Sega 2013 "We release awesome games and tell nobody!"; " READ POST 498

[Tails spin]

Sega can't plan games for any system other than Nintendo until the 3 games come out, one of them was not released yet. I think this article is probably a hoax... unfortunate for any Xbox owners. 

Honestly I don't think that they are restricted from jotting some notes down on where sonic goes next after the exclusives. Plus I would assume that the 3rd game is already in the planning and requirements phase and will go full force after Lost World is released if not they probably have already started prototyping the next Nintendo exclusive.

[Autosaver]

Sonic Thunderstorm confirmed

[Badnik Mechanic]

Meanwhile... here is some actual news.

 

Sega will be at Brand Licensing Europe next week... Here is what licenses they'll be selling.

 

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A2gnu8/ToyWorldOctober2013/resources/index.htm (page 96)

 

Up for sale

 

* Sonic.

 

* Total War

 

* Shinobi

 

* Golden Axe

 

* Streets of Rage

 

* Mega Drive

 

Total War is getting a board game adaptation.

 

Segas booth this year is said to be huge.

[goku262002]

Can't link it but TSSZ was at Comic-Con and live blogged the "Sega Through the Years" panel. Ethan Einhorn of Sega said something...umm...interesting...

Einhorn on a Skylanders-like game for Sega: “You’re making me want to say things I really can’t say.”

Oh god I have a bad feeling of what that 3rd Sonic game is now...

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Can't link it but TSSZ was at Comic-Con and live blogged the "Sega Through the Years" panel. Ethan Einhorn of Sega said something...umm...interesting...

Oh god I have a bad feeling of what that 3rd Sonic game is now...

Actualy, a Sonic/Sega game with the addtional characters and areas available via toys wouldnt be that horrible, especialy if they do it pokemon U style, as it only needs the game and the toy, as the wii-u's gamepad has a built in RFID device(the thing that reads the toy's chips)

While I am not a fan of the skylanders style, it could give us more characters. Also Disney Infinity is great, even if it is a money sink

[Wraith]

Oh boy, if that catches on, I am out. Sonic becoming a shitty half assed toy selling vehicle is enough for me to quit.

[Cola]

It could work as long as it isn't necessary.

 

Like, say you have to beat the game to unlock Tails. Just buy the NFC figure, scan it into your Wii U gamepad, BAM - instant Tails.

 

 

 

It's not something I'd want ideally, but it could work fairly non-intrusively.

Edited October 13, 2013 by Cola

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

It could work as long as it isn't necessary.

 

Like, say you have to beat the game to unlock Tails. Just buy the NFC figure, scan it into your Wii U gamepad, BAM - instant Tails.

 

 

 

It's not something I'd want ideally, but it could work fairly non-intrusively.

like I said, thats the scenario I would want, thats how Pokemon Rumble U works

[Cola]

like I said, thats the scenario I would want, thats how Pokemon Rumble U works

 

Indeed it is.

 

I liked the customization options that Rumble U figures offered, as well. That'd be more than enough of an incentive for me to pick up a figure or two.

[Chaos Warp]

If Sonic goes Skylanders that's where I quit the franchise permanently. Honestly, I'd take another 06 over Sonic becoming a cash grabbing SCAM like Skylanders. I'd rather the games be terrible then be money grubbing cash grabs.  

[Chili Dawg]

Soniclanders would be the worst thing. Too early and too vague to worry tho.

[Indigo Rush]

Easy there, Warp. I think what is being implied is that there might be a sub-series of Sonic games similar to Skylanders - which is not the same thing as changing the entire franchise into a Skylanders rip-off.

 

I'm okay if it's a sub-series with little bearing on the main games. If that's their single unified direction from now on, however, I'm officially calling it quits. Yes, I'd even take another Sonic 06 over Sonic being nothing but Skylanders.

[Frogging101]

The reason why the quote worries me so much is that it's not the usual "we have no information on that" answer. His answer explicitly implies that there are things he can't say, which likely means that a decision on this has been made internally, and he can't tell us what it is. That should pretty much seal it, as common sense dictates that if the answer was "no", then they'd denounce the idea for PR points. But then again, common sense doesn't seem to be a thing in PR, which in this case offers a ray of hope.

Another thing, and I'm borderline grasping at straws here, is that we don't actually know what TSSZ asked them. Here's the quote from the TSSZ article:

Einhorn on a Skylanders-like game for Sega: “You’re making me want to say things I really can’t say.”

Why does this matter? Well, they quoted the answer but not the question. The question might have been something like "Are you looking at a new direction for Sonic in the future? Might this involve something similar to the Skylanders model?". If that were the question, then the answer could mean anything at all because the main question was "Are you looking at a new direction for Sonic in the future?" and Skylanders was just a side thing so that they could say "we asked them about Skylanders". I wouldn't bet on it though, that's just a wild theory from yours truly.

[Chaos Warp]

Easy there, Warp. I think what is being implied is that there might be a sub-series of Sonic games similar to Skylanders - which is not the same thing as changing the entire franchise into a Skylanders rip-off.

 

I'm okay if it's a sub-series with little bearing on the main games. If that's their single unified direction from now on, however, I'm officially calling it quits. Yes, I'd even take another Sonic 06 over Sonic being nothing but Skylanders.

Fair enough. I wouldn't be as mad if it was just a sub-series, but I'd still be pretty mad. Because any way you look at it: the whole Skylanders concept (buying 19.99 figures to unlock characters already on the disk) is a massive ripoff and incredibly unfair to the consumer and I wouldn't want that seeping into Sonic whatsoever really.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Ghostly Warp

[Tani Coyote]

They also said "You'll have to wait and see" on a Wreck-It Ralph sequel. Given that Moore and Iizuka sounded like they wanted to give Sonic more of a prominent role during their talk, perhaps Disney and SEGA will be partnering up a bit in the future? And Sonic would make his way into Disney Infinity as a third party character? I mean, they already teamed up somewhat by remaking Castle of Illusion, yes? It would seem odd, but Disney partnered with Square Enix for Kingdom Hearts, and I think the Final Fantasy-style characters look a LOT weirder with Disney characters than Sonic would.

 

That's just my theory anyway. I really do wish we could read the minds of SEGA execs at times, but if we could do that, where'd the surprises in life be? ...though on the Disney partnership idea, that could be worrisome - whenever you partner with Disney, they inevitably end up eating you.

 

I guess I'll just have to wait and see if these are just stray remarks or if they mean anything. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Ogil.exe Maurice

[DarkRula]

Disney and SEGA team up to make a game...

Disney own Star Wars. Disney own Marvel.

Sonic and the Jedi Avengers confirmed.

 

Really though, on the whole Skylanders point. I wouldn't mind if it were a decent pricing model. As in, two or three pound per figure with packs of six for a tenner. Not even Disney Infinity does this, although I think the Pokemon Rumble U game has some decent prices.

What really makes Skylanders even more of a rip-off though, is that it isn't just one game. We're on what? The third one now?

Yeah.

But that's another topic.

 

Anything SEGA does in the future from now on [well, after Lost World's release] could greatly impact the series. They want to keep the older fans. This has been shown many times. But they also want to cater to many new fans. This causes divides within the fanbase, and I've seen numeous times when it could have all gone wrong. We all know the games, so I won't list them. But if it had gone wrong, where would we be?

I'm not going into that either. But I will say I am so thankful that, apart from a few references, the comics, games and TV series have their own separate canon. And so, the new series of comics, the third unannounced Nintendo exclusive game, and the new Sonic Boom TV series, will bring in new fans, but at a possible cost to old.

 

There is no doom and gloom to that above. I'm just saying it like it is. However, I will stay with the series simply for the unique gameplay of platforming speed.

[Tani Coyote]

I myself am very interested to see the impact Boom will have. Will it be a footnote? Or will it lead to a Brony-like influx of new fans (I'm gonna call them "Boomers" if that's alright with everybody) who very possibly will care more for the cartoon than the actual games?  Or could it do the best of both worlds and inject a huge amount of fans into the fanbase who enjoy both the games and cartoon? I'm really interested to see that, above all else. Consider, for example, the notable number of fans who favor Sonic the Comic or SatAM/Archie to the video game franchise; it's an inherent weakness to having such a diverse multiverse, I suppose. It is my hope that the bulk of the "Boomers" will grow to love the franchise as a whole, however, and not just a spinoff of it.

 

With regards to keeping old fans and gaining new ones... it really is a tough issue. SEGA basically is suffering from the issue of a political party that tries to be too inclusive; it becomes hard to incorporate more demographics without alienating one of the ones you already have. The sad news is that the Colors/Sonic 4 strategy, while brilliant, was a massive failure, dooming the idea of separate games for each category of fan. It might get picked up again long down the road but I won't see it any time soon; it now becomes an issue of making a title that can appeal to the bulk of fans, which is easier said than done, ultimately.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Ogil.exe Maurice

[Frogging101]

Okay, I've done some searching and found some background info about this quote that we're discussing.

Ethan Einhorn is the Director of Online Operations, Director of Developer Relations, and the Creative Director at SEGA of America. At the NYCC panel in which he said the quote, he was probably speaking in the capacity of Director of Online Operations.

The NYCC panel was called Recreating an Icon: The Talent Behind Sonic Mobile Ganes and Top SEGA Franchises (Event Listing).

This is the description for that panel:

 

Hardlight Studio and SEGA bring together some of the talented development team members from various backgrounds who worked on such iconic franchises as Jet Set Radio, SEGA Rally and Typing of the Dead over the years. The discussion will dive deep into their roles, responsibilities and perspectives on recreating Sonic and other legacy brands for the mobile generation and experiences in bringing console franchises to the mobile world. An audience Q&A will follow the panel.

The name and description are mysteriously similar to an unrelated panel at PAX East.

Anyway, moving on. As I said in a post above, we have no idea what the actual question that lead to the quote was. The only information we have is from the TSSZ Article; I can find no other information on what happened at this panel at all. But we can assume that it was in the context of mobile gaming given the subject of the panel.

What does any of this mean ? I have no idea. I'm just laying out the facts as stuff to think about.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Frogging101

[BonkersTheAutomaton]

Fair enough. I wouldn't be as mad if it was just a sub-series, but I'd still be pretty mad. Because any way you look at it: the whole Skylanders concept (buying 19.99 figures to unlock characters already on the disk) is a massive ripoff and incredibly unfair to the consumer and I wouldn't want that seeping into Sonic whatsoever really.

 

I do agree.  If they costed $20/£, then that would dreadful.  Thing is though.  they aren't, they are around about £9.  You know, pocket money for kids. 

Oh.  Wait.  I just looked them up on GAME.  Yeah they are actually £15 for new.  yeah I take back what I just said.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Sega Skylanders

 

Ok I know it's not what they said but...

 

There is no way Sega can afford it. In fact I said yesterday the the main issue here is store space, games like Skylanders, Disney Infinity take up a ton of store space, even toy shops that stock this stuff, it's a lot of floor space for what is in effect an action figure series... vs say a single game.

 

To put it another way.

 

How much space does a typical Skylanders/Disney display take? Now think how many single games you can fit on there.

[goku262002]

Eh, a non-issue. you'd be amazed how stores like target and wal-mart can find space for shit like skylanders and infinity. and gamestop doesn't really go full blown "make sections for 1 thing" because of the economic way the stores are set up, but they do have stand ups around and starter kits near their front desk.

[Tani Coyote]

With the advent of widespread internet usage, one can debate whether store space is obsolete or not for certain things. SEGA does online-only deals for those special statues, why not go for something more expansive?

I think that would resolve the retail issue if nothing else; it would also theoretically drive down price as the middleman is cut out.

Of course, that would require SEGA's merchandising efforts not kind of suck. As memory serves Sonicmerchandise.com, while a noble effort to have SEGA more or less directly sell goods to fans, is rather subpar.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Ogil.exe Maurice

[BonkersTheAutomaton]

The problem with that though is that the middle man is necessary for things like this.  I know a lot of you don't like this but Sonic Team and SEGA's main market is kids with Sonic merch.  And guess what.  Kids don't have credit or debit cards.  yeah they could ask their parents to buy it for them, but with me I had to nag to my mother for about 5 weeks just to grab Sonic Heroes (I was 7 at the time so can you blam me).  After that we ended up buying in a store anyways because it was easier and we didn't have to wait for the package to arrive.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Sounds like Sega want to greatly expand on Football Manager.

 

Sega is looking to make acclaimed football simulation game Football Manager a brand spanning apparel, accessories, publishing, gifts and novelty items thanks to a new licensing drive

 

http://www.licensing.biz/news/read/ble-2013-sega-sets-out-on-licensing-drive-for-football-manager/038860

Even other mascotts are not safe...

 

 

Segas BLE booth is huge.

 

[BonkersTheAutomaton]

... What?  Seriously what has mascot got to do with SEGA trying to make Football Manager a bigger franchise?

Edited October 16, 2013 by BonkersTheAutomaton