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7/7/2025, 10:01:23 PM
>>530330393
>Weird that he isn't popular at all over there
It's not weird at all.
>Mega Drive was crushed by the SNES
>Sonic 1 wasn't bundled with the console
>ad compaign wasn't as strong as in the west
>Sega is known for its arcade division, not its consoles
>the only Sega console that performed well didn't have a mainline Sonic title
>Sonic only really performed well in the Arcades (SegaSonic and Fighters were popular in Japan at release) but Sega never made Sonic a focus in the Arcades
>Yuji Naka said that the marketing push for Frontiers was the first time Sega ever pushed Sonic that much (aside from SA1). Back in the 90s, former Sega president Hayao Nakayama barely marketed Sonic or the console division at all; his focus was squarely on the arcade division since that's what Sega's known for in Japan
Sega of Japan didn't promote their consoles or Sonic well enough, so both underperformed. That's pretty much what it is. They cared about Arcades above all else.
>Weird that he isn't popular at all over there
It's not weird at all.
>Mega Drive was crushed by the SNES
>Sonic 1 wasn't bundled with the console
>ad compaign wasn't as strong as in the west
>Sega is known for its arcade division, not its consoles
>the only Sega console that performed well didn't have a mainline Sonic title
>Sonic only really performed well in the Arcades (SegaSonic and Fighters were popular in Japan at release) but Sega never made Sonic a focus in the Arcades
>Yuji Naka said that the marketing push for Frontiers was the first time Sega ever pushed Sonic that much (aside from SA1). Back in the 90s, former Sega president Hayao Nakayama barely marketed Sonic or the console division at all; his focus was squarely on the arcade division since that's what Sega's known for in Japan
Sega of Japan didn't promote their consoles or Sonic well enough, so both underperformed. That's pretty much what it is. They cared about Arcades above all else.
7/6/2025, 2:15:12 PM
>>530153750
People here say Sonic underperforms in Japan because of his design or whatever, but that's not true. Sonic's design was actually perfect for the Japanese market, a balance of mascot cuteness and shonen manga coolness; he was designed to appeal to Japan as much as the US. Ohshima said so himself. The real issue is the same reason why Dragon Quest never took off in the West - they fucked up the original release. It didn't come bundled with the Mega Drive in Japan, the Mega Drive itself wasn't selling nearly as well as it did in the US (the Mega Drive Japanese launch was a failure, which would severely undermine the rest of its life there), and the ad campaign wasn't anywhere as strong as the absolute genius Sega of America pulled. So Sonic didn't become a household name. Saturn was the first SEGA console that actually succeeded in Japan, and the only two Sonic games on that console were Sonic R (side game) and Sonic 3D Blast (which didn't even release in Japan until years later). Sonic had no presence on the Saturn.
SEGA got squashed by Nintendo and failed to make a name for themselves in Japan. There, SEGA is best known for arcades and not consoles. Japan had a very Nintendo-leaning preference, and SEGA was already cemented as the Arcade company. By the time Sonic Adventure was released, although that sold well in its release week, Sonic's moment to shine had long passed in Japan. As for the Arcades, appearances were few and far between, but whenever Sonic had a SEGASonic or a Sonic the Fighters, he performed exceedingly well.
>SEGASonic was 6th most popular in Japan at release
>Fighters was the 13th
The problem here is that Sonic is meant for the consoles, so they never pushed for an Arcade life for the franchise. The big problem here is that SEGA failed to promote its console division, which doomed Sonic right from the start.
People here say Sonic underperforms in Japan because of his design or whatever, but that's not true. Sonic's design was actually perfect for the Japanese market, a balance of mascot cuteness and shonen manga coolness; he was designed to appeal to Japan as much as the US. Ohshima said so himself. The real issue is the same reason why Dragon Quest never took off in the West - they fucked up the original release. It didn't come bundled with the Mega Drive in Japan, the Mega Drive itself wasn't selling nearly as well as it did in the US (the Mega Drive Japanese launch was a failure, which would severely undermine the rest of its life there), and the ad campaign wasn't anywhere as strong as the absolute genius Sega of America pulled. So Sonic didn't become a household name. Saturn was the first SEGA console that actually succeeded in Japan, and the only two Sonic games on that console were Sonic R (side game) and Sonic 3D Blast (which didn't even release in Japan until years later). Sonic had no presence on the Saturn.
SEGA got squashed by Nintendo and failed to make a name for themselves in Japan. There, SEGA is best known for arcades and not consoles. Japan had a very Nintendo-leaning preference, and SEGA was already cemented as the Arcade company. By the time Sonic Adventure was released, although that sold well in its release week, Sonic's moment to shine had long passed in Japan. As for the Arcades, appearances were few and far between, but whenever Sonic had a SEGASonic or a Sonic the Fighters, he performed exceedingly well.
>SEGASonic was 6th most popular in Japan at release
>Fighters was the 13th
The problem here is that Sonic is meant for the consoles, so they never pushed for an Arcade life for the franchise. The big problem here is that SEGA failed to promote its console division, which doomed Sonic right from the start.
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