SEGA to follow Nintendo's Mario model

By Ellie Gibson Published 14 October, 2010

When it comes to releasing Sonic games.

SEGA exec Alan Pritchard has revealed more about the company's plans to delist less-than-stellar Sonic games - suggesting the publisher may take a leaf out of an old rival's book.

"We've probably been guilty of bringing too many Sonic games to market too quickly," he told Joystiq.

"If you look at Nintendo as a comparison, they have been a little bit more strategic with the way they bring their Mario titles to market. If you look at 2006 to 2008, there were a number of Sonic titles coming to market on various platforms with very little time in-between."

Pritchard went on to describe the Sonic titles released in the last five years as "a real mixed bag", which is a polite way of putting it. He said in the future, SEGA will aim to release only games which score 80 per cent-plus - even though those which are poorly critically received seem to sell well anyway.

"A Sonic game can sell if it's a 60-percent Metacritic game, that's not an issue," he said. "But is that really what the consumer wants? Is that what we should be doing as a publisher and a developer? We should be bringing much higher quality products to market to deliver a better experience for the consumer.

"If Sonic were a Disney franchise or Sonic was a Nintendo franchise, how would they treat Sonic? Sonic, at the end of the day, is 20 years-old next year. Sonic is our crown jewel."

That would explain why, as announced recently, SEGA is planning to delist the rubbisher Sonic titles.

"[The policy will] be tailored to each individual country, and it'll be tailored by retailer. And we'll just approach it on a case-by-case example," said Pritchard.

"Rather than flooding the market with $15 or $20 products at the time when you're bringing out a $50 game, it's just reducing the quantity, making sure those older titles are in a different part of the store."

According to Pritchard, SEGA has "two very exciting, huge announcements" planned for early next year, which will provide "further evidence of how we're looking to improve and enhance our Sonic strategy". Sonic to turn orange? Vector to not be rubbish? Let's just hope it's nothing to do with 3D.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (22) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Shakey_Jake33 #1 2 years ago

    Nintendo's Mario model can be summed up as 'releasing good games'. Nintendo have never had a problem with releasing large amounts of spin-off titles, but they've generally been of high quality and/or not damaging to the main series.

  • matrim83 #2 2 years ago

    SEGA will aim to release only games which score 80 per cent-plus

    Jeez, way to set a high bar guys.

  • DonnieDarko333 #3 2 years ago

    Sonic Colours will be great...i feel it in my waters.

  • sonicyoda #4 2 years ago

    Sonic Colours is great. Pre-release play-time on this was absolutely superb. I've been looking forward to this more than Sonic 4 if I'm going to be honest.

  • Gambit1977 #5 2 years ago

    I'm not listening to anyone with sonic in their name! ;)

  • Toothball #6 2 years ago

    The best part about this article is getting to the end and then scrolling past the page of recent Sonic games in the Related section. I don't think it could have been planned any better.

  • Tonne #7 2 years ago

    "We've probably been guilty of bringing too many Sonic games to market too quickly,"
    you figured that one out all by your self brainiac??

    the problem with sonic is all the crap surrounding the hedgehog,
    it should be sonic tails and knuckels, and huge platform levels where they can run there ass off

  • Toadie48 #8 2 years ago

    @Toothball - LOL so true, +1

  • WinstonChurchill #9 2 years ago

    Someone had some fun listing the "related games".

  • Shakey_Jake33 #10 2 years ago

    I had no idea Eurogamer were around in 2001 when Sonic Adventure 2 came out on the Dreamcast. 9/10!

  • layleeloo #11 2 years ago

    Yeh, but they arent pulling the shite mario games out of circulation though are they! Perhaps many franchises should take sega's lead on this.
    Edited by layleeloo at 14/10/10 @ 11:30

  • DrStrangelove #12 2 years ago

    Kudos to Sega, it's not often I hear such genuine self-criticism. Sounds like they really mean it.

    The problem is, Sonic is - as opposed to Mario - quite a one-trick pony. It's about running, rolling and jumping at ultra speed through the levels. Anything that isn't at least for a large part about high-speed isn't Sonic anymore. Converting this formula to 3D is actually the obvious, if not only, step further (making some sort of racing game is another possibility, but we know how that turned out to be). The only alternative, it seems to me, is to continue making exactly the same 2D games as in the olde days. That may be great for old Sonic fans, but it won't appeal to a large audience.

    So I guess they'll have to keep trying Sonic 3D, only with much more effort than before.

  • metalangel #13 2 years ago

    I guess this memo came out after Sonic 4 was finished.

  • JohnnyFireBlade #14 2 years ago

    "SEGA is planning to delist the rubbisher Sonic titles"

    So, everything after Sonic Adventure 2, then? That said, they must've been on drugs when they made Sonic Adventure. 2 was much better.

    As for putting Sonic on a skateboard or in a car: who on Earth decided that was a good idea? Sounds like something one of those numpties on The Apprentice would come up with!

  • DrStrangelove #15 2 years ago

    I just bought Sonic 4, and what can I say... Sega has to try harder. Copying the original but with an awkward-looking and moving Sonic, worse controls and rubbish soundtrack isn't exactly what brings the brand forward.

  • nuanimal #16 2 years ago

    "Rather than flooding the market with $15 or $20 products at the time when you're bringing out a $50 game, it's just reducing the quantity, making sure those older titles are in a different part of the store."

    The skip out back.

  • sonicyoda #17 2 years ago

    @Gambit1977

    Haha! Forgot about that. Either way, I think the critics will go mad for this one. Keep your eyes peeled.

  • Ryze #18 2 years ago

    @DrStrangelove

    EXACTLY. No chance I'm paying £10 for that crap. The physics are broken, graphics are crap, and the music's a fucking terrible joke.

    It's a crap effort at a Sonic 1/2/3 'remix' - and there's no reason at all that it should have been delayed for so long.

    Shoddy. SEGA MUST DIE.

    Ellie must lose her game scoring privileges.

  • fizzyfish #19 2 years ago

    All Sega has ever really had to do was to extrapolate an entire game from this single image:

    http://orioto.deviantart.com/gallery/?69...

  • cawley1 #20 2 years ago

    Not being funny, but Sega always did this - remember how Sonic 1,2,3 & Knuckles (and probably 3D Blast!) all came out in the gap between Super Mario World, and Yoshi's Island.

    It's the Tomb Raider mentality (well 1,2, 3 & Chronicles anyway), milk it nearly yearly and get the cash in, while damaging the franchise as you don't have enough time to put proper innovation into each successive sequal.

    While Nintendo keep Mario for maybe five yearly updates (still surprised at the small gap between Galaxy 1&2) and each successive game genuinely innovates, yes - even Sunshine!

  • cawley1 #21 2 years ago

    @fizzyfish
    You are spot on. That picture was my desktop wallpaper for ages, and I could not have put it better myself!

  • Phishfood #22 2 years ago

    Sounds like a plan dood