Sonic Boom (Working Title)

[Tara]

With the exception of maybe hardcore Sonic fans, showing things early isn't going to make that much of a difference in terms of overall reception.  It's like getting your Christmas presents early and then getting a slightly modified version again later on.  Your perception is probably not going to change, and since the core source of revenue is undoubtedly not hardcore Sonic fans, then showing something ahead of time will especially be of little significance.

[Chakra]

SERIOUSLY?! JUST LOOK AT THE CHARACTERS FOR ONE GODDAM SECOND! KNUX LOOKS WAY OUTTA LINE, SONIC LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST MR. NEEDLEMOUSE DESIGN OR SOMETHING, AMY LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS A SMALL TUTU, AND there's nothing wrong with Tails.

 

WTF IS THIS?!

 

[Badnik Mechanic]

AMY LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS A SMALL TUTU,

 

This may come as a shock... but...

 

 

It wouldn't be the first time she's worn one.

[Rucdose]

SERIOUSLY?! JUST LOOK AT THE CHARACTERS FOR ONE GODDAM SECOND! KNUX LOOKS WAY OUTTA LINE, SONIC LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST MR. NEEDLEMOUSE DESIGN OR SOMETHING, AMY LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS A SMALL TUTU, AND there's nothing wrong with Tails.

 

WTF IS THIS?!

 

Shh.. No tears.

 

Only Sonic Boom now.

[Tara]

SERIOUSLY?! JUST LOOK AT THE CHARACTERS FOR ONE GODDAM SECOND! KNUX LOOKS WAY OUTTA LINE, SONIC LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST MR. NEEDLEMOUSE DESIGN OR SOMETHING, AMY LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS A SMALL TUTU, AND there's nothing wrong with Tails.

 

WTF IS THIS?!

First, please cut down on the caps, as that's just unpleasant to read.

 

Second, aside from the maybe two additional quills, Sonic's design is hardly different based on the silhouette, and Amy has undergone a variety of wardrobe changes, so why should a small tutu be any more terrible?  (That and it must be a really small and transparent tutu if it doesn't even cast a shadow; I personally think it looks more like she's wearing constrictive pants if anything)

[Jet Prower]

With the exception of maybe hardcore Sonic fans, showing things early isn't going to make that much of a difference in terms of overall reception.  It's like getting your Christmas presents early and then getting a slightly modified version again later on.  Your perception is probably not going to change, and since the core source of revenue is undoubtedly not hardcore Sonic fans, then showing something ahead of time will especially be of little significance.

 

Maybe, but when it comes to media and such, don't most kinds of media go through like focus groups and other sort of testings to hear the opinion of your market place? Yes, I know this will most likely be kids over the young adults or adults like we are around here, but wouldn't you at the same time try and get kids that are Sonic fans to give you better opinions as well? I know I would, since you don't just throw your product out there without testing for appeal and want from the people. If you just throw it out there, you will have no clue how things are going to do or at least give yourself a small prediction of the future.

[Tara]

Maybe, but when it comes to media and such, don't most kinds of media go through like focus groups and other sort of testings to hear the opinion of your market place? Yes, I know this will most likely be kids over the young adults or adults like we are around here, but wouldn't you at the same time try and get kids that are Sonic fans to give you better opinions as well? I know I would, since you don't just throw your product out there without testing for appeal and want from the people. If you just throw it out there, you will have no clue how things are going to do or at least give yourself a small prediction of the future.

They can, but those are often done long in advance.  Also, in the case of a show with this kind of core demographic, surveying the opinion of children, rather they're fans of the franchise or not, isn't always the best way to gain feedback because children aren't particularly known for being gifted at giving feedback that is 1) insightful or otherwise based on higher reasoning and market appeal, and 2) consistent with the integrity of the project at hand.  That's not to say their feedback isn't important, but it's almost never taken into full consideration.  If anything, obtaining information from their parents is a much more productive endeavor, and even that's not by much.

[Chaos Incarnate]

SERIOUSLY?! JUST LOOK AT THE CHARACTERS FOR ONE GODDAM SECOND! KNUX LOOKS WAY OUTTA LINE, SONIC LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST MR. NEEDLEMOUSE DESIGN OR SOMETHING, AMY LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS A SMALL TUTU, AND there's nothing wrong with Tails.

 

WTF IS THIS?!

Dude, we've only gotten a silhouette of the characters so far. I understand why you might be angry with Knuckles as his size is completely different, but it seems a little unfair to totally call out Sonic and Amy when we haven't gotten full designs for them yet. 

[Jet Prower]

They can, but those are often done long in advance.  Also, in the case of a show with this kind of core demographic, surveying the opinion of children, rather they're fans of the franchise or not, isn't always the best way to gain feedback because children aren't particularly known for being gifted at giving feedback that is 1) insightful or otherwise based on higher reasoning and market appeal, and 2) consistent with the integrity of the project at hand.  That's not to say their feedback isn't important, but it's almost never taken into full consideration.  If anything, obtaining information from their parents is a much more productive endeavor, and even that's not by much.

 

Well yes, I know that kids aren't exactly known for giving great feedback. As I originally said, getting the fans opinion would be the best, but as you said parents can work, as long as you get ones that like this series. If you just get any old stay at home mom, we will have another sensor fest on our hands from those nuts. Knowing who to get information from is very tricky yes, but it is something that still needs to be done of course.

[Tara]

Well yes, I know that kids aren't exactly known for giving great feedback. As I originally said, getting the fans opinion would be the best, but as you said parents can work, as long as you get ones that like this series. If you just get any old stay at home mom, we will have another sensor fest on our hands from those nuts. Knowing who to get information from is very tricky yes, but it is something that still needs to be done of course.

The thing is that your core fanbase only makes up a margin of your sales quota.  When marketing a product, you have to think about what will appeal to general audiences, not just the one.  Chances are, if Knuckles' design is really as different as it appears from the one picture we have, then it was given considerable debate and feedback already, and was deemed a marketable choice for one reason or the next.

[Jet Prower]

The thing is that your core fanbase only makes up a margin of your sales quota.  When marketing a product, you have to think about what will appeal to general audiences, not just the one.  Chances are, if Knuckles' design is really as different as it appears from the one picture we have, then it was given considerable debate and feedback already, and was deemed a marketable choice for one reason or the next.

 

Maybe yes. I'm just one of those people that feel that while the core fanbase may not be the mass majority, if you don't make them happy, you risk losing tons of free advertising and publicity that can be good as well. If your core likes it, they are more likely to spread it around that it is a good show, game, or whatever. If you pretty much ignore the core fanbase, you are taking a risk that they will not like it, and do the reverse, where they will constantly dislike your show and just either run them off or have them telling others to avoid your product.

[Salamander]

I'd be surprised if it hadn't already gone through extensive focus-testing.

[Sega DogTagz]

Maybe yes. I'm just one of those people that feel that while the core fanbase may not be the mass majority, if you don't make them happy, you risk losing tons of free advertising and publicity that can be good as well. If your core likes it, they are more likely to spread it around that it is a good show, game, or whatever. If you pretty much ignore the core fanbase, you are taking a risk that they will not like it, and do the reverse, where they will constantly dislike your show and just either run them off or have them telling others to avoid your product.

 

Or you can look at it another way.

 

No matter how far they stray away from the character designs, that core market audience is already captured. No matter what they do, short of slapping an extra arm on Sonic's forehead, they already have your attention They already have my attention. Even if its just negative attention,  the vast majority of fans that are eager to see another Sonic cartoon hit the airways are going to be willing to give this a shot and watch episode 1, no matter how appalling silhouette Knuckles appears to be. Dem are facts.

 

The designers have no reason to bend over to compensate to their core audience because the name of the show means that they already have their heels wedged in your door frame keeping you from slamming the door shut. If anything, they have more incentive to cater to the masses, rather than the core audience on a lot of things. There is more to be gained there.

[Johnny Boy]

Does anybody think we might get a teaser for this show by December?

[Nepenthe]

That would be pretty dang early for a teaser, don't you think? The show airs next year in Fall, so September or October-ish? That's almost a year. We're probably not going to see anything of this for a real long while.

[Tani Coyote]

That would be pretty dang early for a teaser, don't you think? The show airs next year in Fall, so September or October-ish? That's almost a year. We're probably not going to see anything of this for a real long while.

Yeah, earliest we'd see something is MAYBE in the Spring (since that's generally when SEGA like to do their Sonic announcements), and I doubt it'd be anything more than a few-second teaser.

Earliest date we could see something substantial would be the Summer; SEGA's almost certain to show something related to this at Sonic Boom. It's similar to how they showed the Sonic clip from Wreck-It Ralph at Boom 2012. I can see them highlighting it with a panel (they'll probably invite the head writer as a special guest, similar to how Rich Moore was one at 2012) or even making freebies related to it to try and push it at the event.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Ogilvie

[Classic Fan]

What are the chances of SEGA making changes to the character designs following the backlash from fans?

[Tara]

What are the chances of SEGA making changes to the character designs following the backlash from fans?

Next to none, considering they've probably already finalized a few episodes, alongside the fact that I've already mentioned that the fans aren't even the show's primary demographic.

 

But eh, you never know.  Different production companies have different production schedules.

[Jet Prower]

Next to none, considering they've probably already finalized a few episodes, alongside the fact that I've already mentioned that the fans aren't even the show's primary demographic.

 

But eh, you never know.  Different production companies have different production schedules.

 

It still seems sort of like bad marketing to almost ignore that common complaint about that silhouette. Yes, I know lots of us are all going to watch episode one as the other person said, but that's both the positive and negative of the situation. That could both be a positive thing or a not good thing as well. As I said before, your fanbase are the ones that can give you free advertisement or be the ones that spread the word the loudest to avoid said show as well.

[Tara]

It still seems sort of like bad marketing to almost ignore that common complaint about that silhouette. Yes, I know lots of us are all going to watch episode one as the other person said, but that's both the positive and negative of the situation. That could both be a positive thing or a not good thing as well. As I said before, your fanbase are the ones that can give you free advertisement or be the ones that spread the word the loudest to avoid said show as well.

Not necessarily.  Most people who stumble across this board probably only found it because they were looking specifically for something Sonic-related, and in turn, the only people who would ever listen to a Sonic fan in regards to something Sonic-related are other Sonic fans.  More casual fans of the series or other people that watch it (in other words, the assumed majority of the viewers) probably don't care one way or the other about the fan consensus and are probably considerably less offended by the Knuckles design.  In other words, the voice of the fans is more of a faint whisper in the overall market.

 

As for free advertising, even that's not necessarily true, because again, who do you think Sonic fans are going to mostly talk to?  Other Sonic fans who already know about the show.  The revenue gained is not assured to outweigh or be even remotely contributive to the overall revenue they'll receive by keeping it as it is.

 

I understand what you're saying, though.  A good show can please both the core fanbase and the general market, and an even better show can please the core fanbase with things intended for the general market, but appeasing to fans or changing it because a sizable minority are up in arms about it is not a guaranteed revenue stream.

[Classic Fan]

Next to none, considering they've probably already finalized a few episodes, alongside the fact that I've already mentioned that the fans aren't even the show's primary demographic.

 

But eh, you never know.  Different production companies have different production schedules.

 

Aw man. Well as long as they keep these ugly designs out of the games i'll be a happy camper.

[Dantemustdie00]

Ditto on that, I don't want to see those designs in the games, nor comic, don't care for the show through, they can do whatever.

[Abominal SnowTaz]

Well chances are this show could get a spin-off game, kinda like how the new TMNT and Pac-man shows got one, but I doubt it'll count really.

[Salamander]

Wouldn't it be funny if there was a spin-off game and it was actually better than all the other recent Sonic games?

 

Hmm.  Probably not, actually.

[Jet Prower]

Wouldn't it be funny if there was a spin-off game and it was actually better than all the other recent Sonic games?

 

Hmm.  Probably not, actually.

 

Aren't most games based off of tv shows like this usually very simple, very kidish, or KA rated games that are all intended for very young kids?