What if Sega stops making Sonic the Hedgehog Games?

[Rabbitearsblog]

This is just a "What If?" question since I don't see this happening any time soon.  But, let's say that Sega decided to stop making Sonic the Hedgehog games.  What do you think will happen to the gaming world if they are missing one of their most iconic mascots?

I personally think that there will be a similar reaction to when Superman was briefly killed off in the "Death of Superman" comic book.  People would at first think that Sega wouldn't do that, but when it actually happens, I can see a lot of people wanting Sonic back into the market.  The only way I can see this happening though is if the latest Sonic games haven't been selling well and the franchise continues to go in the gutter for the next few years.

[Rabid-Coot]

Fans will be upset, general reaction will be mocking the franchise then its back within a decade because anything that has made big money in the past inevitably gets abother chance.

[Rabbitearsblog]

1 minute ago, Rabid-Coot said:

Fans will be upset, general reaction will be mocking the franchise then its back within a decade because anything that has made big money in the past inevitably gets abother chance.

Yeah, that's probably why we've been seeing lots of older shows get brought back nowadays, mostly through being rebooted, which I would imagine would happen to Sonic if Sega decided to stop the franchise for awhile.

[Razule]

It'd be like the past few years, but longer.

[Multikaris]

If it really is like 90s DC, does this mean Axel Stone and Arle Nadja get edgy replacements while Sonic lays dead? 

[Dr. Detective]

When George SEGA Lucas stops making games they'll sell it to Disney and they'll immediately get to work on their next trilogy of games, held up by different directors that immediately discard the thing that the last game set-up and everyone will hate it again, but for a different reason this time. 

[Rabbitearsblog]

2 hours ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

When George SEGA Lucas stops making games they'll sell it to Disney and they'll immediately get to work on their next trilogy of games, held up by different directors that immediately discard the thing that the last game set-up and everyone will hate it again, but for a different reason this time. 

I can definitely see this happening.

[LeviTheGreat]

On 12/29/2020 at 6:25 PM, Dr. Detective Mike said:

When George SEGA Lucas stops making games they'll sell it to Disney and they'll immediately get to work on their next trilogy of games, held up by different directors that immediately discard the thing that the last game set-up and everyone will hate it again, but for a different reason this time. 

I hate even the idea!

[MetalSkulkBane]

We know he can't die, but let's Play Pretend.

Honestly I would kinda be ok with this. In this horrible age of sequels, reboots and spin-offs, there is something nice about franchise ending.  This is one reason why I prefer cartoon over anime. Any cartoon with 10+ seasons is mocked for being dead horse (Simpsons, Spongebob) when anime going for ever is just norm (Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece). Similarly Marvel and DC comics, they so large I cannot really comprehend them.

I guess my brain is of Completionist. Franchise must be large enough so I can submerge in it, but also small enough that I won't drown trying to finish it. Sonic took me I think a year, and that's counting both Archie and Fleetway comics.

(I only really don't like when franchise died too early and no one can claim that Sonic didn't had a long run.)

And what would happen for the rest of the world, not just me? All logic says that Sonic would return sooner or later. Heck, eventually he would became public domain. One could argue that long break would actually improve him reputations. Meme burn out without sustenance, both nostalgia and deeper analysis usually highlights the good part of the mixed games. So maybe it would improve his situation.
Or maybe his constant existence is what keeps him relevant. Maybe his grand return would give him respective but niche place in gaming scene.

[Multikaris]

2 hours ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

We know he can't die, but let's Play Pretend.

Honestly I would kinda be ok with this. In this horrible age of sequels, reboots and spin-offs, there is something nice about franchise ending.  This is one reason why I prefer cartoon over anime. Any cartoon with 10+ seasons is mocked for being dead horse (Simpsons, Spongebob) when anime going for ever is just norm (Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece). Similarly Marvel and DC comics, they so large I cannot really comprehend them.

I guess my brain is of Completionist. Franchise must be large enough so I can submerge in it, but also small enough that I can actually finish it. Sonic took me I think a year, and that's counting both Archie and Fleetway comics.

(I only really don't like when franchise died too early and no one can claim that Sonic didn't had a long run.)

And what would happen for the rest of the world, not just me? All logic says that Sonic would return sooner or later. Heck, eventually he would became public domain. One could argue that long break would actually improve him reputations. Meme burn out without sustenance, both nostalgia and deeper analysis usually highlights the good part of the mixed games. So maybe it would improve his situation.
Or maybe his constant existence is what keeps him relevant. Maybe his grand return would give him respective but niche place in gaming scene.

“Dead horses” in western animation are so because of a lack of an overarching narrative of any sort. I say a non-western example of a “dead horse” would be Sazae-San, as it too lacks an overarching narrative. Some shows, such as Thomas the Tank Engine, get brief “renaissance” periods before returning to be as bad or even worse than before. (Season 12 of SpongeBob is considered average, but I’m suspicious of the ones to come after it...)

 

And releasing the series into the PD? Great idea there!

[Indigo Rush]

Literally every fan-fiction will be canon and we'll have to just accept that Nazo Unleashed is real

[SBR2]

On 12/29/2020 at 5:25 PM, Dr. Detective Mike said:

When George SEGA Lucas stops making games they'll sell it to Disney and they'll immediately get to work on their next trilogy of games, held up by different directors that immediately discard the thing that the last game set-up and everyone will hate it again, but for a different reason this time. 

...The worst part is I can absolutely see that happening. I'm still awaiting the day they buy Hasbro just to have their own Toy company and so they can unintentionally own Power Rangers for a third time. 

[Tarnish]

On 12/29/2020 at 10:32 PM, Rabbitearsblog said:

What do you think will happen to the gaming world if they are missing one of their most iconic mascots?

Call me negative nancy, but I doubt he's still as popular as he was in the 90s heyday to begin with. The big guns aren't platformers, anthropomorphic cartoon animals and 'being cool' anymore, and it's not like Sonic has been exactly pushing the platforming genre forward in the past decade at least anyway. My guess is 75% of the current gaming audience wouldn't even notice if we'd never got a Sonic game ever again. Maybe if you'd specifically brought it up, they would be like 'Oh yeah, now that you mention it..'.

[Johnny Boy]

Chances are most gaming “journalists” will be celebrating. But as time passes, they along with the rest of gaming media will start to miss Sonic and will be clamoring for him to come back one day like they did when Crash went on hiatus.

[Tarnish]

53 minutes ago, Johnny Boy said:

Chances are most gaming “journalists” will be celebrating. But as time passes, they along with the rest of gaming media will start to miss Sonic and will be clamoring for him to come back one day like they did when Crash went on hiatus.

Then SEGA releases another mediocre at best Sonic game, and then they'll be like "Well, guess Sonic disappeared for a reason.".

[Multikaris]

1 hour ago, Tarnish said:

Then SEGA releases another mediocre at best Sonic game, and then they'll be like "Well, guess Sonic disappeared for a reason.".

Crash’s comeback was a miracle. Even Megaman and Spyro ain’t fully back yet. Bomberman’s return was well-received, but all we got since was a battle royale edition of that comeback game. Battletoads? Bubsy? Backyard Sports? Prehistorik? Rocket Knight? Ty? Don’t make me laugh.

[Shadow Chaos Control]

17 hours ago, Tarnish said:

Call me negative nancy, but I doubt he's still as popular as he was in the 90s heyday to begin with. The big guns aren't platformers, anthropomorphic cartoon animals and 'being cool' anymore, and it's not like Sonic has been exactly pushing the platforming genre forward in the past decade at least anyway. My guess is 75% of the current gaming audience wouldn't even notice if we'd never got a Sonic game ever again. Maybe if you'd specifically brought it up, they would be like 'Oh yeah, now that you mention it..'.

Sonic will always have his fanbase, but I agree it is hard to sell edgy teen angst anamorphic creatures these days. Mario survives because Nintendo puts out good games. 

The key to survival is getting a new generation addicted to the Blue Blur. Just as Cobra Kai (Netflix) has revived the Karate Kid franchise, SEGA needs to do something that makes long time fans feel heard and that will draw new comers. The Sonic Movie was a step in the right direction, but will it be enough? 

[Rabbitearsblog]

45 minutes ago, Shadow Chaos Control said:

Sonic will always have his fanbase, but I agree it is hard to sell edgy teen angst anamorphic creatures these days. Mario survives because Nintendo puts out good games. 

The key to survival is getting a new generation addicted to the Blue Blur. Just as Cobra Kai (Netflix) has revived the Karate Kid franchise, SEGA needs to do something that makes long time fans feel heard and that will draw new comers. The Sonic Movie was a step in the right direction, but will it be enough? 

It makes me wonder if the new cartoon series will also help Sonic be introduced to newer viewers, as well as long time fans, depending on what they are going to do with the cartoon series. 

[Shadow Chaos Control]

4 hours ago, Rabbitearsblog said:

It makes me wonder if the new cartoon series will also help Sonic be introduced to newer viewers, as well as long time fans, depending on what they are going to do with the cartoon series. 

Exacrly, I surmise the goal of this new Netflix series is to galvanize the fanbase the way The Mandalorian has with SW fans. However, such an attempt is quite risky, Sonic is a video game franchise not a movie saga like SW, its like comparing apples and oranges. 

[Tarnish]

53 minutes ago, Shadow Chaos Control said:

However, such an attempt is quite risky

Risky for who exactly? I mean it's not like the Sonic Boom show cared about turning the Sonic name into even more of a meme, spin-off or not.

[Shadow Chaos Control]

1 hour ago, Tarnish said:

Risky for who exactly? I mean it's not like the Sonic Boom show cared about turning the Sonic name into even more of a meme, spin-off or not.

Risky in that Sonic is video game franchise, while SW as I aforementioned is a movie franchise. SW from beginning was about passive viewership, while Sonic was about active vieweship; the player controls Sonic and friends. This allowed the player to get a sense of Sonic's speed because they had control of the Blue Blur, while watching a film or in this case a series is altogether different, leaving the viewer out of control. 

My point is some stories and characters thrive in one medium than another, can Sonic win over people as a show? In the past the answer would be a yes, but now times have changed. 

[Tarnish]

1 hour ago, Shadow Chaos Control said:

Risky in that Sonic is video game franchise, while SW as I aforementioned is a movie franchise. SW from beginning was about passive viewership, while Sonic was about active vieweship; the player controls Sonic and friends. This allowed the player to get a sense of Sonic's speed because they had control of the Blue Blur, while watching a film or in this case a series is altogether different, leaving the viewer out of control. 

My point is some stories and characters thrive in one medium than another, can Sonic win over people as a show? In the past the answer would be a yes, but now times have changed. 

Well one thing is for sure: it doesn't really matter if a show can bring new people to the games if the games are just not really worth playing. Because chances are, they're not gonna stick around then.

[Shadow Chaos Control]

14 hours ago, Tarnish said:

Well one thing is for sure: it doesn't really matter if a show can bring new people to the games if the games are just not really worth playing. Because chances are, they're not gonna stick around then.

Valid point, SEGA needs to get strict quality control and look to the past successful games and learn why they worked so well. 

[Ravenfreak]

If it does happen Sega still has other franchises that are doing well such as the Yakuza series, so I don't think they'd file for bankruptcy. Sonic could lay dormant for a while like Streets of Rage did and come back years later. If this ever did happen, I'd never buy a new console again tbh. Sonic is my favorite gaming franchise, and if there's never a new Sonic game coming out on newer hardware then there really is no point in buying the new hardware IMO. Gaming journalists would probably be terrible about it and say things like "Well this is what happens when you release mediocre game after mediocre game for years." and you'd see comments like "watch the butthurt Sonic fans will start raging over this, sonic was never good!!1"