SEGA Sonic Visits Nintendo Offices for 'First Day At Work'

[Andrew P]

Sonic the Hedgehog, reporting in for his first day of work... at Nintendo! Yeah, we thought this bit of PR was a little wacky ourselves, but it's all in good fun. Nintendo's official website covered the initiation of SEGA's mascot, which featured the two characters shaking hands and having a great time. Apparently Sonic is also fast at magazine cover turnarounds too.

You can read the whole update on Nintendo's website, but we've also included it below so you can read it here as well.

Quote

REDMOND, Wash., February 6, 2002 - History was made today as Sonic the Hedgehog reported for his very first day of work at Nintendo of America. Putting a decade of rivalry behind them, Mario and Sonic shook hands and began what will certainly be a very long partnership.

This is an exciting time for both Mario and Sonic, because they are each celebrating upcoming game launches. Mario's Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 launches February 11, and Sonic will make his first appearance on Nintendo's best selling platforms with Sonic Adventure 2: Battle for Nintendo GameCube and Sonic Advance for Game Boy Advance on February 11 and 12.

The Sonic games are the first in the U.S. to take advantage of the new Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable, allowing players to transfer data between the two systems. As Sonic strolled to the front door of Nintendo headquarters, it was clear that he was quite proud to be trusted with such a big responsibility.

Sonic was personally greeted by Mario when he arrived at Nintendo headquarters, but the famous hedgehog made it clear that he didn't expect any special treatment. He wanted to wear a badge just like the other employees, and he refused a corner office so that he could sit in the cubicles alongside his fellow workers.

While most new employees spend their first days hoarding office supplies and fruitlessly searching for hidden mushrooms, Sonic went straight to work. Mario took Sonic on a tour of Nintendo, and introduced him to key Nintendo executives. The hedgehog got along marvelously with NOA big-wigs, which is an important skill for upwardly mobile video game characters.

Sonic's next order of business was to visit Nintendo Power Magazine. The staff had just completed work on the cover for Volume 154, which prominently features Sonic. They just needed Sonic's approval to send the issue to press, and after careful deliberation Sonic finally gave the sought-after thumbs-up.

We asked Scott Pelland, Managing Editor of Nintendo Power, if he was nervous about getting Sonic's approval. "You bet I was. With Mario, we pretty much know what will fly and what will get shot down. As it turned out, Sonic was a real pleasure to work with. And I've never seen such fast turnaround for art approval. He's one classy hedgehog."

Dan Owsen, Nintendo's Online Manager, was equally pleased. "What impressed me about Sonic was his speed. He approved the website we're making for him in no time flat. I knew he could run fast, but you should see him work a keyboard. Amazing stuff."

The day wasn't completely filled with work, though. Sonic and Mario took a break to scarf down some grub at the world-famous Mario Cafe, and afterward the pair competed in the two-player mode of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.

By the end of the day, it was clear that Mario and Sonic were meant to work together. More than 155 million Mario video games and more than 20 million Sonic games have been sold worldwide since the first Mario game launch in 1983. Now that they're working together as a team, there's no stopping them.

Welcome to Nintendo, Sonic!

View full story