Roughly 20 years ago, video game developer and publisher Sega competed with Nintendo. Now the company is a shell of its former self. Can this once great video game company pull themselves out of the abyss?
In an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Sega CEO Hajime Satomi stated that he feels like Sega has betrayed the trust of its fans over the past decade. Although once a powerhouse in gaming, Sega has been going through a tumultuous time over the past several years. Layoffs within the company have been plentiful, and game quality has dipped severely. Sonic Boom, the latest entry in Sega's biggest franchise, earned an abysmal 32/100 on Metacritic, which is the lowest score a Sonic game has ever attained. On the fiscal side, the company is projected to lose a massive $125 million this year. Needless to say, it doesn't look great for Sega.
To get a better understanding of why Sega is in its current state, all you need to do is examine its history. Sega rose to prominence with the re-branding of the Sega Genesis in 1991. The Genesis targeted the audience of rebellious anti-Nintendo gamers looking for a more mature experience. Brandishing a new mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega valiantly competed against Nintendo's Super Nintendo. The original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles all graced the system and earned widespread critical appeal. These are the games that sculpted Sonic into the cultural phenomena he was.
Sega reached the top, but staying there was a different beast entirely. To keep themselves technologically relevant, Sega released peripherals to expand on the Genesis's power, but they ultimately failed because of poor timing and the high price of the add-ons.
In 1995, disaster struck with the announcement of Sega's new console, the Sega Saturn. The Saturn was scheduled to release in Sep. 1995, but instead had a surprise release during the first Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May 1995. This infuriated unaware retailers, confused third-party developers, and ruined many of Sega's relationships.
The Saturn didn't last long. Sega abandoned the console in 1998, the same year that they released their final console, the Sega Dreamcast. Although the Dreamcast was ahead of its time in terms of processing power and graphical fidelity, Sega had little money to support its console. In 2001, Sega couldn't afford to support the Dreamcast anymore, so they decided to start making games for their competition instead of developing consoles.
Over the next decade, at least one Sonic game came out every year. Mediocre Sonic games populated the gaming landscape until over-saturation of the market occurred. Because Sonic games were so plentiful, many fans stopped caring about the brand. The Sonic name still pushes units, but the the brand is wearing thinner as more unexceptional games are released. Because of these lackluster games, Sega's name became less prestigious and they encountered financial hardship.
In 2012, Sega got rid of some of its weaker intellectual properties and laid off staff after a projected yearly loss of $86 million. Two years later, Sega redesigned their mascot to attempt to gain relevance for their franchise. The redesign received harsh criticism from fans, which threw Sonic further into irrelevancy. Earlier this year, Sega laid off 300 people and shut down their legendary San Francisco office due to financial restructuring.
So what should Sega do to climb back to relevancy? They should sit and wait on Sonic the Hedgehog. A lack of games within a franchise makes consumers beg for more, and Gamers haven't had to beg for a Sonic game in a long time. After Sega has waited long enough and the outcry is loud enough, they have to deliver a polished experience to fans. No more of this Sonic Boom garbage that sets back a franchise for years -- they need to give fans a real Sonic experience, because that's what they deserve.
