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Sonic series producer: Sonic Mania sold the most to kids overseas. No current plans after SM+

ggx2ac

ggx2ac

Sales Heaven or Sales Hell?
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Oct 25, 2017
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This is from an interview with the Sonic Series Producer: Takashi Iizuka

https://s.famitsu.com/news/201805/01156313.html

This is only Google translated and interpreted to clean up the grammar, double check for yourself in the link. There's other things talked about in the interview like Japan getting CD soundtracks with their purchase of Sonic Mania Plus physically.

Q: When you hear that the motivation for development is high enough, I expect a sequel.

Iizuka: The next project is called Sonic Mania ' (Dash).(Laughs)
That was a joke, the project "Sonic Mania" feels complete issuing the packaged version "Plus". I have not thought about what to do with the series in the future currently.
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Edit, changed from a machine translated quote to:

Dooble said:
The interviews was translated by PlayStation Lifestyle.
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Famitsu: Finally, please leave a message to the fans.

Iizuka: Thanks to everyone who bought the original Sonic Mania, we're able to continue it to Plus, and we're really grateful for that. There may be some impressions that Sonic Mania was aimed for people who knew of the Genesis-era games simply because it is a 2D game that feels like the past, but in actuality, people from a very broad age range are playing it.

Especially outside Japan, the highest user demographics of digital downloads came from grade schoolers. This time we're selling it in a form and price that's easy to obtain, so to those who haven't got to play this yet, please kindly get this. I can proudly recommend this title to Japanese grade schoolers as well.
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Rob

Rob

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Oct 25, 2017
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Sonic Team would be dumb to not create a sequel to Sonic Mania if it did so well.
 

Deleted member 71

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Oct 25, 2017
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I think it would be crazy for us to not see a sequel from Team Mania at some point. At the same time, I imagine that Iizuka wouldn't talk about a potential sequel until after the release of Mania Plus.
 

Deleted member 42221

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I feel like they're getting the wrong lessons from this. Not making another one? Emphasising that a lot of elementary students bought it? :thinking:
 
ASaiyan

ASaiyan

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Oct 25, 2017
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"The game sold very well, particularly to the younger demographic we've been trying to reach for years. Thus, we have no plans for a sequel. Because we are Sonic Team, you see."
 
Imran

Imran

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Oct 24, 2017
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From what I've heard, the team is done with/are finishing Sonic Mania Plus and Sega has not indicated they have any further plans for them, so they're searching out their next project.
 
OP
OP
ggx2ac

ggx2ac

Sales Heaven or Sales Hell?
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Oct 25, 2017
3,504
Cordelia Blimey said:
I feel like they're getting the wrong lessons from this. Not making another one? Emphasising that a lot of elementary students bought it? :thinking:
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If you look through the interview, he talks about how Plus was necessary to be able to release a packaged version of the game because the current price of Sonic Mania isn't enough to cover packaging and distribution costs.

They're probably going to take that into account next time to make something that will release physically and not digital only.
 
Imran

Imran

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Oct 24, 2017
6,588
Darkpyro2 said:
Did Mania or Forces sell better?
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In a vacuum? Not sure. I wouldn't be shocked if Forces sold better since it was more readily available at retail at a budget price and released close to the holidays on Switch.

But for the budget, I'd imagine Mania was a more profitable project, especially if you consider how many iterations Forces must have gone through between Generations until the final release.
 
Gotdatmoney

Gotdatmoney

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Oct 28, 2017
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Cordelia Blimey said:
I feel like they're getting the wrong lessons from this. Not making another one? Emphasising that a lot of elementary students bought it? :thinking:
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They will probably make another one. But until they release Plus and the new game is far along why start pushing sequel talk?

Imran said:
From what I've heard, the team is done with/are finishing Sonic Mania Plus and Sega has not indicated they have any further plans for them, so they're searching out their next project.
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Oh, nm lol.

Sega, what are you doing?
 

Cap G

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,488
Strange that so many young children enjoy the game when so many of the most common complaints are regarding the difficulty, ie timer being overly strict, harsh penalties/level replays on death, obstacles being hard to dodge at high speeds, etc

:^)
 
Village

Village

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Oct 25, 2017
11,809
OH hey the good game appeals to everyone because its good.

Maybe instead of throwing shit into your 3d games trying to appeal to various demographics at once. Uh make a good game. And folks will just like the game. Weird concept sega. Effort, just crazy concept
 
Yunyo

Yunyo

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Oct 25, 2017
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How would they know the age? Unless they're saying Switch owners = kids or something lol

Or maybe it was just an offhand comment that wasn't serious.
 
somerandomweirdguy

somerandomweirdguy

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Nov 2, 2017
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They have no idea what they're doing with Sonic and haven't for over a decade. I say this as a huge modern Sonic stan that plays Sonic in large part for the plot and would kill for a new Sonic RPG.

But let's see how they bungle the next 3D Sonic. Should be fun
 

Doof

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Oct 25, 2017
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Sega games often have a link to a customer experience survey on the PSN dashboard. Could that be where he's getting his demographics info?
 
Nanashrew

Nanashrew

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Oct 25, 2017
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Especially overseas, the number of users downloaded by primary school students is the most numerous. This time, I will issue "Plus" in a form that is easy to pick up, so if you have not played yet, I'd love to pick it up. It is a title that is encouraged also to elementary school students in Japan.
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Completely expected. Sonic has always been popular with kids. Their mismanagement of Sonic and any lack of kids getting into the series is on Sega.
Imran said:
From what I've heard, the team is done with/are finishing Sonic Mania Plus and Sega has not indicated they have any further plans for them, so they're searching out their next project.
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Completely expected. *sigh*
 

Cap G

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
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Imran said:
From what I've heard, the team is done with/are finishing Sonic Mania Plus and Sega has not indicated they have any further plans for them, so they're searching out their next project.
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I absolutely cannot believe this

Sega pumps out games that give way worse proft margins on the regular

What you are suggesting is literally spite
 
Imran

Imran

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Oct 24, 2017
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There's always the chance Sega goes "Actually wait we want a new project," or they get work somewhere else and then follow up on Sonic Mania afterward

But right now they are looking for work elsewhere
 

Dark Cloud

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Oct 27, 2017
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Imran said:
There's always the chance Sega goes "Actually wait we want a new project," or they get work somewhere else and then follow up on Sonic Mania afterward

But right now they are looking for work elsewhere
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Somebody who actually cares and appreciates good work, unlike Sega, should bring them on board.
 
Zubz

Zubz

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Oct 25, 2017
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Imran said:
From what I've heard, the team is done with/are finishing Sonic Mania Plus and Sega has not indicated they have any further plans for them, so they're searching out their next project.
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Why the fuck didn't SEGA lock-in Whitehead & his crew immediately for a multi-game contract? It's infuriating being a SEGA fan, but them finally figuring out what the hell to do with Sonic after a decade or 2 of floundering, then ditching the guys that did it for them, is a whole new level of stupid.
 
Creepy Woody

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Nov 11, 2017
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I'm surprised kids so young are clamoring for 2D Sonic when they didn't grow up with it. I just assumed they would want 3D Sonic because it's what they grew up with. Interesting!

Sonic is so mismanaged, it wouldn't surprise me if they just went ahead and kept making more shitty 3D Sonic's like Forces and left this behind.
 
Shadoken

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Oct 25, 2017
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Imran said:
From what I've heard, the team is done with/are finishing Sonic Mania Plus and Sega has not indicated they have any further plans for them, so they're searching out their next project.
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Either they are just keeping quiet because they dont want to reveal any plans Or Sega is just so fking petty. But they given how Sega Japan and America have had issues in the past , I wouldn't put it past them.
 
low-G

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Cordelia Blimey said:
I feel like they're getting the wrong lessons from this. Not making another one? Emphasising that a lot of elementary students bought it? :thinking:
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A fan showed up at their door and (to appearances) effortlessly made a game a thousand times better than their struggling, pathetic efforts. That is some hardcore shame and not likely to be acknowledged.

What are they going to say? "We suck, we'll always suck, and we should just have our fans make games for us instead?" Because that's all they could ever say.
 
ZeroDS

ZeroDS

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Oct 29, 2017
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I don't understand how Sega can constantly miss the mark like this. It's either ignorance or arrogance. They seem so completely out of the loop sometimes
 
rumyhy

rumyhy

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Creepy Woody said:
I'm surprised kids so young are clamoring for 2D Sonic when they didn't grow up with it. I just assumed they would want 3D Sonic because it's what they grew up with. Interesting!
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It's because Sonic is a pretty cool character, and Sonic Mania knows how to convey that. The appeal of the game, aside from the great gameplay is very character driven.
 
RNG

RNG

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Oct 25, 2017
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I have a feeling Sonic Team is salty that the fans were able to make a better game than them lol. They're making a big mistake on not making a Sonic Mania 2 though.
 
Punchline

Punchline

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Oct 25, 2017
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they're just being coy, of course they're going to follow up-

Imran said:
There's always the chance Sega goes "Actually wait we want a new project," or they get work somewhere else and then follow up on Sonic Mania afterward

But right now they are looking for work elsewhere
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...huh. do you have any source for this? seems like a serious dropping of the ball here
 
Serene

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You mean to tell me Sega is making a bad decision with the Sonic franchise? Why I'd never.
 
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