SEGA’s Sonic and Nintendo’s Mario have always had a fierce rivalry, as Sonic the Hedgehog was initially launched to compete with Mario, but the two mascots have also been seen together in several games. However, that doesn’t mean that the rivalry is over, as SEGA looks to surpass Mario.
SEGA’s Osamu Ohashi, the division manager, and Sachiko Kawamura, the general design manager, revealed their aspirations for Sonic in an interview and reflected on their aim to catch up to Mario in popularity and then surpass him to take the blue hedgehog global.
A SEGA Executive Wants Sonic to Surpass Mario
Sonic is extremely popular in major parts of the world and has become a flag bearer of SEGA. The last two Sonic movies were also hits; however, the team at SEGA is still not satisfied as it wants to make Sonic bigger than Nintendo’s Mario. In a SEGA interview, Osamu Ohashi and Sachiko Kawamura revealed their plans for the blue mascot.
When asked about how SEGA looks to develop Sonic in the future, Osamu Ohashi said that he respects Mario but wants to catch up and surpass him, and he also wants the Sonic films to be bigger hits than Mario. Ohashi didn’t stop there; here’s what he stated:
Simply put, I want to surpass Mario. Sonic is a game that was originally developed to compete with Mario, and it still hasn’t achieved that goal. Our goal is to catch up and surpass Mario because we respect Mario.
I want people to play it all over the world, including Japan, like Mario, and I want the movie to be a bigger hit than Mario. I would like USJ to create a “Sonic Area” as well. That’s our goal for those of us who love Sonic.
Osamu Ohashi stated that Sonic is much more popular overseas than in the domestic market, as evidenced by a whopping 95% of sales coming from overseas. He said that wherever Sonic is popular, it has become like an obsession, but where it is not popular, a new approach is needed.
He added that they are looking to strike a balance in both overseas and domestic markets and will take a different approach according to the regions where Sonic is popular and where he is not to make the hedgehog a household name. He mentioned that we need innovative ideas to take Sonic further but also preserve the traditional image.
Osamu Ohashi further mentioned that as much as SEGA wants to strengthen the Sonic IP, it is building a team that will create Sonic games that will be hits and played all over the world. SEGA wants Sonic to be loved and cherished by gamers worldwide as much as Mario and one day outpace Mario, not just in gaming but in popularity and recognition.
Ohashi also shared his thoughts on developing a hit game domestically and overseas and whether it takes a different approach. He said that the definition of an interesting game remains the same around the world; however, it differs in how the same game is perceived in different countries. He explained this with an interesting example:
There was a time when the word “cute” in Japan was perceived as “childish” overseas. Although “KAWAII” is now being accepted overseas, it is not all about what we feel. On the other hand, even if people overseas think something is cute, it may not be very popular in Japan. It would be great if we could honestly accept these differences in sensibilities and utilize them in making games.
SEGA has its ambitions clear for Sonic and wants to make him a global phenomenon as well as maintain the brand’s popularity in the domestic market.
The most recent rivalry between the two mascots is that Sonic and Mario went against each other last month with Sonic Superstars and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, with Sonic Superstars launching a few days ahead of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Both games got positive reviews from fans and critics.
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