Sonic Superstars released in October last year, delivering the first new sidescrolling game in the series since Sonic Mania, though it hasn’t performed the way Sega would have expected it to. Shotly after the game’s release, the company revealed that the game had seen “a slightly weaker start than anticipated”, attributing that partly to the fact that the game had released in a particularly busy period that also saw the release of the likes of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, and many others.
Obviously, the one game that the game was probably in most direct competition with was fellow megaton sidescrolling platformer Super Mario Bros. Wonder, launching just three days apart- and that close proximity of releases has impacted Sonic’s sales, according to Sega.
Sega recently published an official English translation of its most recent quarterly Q&A with investors (caught by VGC), where, upon being asked about Sonic Superstars’ lower-than-expected sales, the company pointed to how close its launch was to “competing titles in the same genre”.
“Although Sonic Superstars has generally been well received by those who have played it, the timing of the launch coincided with competing titles in the same genre, and it has been short of the initial forecast,” Sega said. “The strategic expansion of Sonic IP is progressing well, and we will continue to work to increase repeat sales of this title.”
There was a significant gap in the critical reception for Sonic Superstars and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which is likely to have contributed to the disparate commercial performances of both games, with the former sitting at a Metacritic score of 73, and the latter at 92.
As of December 31, Super Mario Bros. Wonder has sold nearly 12 million copies worldwide. It is the fastest-selling Super Mario-related title to date.
Later this year, Sega is set to release another Sonic game in the form of Sonic X Shadow Generations, an expanded remaster of 2011’s Sonic Generations that will include an entirely new, standalone campaign focused on Shadow the Hedgehog.
