfully market the console.

The entire 272-page PDF document has some interesting insights into what went on during the mid-90s console war and the strategies that the company employed during that time. At one point, Sega even tried to undercut Sony by selling the Saturn for $249 compared to the PlayStation's launch price of $299.