In His Words, it’s “Exactly what Colours Will Do”
We first told you about Sega’s intent to deliberately market Sonic Colors to children in May, and once again our source is right on the money.
Proof positive comes in a new interview CVG held with Sega West head Mike Hayes. Hayes draws a clear division between the intended demographic targets for both Colors and Sonic the Hedgehog 4. The latter deliberately targets “core” gamers, while the Wii and DS exclusive is child’s play:
We’ve got to make games that appeal to the 7-to-12-year-old which is exactly what Colours will do – and then we need to appeal to the core gamer, which is what Sonic 4 is doing.
Our source first told TSSZ News about Sega’s intent to skew marketing toward young gamers on May 27th, explaining the push toward mainstream Wii gamers and not necessarily on dedicated Sonic fans. The source even compared the strategy to that of edutainment title Jambo Safari: Animal Rescue.
Interestingly enough, Hayes felt the upcoming Kinect exclusive Sonic Free Riders could appeal to gamers of all ages:
Riders, funnily enough, is actually where the boundary is grey, and we like to say it will appeal to both. The feedback we’re getting from retailers is that because it’s branded is very popular both in America and Europe, it’s an easier sale when they’re talking about Kinect to consumers – “look you’ve got Sonic”.
The full interview is available at the link cited above. There’s another noteworthy component of the Q&A, relevant to Sonic fandom, that we’ll talk about tomorrow on TSSZ News.
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So? As long as it’s fun I don’t care what age group it’s directed towards.
n00neimp0rtant: It’s nice to think like that, but the last deliberately child-like Sonic title was SBK…and we all know how that turned out.
-T
Hmm…
As long as it isn’t as stupid and patronising as Heroes and Unleashed, then why the hell not?
@T: SBK was “child-like”? Try the titles I mentioned already above.
Although they were a couple of cheesy lines, Black Knight wasn’t that “child-like” in comparison to those two.
I’ve noticed that even games that Sega markets towards children (which, when you think of it, is every Sonic game) still have something in it to appeal to older gamers. Even SatBK had its arguably child-unfriendly moral of “it’s better to let something end rather than keeping it in an endless cycle of stagnation” (which some haters say applies well to Sonic itself).
I have faith that there’s going to be something in Colours for older gamers to appreciate, especially with the writers being the same ones behind MadWorld.
Kits: I think a much better argument can be made for Unleashed vs. Heroes, but Unleashed was panned in the press all the same.
-T
If they’re marketing this specifically at kids, they’d better make the difficulty reflect that decision. No Unleashed-style obcene unfairness, okay, SEGA? Nothing that crushes the will of a 21-year-old core gamer should EVER be sold to children, period.
If it IS easier, it appeals to me greatly as well. There are plenty of adult gamers who don’t want the level of crushing difficulty from Unleashed, and I think SEGA would do well to learn this. But I’m sure they expect this to sell to their über-hardcore Sonic fans anyway.
i dont care its for younger kids i am still geting this game. if thier is older kids is 15 or 17 they might get this game sonic game.
This news is old. It was said near the very start that this was aimed at the kiddies.
I still don’t understand marketing Sonic to kids when he has an appeal to everyone, like Mario. This title can easily be marketed to both kids and adults.
so what if they meant it for 7-12 year olds? the kid in me is anxious to play Colors
I am not exactly sure what they mean by for kids, but it could mean the difficulty will be easy or there won’t be any big words or something. Even if it is for kids, I’m still getting this as it looks like a very good game.
I think really all Sonic titles are for kids, but they appeal to adult gamers alike.
P.S. This game is going to rock!
aren’t _ALL_ sonic games for kids?
the classic trilogy, adventure 1-2, unleashed, heroes, hell, even shadow was for 12 year olds!
so no problem for me. this game will kick some serious a**.
Thats is a negative point already
I smell an excuse for an shit story…
@Tristan: Sonic and the Black Knight had one of the best scripts since SA2, it wasn’t really kiddy(Well all Sonic games are for kids, but this had the same atmosphere as SA2 to me) or anything, I have no idea what you are talking about so if this game is anything like that it’ll be fantastic.
SoNiC FReak: Hayes says as part of his CVG interview that Sonic 4 is meant for the “core” gamer.
If Sonic 4 is meant for “core” gamers, and it’s meant to DIRECTLY succeed S3&K, I don’t think that argument can be made anymore, at least for the classic trilogy.
-T
So hold on then. The game they’re making for the children for the Wii looks well made yet it’s made for kids who will buy the game anyway, yet Sonic 4, meant to win people back, looks shoddily put together and isn’t much more than nostalgia rehash.
The hell? I’m not saying that Colors should be shitty but Sonic 4 needs more love, and unfortunately there’s nothing the delay can do to change many of the things that need addressing (music, art direction, general level themes, etc etc)
“It’s nice to think like that, but the last deliberately child-like Sonic title was SBK…and we all know how that turned out.”
Sure, but you know what? Had it not been for some crappy controls, the game would’ve done better. And guess who said it. IGN.
Look, the franchise needs some quality games to get back on its feet, and if Sonic Colours and Sonic 4 achieve that, regardless of the audience targeted by the former, you make Sonic a reputable name again.
Sonic 4 is aimed at core gamers…i.e people who were alive when Genesis was around.
Colors is aimed at younger gamers…i.e new gamers who might be just getting into games. It has a fresh storyline, no previous continuity. simple controls and presentation…
It’s not really about being “kiddy”/
I have to question if Hayes actually has seen the entirety of the game, because Black Knight, while kid-friendly, felt like it was more fan-driven than outright kiddy, not to mention there were a number of darker moments (Gawain aka Knuckles trying to KILL himself out of shame, and Sonic’s massive beating near the climax of the game).
Although, while Colours definitely does look more kid friendly than Black Knight was, perhaps helps that it’s more carnival themed than medieval themed, remember that, unless I’m mistaken, the writers of MadWorld are involved with the story.
Let’s see what develops, shall we?
So like I’m buying Sonic Colors anyway because I’m forever a kid at heart.
Kid-oriented, eh? I want to see how the writers of MadWorld are gonna spice this up a bit! (Eggman giggle) Oh, and wasn’t Sonic meant to be kid-friendly in the first place? Heck, Sonic 4 seems to appeal to the younger audience too. Bright backgrounds, fast-paced action, good-leveled difficulty, etc. Personally, I think that Sonic games should appeal to everyone and not just a certain age group. I mean look at Sup–Wait! I’m not getting into that again…….
Pretty sure that’s always about the marketing range sonic falls in.
This is a damn lie.
If it was for kids it wouldn’t look good.[/pointless trollin']
IN BEFORE THE CYCLE
Quite honestly, I’m a little tired of hearing people say which Sonic titles more for kids. Cause I don’t care! I’m still gonna get it anyway!
What ever happened to Rated E for Everyone?
Exactly, Mike. Sega shouldn’t be labeling demographics on these so early. Could Colors be a fun game for everyone? I’m sure it could. But shoehorning it into a 7-12 age demo automatically signals to me, a 20-something, that elements of it may not be my cup of tea.
-T
Alright, something’s not right here, he saying Sonic Colors is for kids, while Sonic 4 is for “core” gamers… However, it seems the “core” gamers that Sonic 4 was suppose to be targeting are more for Sonic Color which he said was for kids…
I’d rather a kids game than something that tries to make a blue hedgehog seem dark and mysterious, like sonic 06 tried to do with its storyline. I think Sonic belongs in a kiddy world.
This is not good.
You only will need 100 points to get an “S” score, WTF.
I think there’s a general misconception among gamers in regards to games “targeted” for demographics. Any game targeted at a certain demographic should be accessible to older gamers, this doesn’t neccasarily work in reverse.
It’s not about being for babies or being “kiddy”, it’s about accessibility. Look at Pixar films. Accessible to very young kids…loved by everyone. Now, a lot of times this fails and some things only work for one age group. It seems Sonic X worked for younger Sonic fans, and not older ones.
It also seems that Sonic wanted to release a Sonic title for younger gamers not familiar with the classics, but may have picked up Secret Rings or Unleashed. This shouldn’t affect our interest. I’m 25, and owned Sonic 1 on release day. I think Colors looks cool. And, Sonic 1 was aimed at younger gamers too actually. The game was very, VERY easy and bright and colorful and…you get the picture. I loved it when I was 6. I still do. As gamers, we’ll never be respected until we let go of our childish and immature need to be seperate from childish games. I still see people say it’s stupid that play Kirby games. LOL
It still amazes my why SEGA is not considering an PS360 Version of the game I really want to play it on my 360 after fully completing every game on the console SO WHO IS WITH ME?!!!
The irony of Sonic Colors is that I may end up enjoying that more than Sonic 4 if the previews are to say anything.(I mean, GameTrailers gives a Kiddie Sonic Game a nomination for best platformer of E3 2010)
You are right udx. Even if sega does say it is for the 7-12 age group, it got nominated which is impressive. It was probably on the top 3 for the award list for winning it.
I don’t get it Sega said that the game’s story is for both adult and kids.
@Tristan:
So you think Colors will bomb in sales like Sonic and the Black Knight did? I don’t feel SBK was geared toward kids any more so than other newer Sonic games I’ve seen (SA1 onward, mainly looking at his 3D ones here) so I doubt who its geared toward will greatly affect sales. And I think Sonic Colors will appeal more to people in general (even if the majority of Sonic game guyers are kids these days) than SBK did simply because there is more emphasis on running and a mix with fun new things rather than hack-n-slash.
And for the record guys, I fuckin’ loved SBK and feel it was a damn shame the effort put into it was overlooked. But if you didn’t like the attacking system, I can understand it, since everyone’s used to Sonic using only the homing attack or some other variation of a jump attack in his games.
I think it’s funny how the kid’s game has gained more hype than the core game! (personally I’m more excited for Free Riders and then after that 4)
Speaking of Free Riders, my friend that works at walmart said that Kinect is going to have 2 different versions. One that is Kinect and goes for 150, and one that is Kinect and Kinect Sports which goes for 200… I have to buy a 1200 dollar Keytar, a 150 dollar camera to play free riders and I have to buy a 3DS on top of this… gaming sucks sometimes.
@ Spider
See, SEGA will learn something important this year!
@ Abdulla
You do realize why SEGA isn’t going to do that? Releasing a game like Colors on the 360 and PS3 could potentially be disastrous in sales since those consoles are generally played for RPG’s, Shooters and such, while the Wii is known for not being as hardcore, while the DS targets everyone, so when releasing something on a system that is targeted for everyone and for kids (who will buy nearly anything with a cutesy animal on it), SEGA will make more profit. This also goes for why Sonic 4 is a download only title. Download only = Profit only.
Also, if you still don’t believe me, remember what Wentos said. The PS3/360 versions of Unleashed were made for hardcore gamers, while the Wii/PS2 was watered down and used for picking up sales. That is true considering that the Wii and PS2 versions sold much more, yet cost much less to make compared to the sales and cost of the PS2 and 360 versions.
So yeah, you have to think like a business man to understand these things.
Personally, I don’t care since I own all the next gen consoles! Handheld and Home ones!
@ Doctor Eggman
I understand how you feel regarding to the Black Knight… not because I liked it (I hated it due to the shortness, lack of fun stages, and it’s controls) but because that’ how I feel regarding to Sonic 06… people are too used to Sonic going fast and blasting through stages at top speed that they forgot the platforming element.
This overwhelming optimism is proof that the majority of Sonic fans will buy, and like, anything that has Sonic in it. Everything post-SA2 has bombed because Sonic Team lost its ability to make good games, both gameplay-wise and story-wise. Sonic 4 is a step in the right direction, but that’s because it’s not Sonic Team developing it first of all, and because someone is deciding to listen to the old school Sonic gamers who know what a good game really is. Sonic Colors, on the other hand, which BTW, is being developed by Sonic Team, is just continuing on Sonic’s huge fall from grace. It has too many of the Sonic storybook and Unleashed elements. And those who say that every Sonic game is geared towards children… play Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, then play Sonic Unleashed. You’ll know what Tristan is talking about then, trust me. Sure, it’s always been a blue hedgehog and an orange fox and there are adventure fields in both games, but the dialogue in Unleashed is comparable to that of an episode of Barney and Friends or Sesame Street, where as the dialogue in say, Sonic Adventure, is more like what you’d expect from an anime. Just because they both carry the “E for Everyone” label doesn’t mean anything.
@ Ceejus
That is seriously the worst comment I have ever read in my life. Listen man, your opinion is not absolute.
So we can’t be optimistic about something that we think looks good? Plus, there have been good games since Sonic Adventure 2, just not games that you like. Everyone has a different opinion so please don’t go saying that every game after SA2 sucks… I mean, if you’ve been putting up with bad games for almost 10 years after his “last good game” then why are you even on this site? Seriously. This is the only fanbase I have seen that has people that say “I keep buying Sonic games and complaining even though I haven’t seen a single good one in ten years”.
I’m an old school Sonic gamer and I know what a good game is… there is no such thing as a good game. All peoples opinions are different so there can’t be a good game or a bad game. All games are neutral.
Idon’t buy every Sonic game because I think it looks good, I buy it so I can know if it’s good or not, even though, Silver toy aside, I haven’t bought a single piece of Sonic merch since the Black Knight. Some people buy everything with Sonic’s face on it because they love to collect things from their favorite franchise. It’s the same reason I buy everything that has a Disgaea character in it.
By the way Ceejus
Seriously man… why are you expecting a giant blue talking hedgehog to have a big elaborate story? Seriously man, a big story is good and all, and SA2 has one of my favorites, but if you’re looking for a big story then go play a JRPG or watch an anime. You can’t expect a kid’s game series to have a mature story.
If many people recall, SBK was actually overlooked by the same guy who did Adventure 1 & 2. Also, personally I kind of feel that the 2D and 3D games take place in seperate dimensions. That being said I dont understand why they chose to go with the new Sonic model and new graphics if they are trying to appeal to core gamers. There also doesnt seem to be anything new to the game. Same badniks. Same boss battles. Similar zones. Absolutely the only thing thats even remotely new are the graphics. Its the same problem I had with Sonic 06 trying to emulate Adventures best moments. I think the reason Colors has appealed to so many is the fact that there is so much new stuff going on, from the Wisp power-ups to the inventive new level design. I dont want to give up on Sonic 4 this early in the game, but Im personally rooting for Sonic Colors to rock my socks off.
Guys at Sega.
If you’re reading these comments.
I’m sorry.
Has anyone ever notice that after sonic 2006, they have been making games aimed at kids. (Like Sonic Unleashed etc.)
cause after playing SU for a while i felt like it was very childish.
@Edge: Why not? Sonic 3 & Knuckles was strong on both points, gameplaywise and storywise. You can make an good story (even if it’s for kids) if you got talented writers.
As long as the game is good, who cares?
“Admits”? Well, what’s wrong with that? Sonic *should* appeal to kids on at least one level. As long as it’s a good laugh, I’m up for it.