Osamu Ohashi, the head of Sega’s business division, believes the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise can surpass the Mario series in popularity worldwide.
In an interview published by Sega of Japan, Ohashi revealed the aspirations he and the gaming publisher have for the Sonic the Hedgehog series. “Simply put, I want to surpass Mario,” Ohashi said. “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.”
Unlike the heated North American rivalry from the ’90s, Sega’s desire for Sonic to outdo Mario stems from respect for the Italian plumber. The Super Mario Bros. series is commonly regarded as one of the greatest ongoing video game franchises of all time, with games like Super Mario 64 setting the stage for 3D platformers and Super Mario Galaxy redefining the formula years later.
Although the 2D Sonic games on the Sega Genesis are still viewed favorably, the Blue Blur’s 3D outings have suffered in their transitions. Games like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric are some of the worst-reviewed games in the series, and releases like Sonic Lost World and Sonic Forces are deemed ho-hum by fans and critics alike. Even re-releases of well-received Sonic games such as Sonic Colors: Ultimate and Sonic Origins were criticized for their questionable performances and only minor improvements to the original games. However, the first open-world Sonic video game Sonic Frontiers was reviewed favorably by critics excited by the series’ new direction. The momentum continued for Sonic Frontiers’ DLC updates until the final story release.
Ohashi also believes that Sonic can surpass Mario not only in video game quality but also in worldwide popularity. “I want people to play it all over the world, including Japan, like Mario,” Ohashi said. ‘And I want the movie to be a bigger hit than Mario. I would like USJ [Universal Studios Japan] to create a ‘Sonic Area’ as well. That’s our goal for those of us who love Sonic.” Ohahi refers to Nintendo’s first box office success with the animated Super Bros. Movie grossing over $1 billion worldwide, while the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog 2 grossed over $400 million worldwide. The ‘Sonic Area’ is a reference to the Super Nintendo World attraction at Universal Studios Japan and in North America that’s themed around the Super Mario Bros. series.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is now available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Sonic Superstars is also available on the Nintendo Switch, as well as on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Both titles are 2D co-op multiplayer games that return their respected franchises to their side-scrolling roots.
Source: Sega, X (formerly Twitter)
