SEGA CEO recognises Sonic Boom game was a disaster and wanted to win fans

SEGA CEO Haruki Satomi has recently participated in an interview with Japanese news site The Nikkei during which he discussed the failings of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and getting the beloved IP back on track. Satomi said that the biggest low point for Sonic was the Wii U game Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric which was panned by critics and probably fans of the franchise. Satomi mentioned that they tried to correct course by planning a 2D Sonic game and had the opportunity to connect with the developers who were huge Sonic fans and they proposed that they create a brand new Sonic game titled Sonic Mania which went on to be a hit both critically and commercially. Here’s what he said:

“We haven’t always been successful with our IPs. For example, while “Sonic” was extremely well-received and successful in the US, even more so than in Japan, there was a time when it almost lost its credibility and reputation. This was around the time we were developing several titles under the series name “Sonic Boom.”

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (released in 2014 for the Wii U) received a dismal Metascore of around 30 out of 100 on Metacritic, a US website that collects reviews of movies, TV shows, music albums, and games. Unusually for the time, the project also included an anime series, but the game itself simply didn’t get good reviews.

So, in an attempt to win back the fans’ expectations, they made a fresh start with “Sonic Mania,” released in 2017. This title received a high rating of 86 on Metacritic, which became the catalyst for Sonic’s revival.”

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