It may not seem like it today, but there was a time when Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Bros were the protagonists of the most intense rivalry in the video game industry. Although this feud came to an end when Sega stopped producing consoles in the early 2000s (Mario & Sonic have even appeared together in several games) the rivalry had a slight revival over the past few years: Both starred in their own Hollywood blockbuster movies and even just released two new titles, Sonic Superstars and Super Mario Bros: Wonder, just a day apart. Will the blue hedgehog ever be able to outdo the red plumber? A Sega director thinks so.
Will Sonic the Hedgehog surpass Mario Bros in the near future?
In a recent interview with some Sega executives, Osamu Ohashi, CEO of the company, confessed that he personally wants to see Sonic the Hedgehog finally surpass Mario in popularity: “Simply put, I want to surpass Mario. Sonic was a game originally developed to compete with Mario, and we have yet to achieve that,” were Ohashi’s exact words, who then continued, “We want Sonic to be played by everyone, including in Japan, just like Mario. And we want his movie to be a bigger hit than Mario’s. We also want to build a Sonic attraction at Universal Studios Japan. That’s my goal, as a Sonic fan.”
These are bold statements on the part of Osamu Ohashi. While it is true that Sonic the Hedgehog began as a mascot for Sega to compete with Nintendo and Super Mario Bros in the 1980s, the public perspective of both characters has changed drastically since then. Sonic is undoubtedly one of the most famous video game characters globally, but Mario is #1. He is considered the “Mickey Mouse” of the industry. Everyone knows Mario, and no matter how hard Sega tries, it’s almost impossible to reach that level of recognition. Not to mention that Mario earned that title by influencing the entire industry since its inception.
Something similar can be said about their movie adaptations. Although Sonic the Hedgehog released two movies based on his games before Mario (and both were quite successful) the Super Mario Bros movie that came out this year quickly became the third highest grossing animated movie in history, so the blue hedgehog has a tough time in that industry as well. Ohashi also mentioned a Sonic attraction at Universal Studios, alluding to Super Nintendo World, which just opened at the same park. This is because Mario’s huge popularity made the public interested in such an attraction. But we cannot say the same for Sonic the Hedgehog.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is video games. And fans of both franchises have scoffed at Ohashi’s statements because of the changing quality of Sonic the Hedgehog titles. While the different installments of the blue hedgehog have varied in quality and are still struggling to find their true identity, Nintendo has consistently released new Mario games of the highest quality, with almost no blemishes on their catalog. While thankfully Sonic Superstars is a very good game, Super Mario Bros: Wonder quickly surpassed it in reviews and sales. Sega has a lot of work to do if they want Sonic to catch up to Mario, let alone surpass him.
What do you think of the Sega director’s statements? Do you think Sonic the Hedgehog has any chance of surpassing Mario in popularity?
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