Sega has just admitted that it may have exploited its mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, by releasing too many games with lots of quality issues, but things will change in the future, thanks to a new strategy of quality over quantity.
Sonic the Hedgehog will reach his 20th anniversary next year, and Sega wants to really
change the way it is treating its most valuable character.
According to Alan Pritchard, Sega's US sales and marketing boss, the company is guilty of releasing too many titles with Sonic that weren't exactly up to quality the iconic character deserves.
"Sonic, at the end of the day, is 20-years-old next year. Sonic is our crown jewel," said Pritchard. "We've probably been guilty of bringing too many Sonic games to market too quickly."
While Sega might seem like it is sorry for its exploitation, don't forget that the company is getting ready to release three more Sonic titles in just a month.
These include the episodic Sonic 4, the Sonic Free Riders racing title, and
Sonic Colors, plus a new Sonic game for next year.
This isn't a bad thing, as Pritchard wants Sega to follow Nintendo's own treatment of its prized mascot, Mario.
"Certainly 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."
The future strategy will emphasize quality over quantity, and you won't be seeing Sonic in titles that aren't worthy of his name, says the Sega executive.
"If you look at all of the Sonic releases over the last four or five years, there's a real mixed bag out there. A Sonic game can sell if it's a 60-percent Metacritic game, that's not an issue. 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."
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