#sega personaified

[cutegirlmayra]

On one hand I get it but on the other hand it's so bizarre to me that to understand exactly how the sonic franchise works you need knowledge of the way the company functions?? case and point: how it kinda seemed Shad/Amy could've been a thing in earlier games (Knux/Rouge as well) but then never came up again being explained by a replacement in the higher-ups at sega??like that's absolutely bizarre. if you leave a fan to just figure it out from the games-good luck bc the writing doesnt address it

(Our friends at IGN have some research done for you: x Take it with a grain of salt.)

“As SEGA’s star has faded, some are quick to whitewash their history; to act as if their success was the fluke and their failure inevitable. It’s natural – the victors always write the history books – but that isn’t the way it happened. This is the story of SEGA; the good, the bad, and the possibilities of what could have been.” -IGN

Ah, I see you’ve done your research, my friend! indubitably so, our friends at SEGA have been making ideas and scrapping them mid-way for some time now. If you study any companies ‘fundamental personality’ with running a certain franchise you will see how that affects production.

Always remember!

 History is affected by how the Pre-Production is handled.

This can be for any number of medias, but I think it mostly affects the film industry. Games are different, mind you, but they also have a cinematic field/feel to them that shouldn’t be overlooked. Scripts, animators, directors, etc. Just to name the familiar ones.

Marketing, managing, and running the ‘behind the scenes’ for a lack of a better word- productions is incredibly complex and extremely psychological but crucial for the creation of practically anything marketable.

SEGA’s learned a lot through the years and has kept afloat by more than loyal fans. They don’t shut things down, they keep going and count their losses with a sense of “We’ll excel to the future” instead of just falling down and sprawling out because they feel they’ve run out of their luck.

For this, I admire some of their staff and officials. But for other reasons, I wish I could just say- “Hey, this is a good idea. Develop this further.” Or “Don’t do that. I promise you, that’s a waste of time.” There’s a lot of things that they haven’t considered or haven’t recognized ‘silent successes’ that I believe is the key to moving them forward.

Sonic characters are highly influenced by choices. Inexperienced writers or fans that haven’t worked in the particular genre of Sonic will find it difficult though fun to try and mess with it. However, this isn’t meant to be a fun project to fiddle with. They’re being PAID to write a SUCCESS GAME. Most writer’s today write to hit deadlines and sip their drinks. They have passion, but it’s for particular things, and when those things aren’t there they run wild for the jokes to keep themselves and possibly their friends entertained.

I know this sounds harsh, lol. But reality never was sugar-coated in the grand scheme of things.

If SEGA allowed fans to view their history. A documentary or even an insightful look at how characters were created, plots for stories were formed, games were designed, and problems they faced… I think the fandom would be more emphatic to their circumstances today. (They’re not in extreme peril or anything- or the abyss of debt like they used to be, but do have their struggles. Much like the Japanese, they keep this on the downlow, as most companies do.)

If you look into the history of many companies, not just games, you can see how their franchises shift with the ‘Company Personality’ changes that occur too. Either to new staff changes, tragedy, loss, paranoia, lack of experience, etc.

SEGA overall has been a survivor with gritted teeth, yanking his competition down and climbing to where he’s made it today. At first brutal, he is now a silent admirer, hands in his pockets, only pulling them out to make and show new things he’s quietly content with. Recently, he’s been extremely excited about Sonic Mania, and confident in showing that off to people.

I could literally personify SEGA for you. A hard worker with a loud mouth that has slowly grown quieter over the years, more refined with age. He’s never stopped learning nor given up, and the once restless teen has become a contender to grab at long-lasting fame and this time- hang onto it like a football.

SEGA is trying to re-identify many things about himself, and this process is long and tiresome for most of those working for him, wanting the benefits fast and him delivering it as soon as he can. But he’s slowed a bit and tried to refine himself in his old age. I have high hopes that with good people patting his back and whispering, kindly, great ideas that he’ll excel with a running start up that cliff to success and fame again- where he silently now longs to return. (The fall was rough, lol he hurt his shoulder. He rotates it ever now and then to remind him that he was once tall, and he’ll be okay as long as he keeps pushing through.)

This is just the trends I’ve seen. So when I see things like- “Sonic Boom” I think, “SEGA is having an identity crisis in America again.” Or when “Sonic Mania” came back- “He’s not only reminiscing, but inventing again. He’s got his spark of passion/enthusiasm again. Looking at things in a new light and in new times.” When I see the news about “Sonic Forces” I see SEGA taking a stride in the new time, trying. Always desperately trying without showing too much of his struggle in doing so.

A once punkish kid who picked his nose and flicked it to other companies is now wearing a more casual business attire and making a Rocky Movie change. This has been happening for years now.

I’m excited for this little guy’s progress but hope his speedy intents slow down further to think things through and really put everything he has into finding pride at the end of his creations again. and with that-!

DO YOUR RESEARCH MY FANS!

“Not all stories have a happy ending. SEGA is not dead, but they may be in shackles. Since the Sammy takeover, the flow of internally-developed SEGA games has slowed to a small fraction of what it once was. Arcade operations have been pared down sharply, and Western developers have been handed the keys to SEGA's franchises, even when the original creators are still on staff. Many industry legends still work there, but too few are being allowed to do what they do so well. Occasionally we are allowed glimpses of SEGA's potential greatness in games like Yakuza, but more often we simply wonder what they could possibly be working on for so long.

Either way, we know it will never be the same. Whatever we have to look forward to, it will be different than what it was. The important thing is that we don't let the present color the past. It's a tendency of writers, and perhaps just human nature, to focus on the victors and their glorious paths to conquest, but it often doesn't reflect the complexities of history. SEGA was one of the most active, creative, and productive developers the industry has ever known, and nothing that can happen to their name since will change that.“ -IGN

that is all~