The movie takes viewers on a journey along with the bright blue hedgehog as he navigates through life on earth and his battle against the villainous Dr. Robotnik and his plans for world domination. The film was received so well that fans are already whispering about the possibility of a sequel.
When the Sega Genesis came out with the first Sonic game in the summer of 1991, it was evident that the character would be their most successful mascot. After being at console wars with famed rival Nintendo for many years and continually lagging behind, Sonic the hedgehog was the beginning of a new era for Sega. An era of soaring sales units. The character was edgy and appealed to an older audience than Nintendo. Fans went crazy for the franchise. With printed media, animations, and merchandise, it has grossed over $5 billion to date, making it one of the bestselling video game franchises ever.
An Unsuccessful Streak
Sadly, the success didn’t last long for the company as things started going awry very quickly. Updates to the Mega Drive console were more disappointing with each release, and they were steadily losing fans and money. They encountered a new contender in the PlayStation console released by Sony. Sony did so much better at attracting a much wider audience. Their consoles were cheaper and featured more impressive graphics. With their presence, Sega was pushed down to third place.
Sega’s Saturn was a disappointment and a major drawback for the company. The Dreamcast console was released in 1999 and was one of their best releases yet and debuted Sonic Adventure. The game was designed in 3D but still retained elements and levels from the original release. And Sonic was remodeled to a slimmer and slightly taller version. Dreamcast was their hope of bouncing back after so many failures, but they ended up backing out of the console business less than two years later. It was going to take a miracle to salvage the company at this point.
The Inspiring Comeback
Fast-forward to 2019, the famed mascot is making a comeback in the most extravagant way possible, on the big screen.
The initial trailer debuted a humanoid version of Sonic and received an outcry from displeased fans who wanted to see the famous character stay true to its cartoonish roots. Thankfully Sega was able to revamp Sonic. However, the scheduled late 2019 release date was pushed to early 2020.
This was the time they got their miracle. With the virus pandemic hindering people from going to the cinemas and being a dump month release, the movie managed to shoot to the top of the box office. It raked in an estimated $70 million locally on its opening weekend. The best in the history of video game adaptations.
What Are the Odds?
In between both timelines, the company was dwindling but did not die out. Letting go of Dreamcast, Sega was able to branch out to other areas. From making coin-operated amusement machines to entering the gaming console market and out, it was the perfect moment to try the online casino scene. They released Sega branded slots casino and poker games as well as an online casino website. Since then many online casino brands have launched pokies with playful Sega style themes which have proven to be a big success amongst today’s retro-loving players.
Online Slots are very similar to the video game structure, so this gaming category allowed them to stay close to home. Sega also launched a character-based slots app featuring its video game characters. Casino gaming was not to be the saving grace of the company as the games were pulled from the market in 2015 due to concerns over quality control. Many wonder if Sonic is a dead franchise. The answer came in the form of an action movie remake filled with wit and fast-paced fun. Sonic, the hedgehog, has once again won the favor of fans and critics. It is Sega’s best creation to date.
