It hasn’t been easy for Sonic the Hedgehog the past decade or so. The blue blur who once went toe-to-toe with Mario is now broken and defeated. Barring a decent swan song in 2011, Sonic Generations, Sonic the Hedgehog and its various spinoffs have been in a tailspin.
Things are in such dire straits that the community is willing to give freelance consultation to Sega on ways to redeem the classic franchise.
YouTuber Good Blood recently put out a video highlighting just how badly Sonic has fallen. Seeing side-by-side comparisons of review averages of Sonic games versus Super Mario, it’s apparent that where one has failed miserably, the other has succeeded. He also went on to give Sega his ideas on what he thinks could save Sonic, which has started a lively discussion in the YouTube comments.
Regardless of his opinions on the matter, it’s clear that something is happening at Sega. After the release of Sonic Boom, easily the worst-selling Sonic game ever—even worse than Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)—Sega knows it needs to change course. And what better way than a Twitter account.
Earlier this month, the person who managed Sonic’s Twitter account left after seven years of work.
I'm Kellie. For 7 years, I’ve done the social media for Sonic. Today is my last day at SEGA. http://t.co/okjwa88S9Y pic.twitter.com/RRFPJOtuyM
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 1, 2015
At first it didn’t seem like much had changed. The tweets were your normal PR fare, promoting Sonic stuff while also giving fans a daily dose of nostalgia. And then around June 9, the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account suddenly became aware of its odd role within niche Internet gaming culture.
@TheWickedWild You know there's only one correct answer. pic.twitter.com/quJuPOo0DA
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 9, 2015
The account started to answer fan inquiries.
@KaisaJesta As in shorter, more streamlined levels? Yes. Yes we can. :)
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 9, 2015
It also started taking jabs at its previous games, which were plagued with loading screens.
@PepsiFur Now Loading…
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 9, 2015
For the first time, it really felt like Sega knew and understood its fans, as well as the terrible rap music from Sonic Adventure 2.
@BrentTerco101 Unlike Sonic, Knuckles doesn't chuckle. He'd rather flex his muscles. But we're at Pumpkin Hill. You ready?
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 9, 2015
The Twitter account has just been rolling with it.
@TheDAMNhedge Certified sassy since 1991. pic.twitter.com/BWiuws8yfl
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 9, 2015
And then the unthinkable happened. The account acknowledged Sonichu.
@Charganium Maybe, but only if we give Sonichu blue arms, three scarves, and ultimately just redesign him as Big the Cat.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 10, 2015
Sonichu was made by Christian Weston Chandler, a man who became the victim of vicious Internet trolls back in 2007. He created this mish-mash of Sonic and Pikachu, while feeling it was completely his own creation. He felt so strongly that he claimed Nintendo and Sega ripped off Sonic and Pikachu from him. When trolls found out they could take advantage of him, many did just that.
An acknowledgement of Sonichu means that the person running the account is likely a purveyor of 4chan’s video game board, /v/, as well as other odd factions of Sonic Internet fandom.
@FinaI_Smasher Shadow Kanji is best girl. pic.twitter.com/QddojNX8pC
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 10, 2015
Sonic fans are having a field day with the account.
@CptWiggleFuffle The lights suddenly go out, and the music distorts into a demonic melody. Then, you see him: pic.twitter.com/LVurkavv6x
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 10, 2015
There was even acknowledgement that the best game in the past few years was 2011’s Sonic Generations.
@DalekPuncher ~ANSWER~ They aren't! Try out Sonic Generations: http://t.co/1Fm1hKpXj1
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015
The Twitter account is now being bombarded.
Wake up in the morning to your twitter feed and suddenly: pic.twitter.com/SFJgHX8qIo
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015
The account also acknowledged Nintendo’s “wigger” blunder from April.
@speedyDE20 @TheRealFTA We haven't posted a picture of Waluigi with an unfortunate hashtag yet, but it's probably just a matter of time.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015
The account was getting so creative that people were questioning if the new Sonic Dash and Angry Birds crossover mobile game was real. It’s very real.
Sonic Dash just got more Epic! Join Sonic and his Angry Birds Epic friends as they race towards battling Dr. Eggman. pic.twitter.com/iRyvOCnlsQ
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015
It started giving relationship advice.
@Wagnelles She was a phase, bro. Don't worry – we've been with you for 24 years, and we won't ever leave you.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015
And started tweeting more terrible fan art, coupled with inside jokes.
@richiejun21 True fast is not measured in miles, Rich. True fast is measured in the heart. pic.twitter.com/IJQIJE9y0r
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015
Beyond the Internet jokes, it does seem that Sega is trying to make an effort to not replicate past blunders. Even Sonic’s official Tumblr page announced the new Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice is going to be way better than the first one.
But can good PR make a good game? The answer is no. A good game takes time and cooperation between a publisher and a developer. That’s not the situation with Sonic Boom, in which Sega failed to give developer Big Red Button enough time and resources. YouTube channel Unseen64 Tamaki did a great job uncovering what exactly went wrong.
Either way, it’s clear Sega is doing everything it can to win back the favor of gamers. Fingers crossed that Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice will at least be playable.