Sega to spin Sonic

Investment in company mascot picks up pace.

Posted by Staff
Sega to spin Sonic
Sega of Japan has revealed large-scale plans to gain market leverage for its company mascot Sonic the Hedgehog, by way of a new animated TV show, backed up by a range of merchandise, which it hopes to roll out around the world.

Inspired by the success Nintendo has with the Pokemon series, and its knock-on effect on sales of toys and other consumables, Sonic Team boss Naka said, “We would like to make Sonic as big as Pokemon. This means our dream comes true. The next business year will become the Sonic year for Sega group, centred on the TV programme.”

Yuji Naka seems to have missed the point of Pokemon, when announcing plans for Sonic. The elemental nature of Pokemon, and its appeal to children, was a masterstroke. Adventure, battling, collecting and trading are timeless interests for kids. Although no one can deny the success enjoyed by the Sonic series, which has sold some 32 million videogames in the past decade or so, it is, after all, just a platform game. A very good platform game, but it simply doesn’t have the hooks outside of the game sector that made Pokemon such a massive hit.

Sega needs to address this, and perhaps develop a series with more connections to the outside world. If company executives were for a moment to look at the Virtua Fighter series, it would find its Pokemon comparison much easier to make. A level of obsession exists around VF, which has its fans ensnared in a web of spending, from items within the game to a massive array of merchandise, most of which is bought by the higher age-range within the gaming consumer base.

Sega can ill afford to make fresh folly at present, and needs to really think about the elements of kid appeal, before it’s too late.
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