Are you excited for Sonic Mania and the new Sonic 2017 game?

[Guest]

You're misunderstanding. Billy Hatcher was an example of a huge failure for Sega, it barely sold at all. So when someone suggests Sega stop making their flagship franchise that's guaranteed to sell at least decently in favor of a new IP that might sell like shit and cost them a ton of money, I just think they should keep in mind that not all risk equals reward. New IPs are great, but strategic war games and turn based RPGs don't have nearly as much mass appeal as a simple cartoony platformer with one of the most recognizable characters in all of video games.

 

Using Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg as an example of Sega playing it safe is like saying Chibi Robo is the reason why Nintendo should play it safe with making Mario games. Chibi Robo barely sold, and even with the 3DS game packed with an Amiibo, it's still a terribly niche intellectual property like Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. Let me give you a bunch of non-Sonic IP's that are valued Sega franchises to this day.

 

Virtua Fighter

Streets of Rage

Yakuza

Valkyria Chronicles

Vectorman

Alex Kidd

Shinobi

Golden Axe

Shining series

Phantasy Star

Shenmue

NIGHTS (made by Sonic Team)

Space Channel 5

 

And like I said earlier, this is another new IP by Sega (at least in the west, I know it's an ongoing series in Japan). Sega can make new IP's, people just hold Sega to a double standard because Sonic is the more vocally demanded mascot against Mario.

 

Edited July 25, 2016 by Guest

[HeyMouseSayCheese 1,133]

Using Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg as an example of Sega playing it safe is like saying Chibi Robo is the reason why Nintendo should play it safe with making Mario games. Chibi Robo barely sold, and even with the 3DS game packed with an Amiibo, it's still a terribly niche intellectual property like Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg.

 

I love this example because it proves my point perfectly: Nintendo never stopped making Mario games in order to focus on Chibi Robo. They didn't kill off the Mario franchise in order to bring new or old IPs into the forefront. They kept their focus on the big money makers like Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, etc., and made Chibi Robo on the side.

 

Same thing with Sega; they keep their focus on Sonic- their big moneymaker- while still making less popular games like Yakuza and Valkyria Chronicles. There's no reason to kill off the Sonic franchise in favor of other franchises, just like there's no reason for Nintendo to kill off Mario in favor of Chibi Robo.

 

Sega can make new IP's, people just hold Sega to a double standard because Sonic is the more vocally demanded mascot against Mario.

 

Is it even really a double standard if Sonic is legit their most popular franchise?

[Guest]

Is it even really a double standard if Sonic is legit their most popular franchise?

 

It is if you don't hold Mario by the same standard. 

[Clouded Sun 1,232]

It is if you don't hold Mario by the same standard.

Mario hasn't been off its game like Sonic has. Even if that were to happen Mario would never die because he still has Zelda and Pokémon behind him. So Nintendo rolls in money for all three of those IP's. As arguably SEGA's only big moneymaker Triple A IP, Sonic can't afford to fail cause people demand Sonic games from SEGA, as it's a market that is known by casuals, diehard fans and children alike. Therefore SEGA can't have any other source to lean on. It doesn't have a Zelda or Pokémon, it has more niche games like Phantasy Star and legacy games like Phantasy Star.

[Guest]

Mario hasn't been off its game like Sonic has. Even if that were to happen Mario would never die because he still has Zelda and Pokémon behind him. So Nintendo rolls in money for all three of those IP's.As arguably SEGA's only big moneymaker Triple A IP, Sonic can't afford to fail cause people demand Sonic games from SEGA, as it's a market that is known by casuals, diehard fans and children alike. Therefore SEGA can't have any other source to lean on. It doesn't have a Zelda or Pokémon, it has more niche games like Phantasy Star and legacy games like Phantasy Star.

 

Sega has Virtua Fighter and Valkyria Chronicles to satisfy consumers. Problem is, as I said earlier, Sega just refuses to make them ideal moneymakers. Because of that, they're shoehorn Sonic all the time. Part of the reason why Sonic has not been doing so well is because of the over-saturation of Sonic games.

 

People demand Sonic from Sega because that's all they know. Sonic. After Sonic Boom, plenty of people like Shinobi Waffles wanted him gone. And I don't blame those people when you ransom your most popular IP because you're not willing to make your lesser IP's more popular.