Article: Why SEGA Needs Sonic

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Tru
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Article: Why SEGA Needs Sonic

Post by Tru »

Hi guys.

I write for a GammaLounge.com now, so I don't really get any time to play or review SEGA games these days. However, I wanted to write an article about Sonic for some reason. It's a good way to clear out my writers block!

It's quite lengthy, but I hope you RadioSEGA guys can appreciate an article for the website instead of a normal review :)

Feel free to agree/disagree, maybe we'll get some interesting discussion going! One thing I didn't mention in this article was the crazy Sonic fans, but that's not for me to judge ;)

Article: Why SEGA needs Sonic

One thing that always astounds me is when a SEGA fan states they not only dislike Sonic the Hedgehog, but despise all he is and everything he stands for. This way of thinking has arisen from SEGA's overuse of the Sonic character and brand, as the famous blue hedgehog has been milked quite a lot in recent times. From critically panned games each year to a whole merchandise range, SEGA have continued, and always will continue, to focus on their mascot. Anti-Sonic fans would argue that this over-saturation of Sonic has caused SEGA to ignore their other key franchises and classic IP's in favor of mediocre games, but there are many reasons why Sonic the Hedgehog is an important asset to SEGA. I shall be looking at those reasons and discussing why SEGA needs Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic is SEGA

For many, Sonic is SEGA. Whilst modern Sonic's stumble into the land of 3D has been met with much derision from hardcore gamers and Sonic fans alike, the character of Sonic remains as popular as ever. We all know that he was created as a rival to Nintendo's own icon, and Mario's games have certainly been much more successful, but it's debatable to say that Sonic, as a character, is more well-known and accepted than Sonic. Throughout the past twenty years, Sonic as a cultural icon has grown, gaining new fans and new lines of merchandise each year. In 1992, Sonic was a household name and was more recognizable to children than Micky Mouse. In 2008, Sonic was also voted the UK's most popular gaming character. Sonic's identity as a popular cultural figure is probably the strongest in the games industry, and this power is not something to ignore.

Sonic's popularity has undoubtedly helped towards sales of Sonic games, regardless of the industry's approval of such titles. Whilst games such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and Sonic Unleashed were a sour turning point in Sonic's career and have done little to contribute to the games industry as a whole, his financial contribution towards SEGA is to be applauded. SEGA obviously suffered many financial losses during the Dreamcast era, causing them to make a return into the industry as a software developer. Though it seems that SEGA have been milking Sonic over the past few years, such actions are necessary to not only pay left over debts from the Dreamcast days, but also fund new development opportunities. Many video game companies develop core brands or shovelware to help fund their more ambitious projects.

Sonic Helps Other SEGA Franchies

SEGA have not just been making Sonic games. During the post-Dreamcast days, SEGA have invested into many new franchises, including Total War, Bayonetta, Yakuza, Valkyria Chronicles, Binary Domain, and so on. Gamers, hardcore gamers especially, want original games yet this same group also complains about the lack of remakes and sequels to older games. There have also been revivals of other classic SEGA IP's, such as Virtual Fighter, Out Run, NiGHTS, House of the Dead, Phantasy Star, Golden Axe, Panzer Dragoon and more. Many fans cry out for older classics like Shenmue to make a return whilst shunning the mass of Sonic games, yet they seem to forget about those games which had already been released. To be fair, some of these flopped; Journey of Dreams and Golden Axe were not fantastic revivals, but this is the fault of SEGA during a financially difficult time. Shenmue shall always remain an exception due to the massive amount of costs involved in creating such a project. Despite the growth in SEGA brands as of late, I do not personally believe they currently have the means to create a Shenmue sequel, regardless of whether they took a break from Sonic or not.

Whilst it may seem that Sonic has drawn attention away from other SEGA games, the use and love of the character can actually be a tool to highlight other SEGA franchises. Sonic has appeared as a cameo in certain games, such as Phantasy Star Universe, which can be a method of attracting Sonic fans to the series. The Dreamcast version of Phantasy Star Online came with a demo of Sonic Adventure 2. Events like Summer of Sonic can also be used to celebrate the best of SEGA. During the 2011 Summer of Sonic, the NiGHTS community were invited to set up a stall and promote the brand and many NiGHTS based merchandise was locked away alongside the Sonic merchandise showcase. There were fans attending the convention dressed up as other SEGA characters too. Over the years we have seen cosplayers from Space Channel 5, Skies of Arcadia, Comix Zone and more.

Sonic, as a brand, has also been used to promote certain games. The Sonic Ultimate Mega Drive Collection featured many classic SEGA games. This didn't NEED to feature Sonic's face on the front, but association with the character probably helped sell a few extra copies. Likewise, Sonic and SEGA All Stars Racing featured many older SEGA characters such as Alex Kidd, Opa Opa and even Ryo Hazuki. All-Stars Racing was arguably a good game in the Sonic franchise and such characters, such as Ryo from Shenmue, may not have re-appeared in modern times if it was not for the Sonic Superstars franchise.

Discovering SEGA Through Sonic

Personally speaking, I first discovered SEGA through my initial interactions with Sonic. I grew up as a Sonic fan, which in turn converted me into gaming. Through Sonic I met NiGHTS, Burning Rangers and other Sonic Team games before expanding into other key SEGA titles. My love of SEGA now stretches across multiple gaming franchises and consoles. To me, Sonic was a point of entry to the many other amazing games which SEGA were able to offer. It is also through Sonic that SEGA were able to build up a community of fans, which in turn gave a voice to all of SEGA's fans. Ex-Community Manager, Kevin Eva, made it his personal mission to create and highlight the community of Sonic fans in the world, and through his work, other SEGA franchises, such as the NiGHTS community, were also given a voice. His work in the Summer of Sonic convention, alongside Svend Joscelyne and other community members have shown SEGA just how strong and powerful the Sonic and SEGA fan community can be.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a powerful asset to SEGA. Not just in securing the next generation of SEGA fans and powering the finance of other SEGA franchises, but by giving SEGA fans a voice. We might not ever see a Shenmue 3, but this fact cannot be blamed solely on Sonic, as there are many other factors involved in creating such a ambitious game. Perhaps SEGA are building a secret Shenmue fund, who knows? We have seen revivals of classic games, such as the return of the Guardian Heroes and Shinobi titles, thus we know that SEGA are listening and haven't forgotten their roots.

If there is one criticism of Sonic's popularity I can understand, it is that the mass of Sonic fans do potentially drown out the voices of other SEGA fans. This cannot be helped, as Sonic will always be a popular character regardless. What has changed is that SEGA are putting more effort into creating quality games. However, as with everything in the games industry, gamers must show their support with their wallet. The Guardian Heroes remake came into existence due to user demand. If this demand does not translate into sales, then they will know not to bother next time. When a Shenmue 3 does eventually turn up, will you then buy it?
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Reknoc
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Post by Reknoc »

I agree. SEGA need Sonic because it's the only thing they have that sells. Though I'm not sure even they're selling that well now. Wasn't Sonic Colours the best Sonic game in a long time? And now they're going to ignore that entirely.

The problem is that the quality in the games is lacking and it pretty much cheapens the brand.
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Post by Tru »

I've broken this article up a bit to make it a bit easier to read :)
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Post by dab_dob »

Looks nice .. thank you
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