Sonic Superstars “Turned Out to be a Disappointment” – Sega President

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As a seasoned gamer with decades of Sonic adventures under my belt, I must say that 2024 has been a rollercoaster ride for our beloved blue blur. The success of Sonic X Shadow Generations and the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie featuring Keanu Reeves as Shadow is undeniably thrilling. However, let’s not forget the bitter pill of 2023 – Sonic Superstars.

2024, man, what a year for Sonic games! The success of Sonic X Shadow Generations alone had us grinning ear to ear, but things are about to get even better with the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, featuring none other than Keanu Reeves as everyone’s favorite prickly sidekick, Shadow the Hedgehog.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Utsumi discussed the inconsistency within the Sonic franchise. He highlighted the success of recent games like Sonic Frontiers and Sonic X Shadow Generations. However, he also mentioned the 2023 sidescrolling title, Sonic Superstars, which he described as a “disappointment”.

He expressed that they aimed to bring creativity to “Sonic Frontiers”. However, their previous project, “Sonic Superstars”, didn’t meet expectations in terms of results compared to what was promised. Now, they have “Sonic X Shadow Generations” and the upcoming “Sonic” movie, so they are focusing on a transmedia approach – combining movies and games to create something more substantial. But remember, the foundation is the game itself. If the game isn’t excellent, there won’t be any beneficial impact from the transmedia approach.

A short while following the release of the side-scrolling platformer last year, Sega admitted that the game’s sales performance was sluggish compared to expectations, a situation they later linked partially to the game coming out around the same time as another popular side-scrolling platformer called Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Moving forward with the Sonic IP, during The Game Awards last week, Sega revealed Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which is the upcoming title in the Sonic kart racing franchise.

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2024-12-16 20:41