Should Sonic games start being made in the West?

[Mauro Fonseca]

4 minutes ago, VisionaryofSUPER said:

We can't ignore the business side of things though because that's an unfortunate reality of business. From the creative angle we just want what provides good quality games regularly. But for the last several years we haven't been getting good quality. We get a Roller Coaster as far as quality goes. And despite this, the franchise is somehow still alive and profitable. 

 

We absolutely can, considering the framing of the question in the opening, which is "the creative side in Japan's lost steam, the creative side in the US hasn't, should they have the reigns". So my answer is "please no, the creative side in the US often makes creative decisions that are absolutely counter what I want". We're not talking markets, we're talking the creative side.

[VO.SUPER]

I mean. Yeah in that case then I don't care who does what. I think both are their own forms of incompetent. 

On the creative half I'd be happy for a mix of American and Japanese input.

[UpCDownCLeftCRightC]

Last I heard, a few years ago or so, this has already begun to happen so this thread is kind of moot now tbh. Just saying.

Sonic Team as we knew it no longer exists. Sonic is being overseen in the west now and we will learn who is working on the games when the next title releases.

[VO.SUPER]

I think what we've been hearing is that development is still in Japan, but then again that may not matter as much depending on who are in the credits. 

More than a few non Japanese have worked on previous Sonic titles. 

But I really doubt it matters that much. 

[Guest]

On 3/11/2021 at 12:53 AM, The KKM said:

Where possible, no.

For all the fumbling the JP side does, there's been few instances where I've felt the US side understands how the franchise without immediately reducing it to the most comparable western terms, as shown with Boom, Archie Sonic, the Movie, etc etc etc, even in Sonic 2 compare the cut zones like Wood Zone to stuff like Emerald Hill- "it's a forest but big" vs "it's a crazy popart tropical beach". The end result would be a copy Sonic that'd be kneejerk-praised, cementing that it'd be content to stay like that. While there's discontent there's at least the hope of "they're complaining so we must be doing something wrong" vs "we do whatever we want and they praise it, let's continue doing whatever we want".

 

Mind I'm not necessarily saying the end result would be bad quality-wise, but like. Imagine Rise of Lyric had been a good game. It'd still have been worth little to nothing to me, since it's abjectly not what I want from Sonic. Like asking for fries and getting a really good salad instead- yeah sure, but what I want is fries

So in this reply, "The west" means the US to you (nobody in this thread said it, you did)...

On 3/11/2021 at 8:15 AM, Kuzu said:

Eeehhh, there's really not much I can see SoA doing better than SoJ, so its kind of doesn't make a difference to me.

I get the distinct feeling that Sega of America don't exactly take Sonic that seriously as a platform either.

Let's be honest- does anybody? Besides hardcore fans?

23 hours ago, The KKM said:

Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, etc all aren't audience?

Again, please stop acting like "Sonic's not as popular in Japan" means "Sonic's only popular in the West" and "West" means "United States of America" alone. It's how the rest of the world gets saddled with ultra-American-specific choices in localisation.

Also arguments like "SoJ not interfering with the film resulted in the film being a success" don't really work for me here since if you're telling me "Sonic being wholly made in America means it can be like the film" just ensures my answer is "forbid Sonic from being made in the US" lol. I very much don't want the film to be the future of the franchise.

...Well you didn't mention them in your earlier reply.

19 hours ago, The KKM said:

I'm not trying to argue by a business perspective? If I were I'd say just turn every character into a personification and make a mobile trading card game out of it.

Tbh don't give them any ideas.

[Mountaindewandsprite]

I'd say yes. As someone said before, Sonic usually does better in the west, not to mention a lot of elements of Sonic himself are derived from Western culture. The Post-SGW Archie comics did what Sega could never achieve. They had spectacular worldbuilding, a consistent lore, better treatment of characters, etc.

[Mauro Fonseca]

2 hours ago, Angyu said:

So in this reply, "The west" means the US to you (nobody in this thread said it, you did)...

Let's be honest- does anybody? Besides hardcore fans?

...Well you didn't mention them in your earlier reply.

Tbh don't give them any ideas.

I didn't mention them in my earlier reply because you're conflating two separate arguments, which please don't.

I don't need to mention the fact the West isn't just the US when talking about not wanting Sonic done in the West because I also don't fully trust that creative decisions made in Europe would fit the franchise.

I need to mention the West isn't just the US when people are treating it as such and saying that specifically US marketing saved the franchise from dying in the 90s.

This should be pretty clear.

[VO.SUPER]

You know. I would be curious if Sonic games started being developed in the UK or Brazil. (Don't knock them their games development is growing). 

Mostly due to Sonic's popularity in these places, I'd love to see how these unique takes handled it. 

[Guest]

19 hours ago, VisionaryofSUPER said:

You know. I would be curious if Sonic games started being developed in the UK or Brazil. (Don't knock them their games development is growing). 

Mostly due to Sonic's popularity in these places, I'd love to see how these unique takes handled it. 

Yes! We need more games from Brazil tbh.

[Piko]

On 3/14/2021 at 4:14 AM, VisionaryofSUPER said:

You know. I would be curious if Sonic games started being developed in the UK or Brazil. (Don't knock them their games development is growing). 

Mostly due to Sonic's popularity in these places, I'd love to see how these unique takes handled it. 

I would be interested to see how a Sonic game developed in the UK would turn out. It wouldn't be the first time a Sonic game has been developed here, with Hardlight and Sumo Digital being behind the mobile games and the more recent racing games respectively, so it's not entirely off limits. Not to mention the tons of UK-based studios that SEGA owns, or at least have worked with before.

[BadBehavior]

4 hours ago, Piko said:

I would be interested to see how a Sonic game developed in the UK would turn out. It wouldn't be the first time a Sonic game has been developed here, with Hardlight and Sumo Digital being behind the mobile games and the more recent racing games respectively, so it's not entirely off limits. Not to mention the tons of UK-based studios that SEGA owns, or at least have worked with before.

It'll all be worth it if we get Total War Mobius from Creative Assembly

[KoDaiko]

I personally prefer (what I assume to be) SoJ's direction of the lore/characterization, but the "west" has more creative outlets and audiences for Sonic to prosper.