Specifically, in an interview with Eurogamer, when asked about the Sonic franchise’s inconsistency, Utsumi touched on the success of releases such as Sonic Frontiers and Sonic X Shadow Generations, while also bringing up the comparative failure of the 2023 sidescrolling title Sonic Superstars, which he labelled a “disappointment”.

“We were trying to do something creative with Sonic Frontiers,” he said. “With Sonic Superstars it turned out to be a disappointment, in terms of the outcome compared to what we delivered. This time we have Sonic X Shadow Generations and the next Sonic movie, so we’re pushing things in the transmedia direction – movies and games working in harmony to make things bigger. But the core [of the experience] is the game. The game needs to be very good or else there is no transmedia effect.”

Not long after the sidescrolling platformer’s launch last year, Sega confirmed that the game had got off to a slower-than-expected start where its sales were concerned, something the company would later go on to partially attribute to the game releasing in close proximity to fellow sidescrolling platformer Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

As for what’s next for the Sonic IP, at The Game Awards last week, Sega unveiled Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, the next instalment in the Sonic kart racing series.

The earnings report offers up details on the performance of other Sega franchises as well, revealing that the Sonic series has sold 5.92 million copies in the same time frame. The Like a Dragon series—including the two Judgment games—has sold 5.36 million copies, and taking up last place in the list of major Sega IPs is the Total War series, with 1.91 million copies sold.

Persona developer Atlus is currently rumoured to be working on the next game in the Persona franchise. Colloquially referred to as Persona 6, the game is rumoured to use the colour green as its main theme, contrasting Persona 5‘s use of red, 4‘s use of yellow, and 3‘s use of blue.

There are also rumours from earlier that Like a Dragon, Persona, and Sonic will get turned into annual franchises for Sega going forward.

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.

Sega has announced that to celebrate Sonic X Shadow Generations’ announcements, it will be adding a Shadow costume to last year’s 2D sidescrolling platformer, Sonic Superstars. In a press release announcing the remaster, Sega confirmed that the costume, which arrives on February 15, will be free for all players and can be equipped in Story Mode.

Sonic Superstars is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Sonic X Shadow Generations will release for the same platforms sometime this Autumn, though a specific release date hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Without further ado, here are our picks for the 15 most disappointing titles of this year.

Forspoken

You could argue that Forspoken didn’t have much hope due to lackluster marketing and delays. Nevertheless, this was the newest title from Luminous Productions, with many of the team having worked on Final Fantasy 16 and a PS5 console exclusive for two years.

Unfortunately, after the demo and with the game, Forspoken revealed itself to have shallow dialogue and irritating banter, a bland open world and an unlikable protagonist in Fray (which is a shame given how interesting the story becomes later). Such was the response to Forspoken that Luminous shut down and merged into Square Enix after its DLC, In Tanta We Trust.

Redfall

Hi-Fi Rush and Starfield often come to mind when talking about the major Xbox exclusives this year. It’s not that everyone forgot about Redfall, but that they did so without much effort. At launch, Arkane Austin’s first-person co-op shooter had a suitably macabre setting and aesthetic to work off of but squandered it with tedious gameplay, completely barren environments with little to nothing going on, copious bugs, performance issues and a terrible plot with poor characterization.

Its quest design and so-called immersive sim elements are also an embarrassment. Subsequent updates have improved the experience, but Redfall is still a huge step down for Arkane Austin, especially after Prey.

Quantum Error

For all the strong survival horror titles that hit the mark this year, several missed the mark, and Quantum Error unfortunately qualifies. Despite some great lighting, the stealth gameplay feels tacked on and awkward, while the shooting is as generic as they come. The story could have been better if it wasn’t presented so poorly with its amateur cinematic angles and shoddy voice acting. Quantum Error ultimately feels like it warranted much more than the developer could deliver, bringing the whole product down.

Flashback 2

Microids’ sequel to the classic 2D platformer from Paul Cuisset shouldn’t have turned out this bad, but alas. Almost everything about the title is riddled with issues when it’s not just bad. Though the animations and aesthetics can be decent, the multitudes of bugs, horrendous aiming in combat, terrible dialogue, baffling armor mechanics, and half-hearted cover-based gameplay make you question everything. Perhaps the only mercy is that it isn’t too long…unless your save gets corrupted and you have to start over.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

It’s a meme of sorts to expect anything from Call of Duty, much less Activision, but this was a new Modern Warfare title. The previous two entries in the reboot trilogy offered some intriguing mechanics and memorable campaigns, even if the cracks were starting to show in the second entry. By comparison, Modern Warfare 3’s campaign falls apart almost immediately.

It’s mind-numbing Open Combat missions with boring objectives, a story that’s so by the numbers you can practically paint them in, a distinct lack of polish and embarrassing short playtime. This is from a franchise known to deliver quality cinematic campaigns more often than not. Zombies is slightly better, while multiplayer buckles under the weight of skill-based matchmaking, packet bursts and horrendous spawns.

Payday 3

At first, many were disappointed at being unable to play Payday 3 due to servers going – and staying – down for days at a time. However, after finally getting into matches, even as crashes and disconnects occurred, many were let down by the challenge-based progression, the lack of a pre-game chat, no offline play while solo, no lobby browser, a clunky UI, etc. Though it’s received updates to alleviate several issues, like finally awarding Infamy Points on heist completion, Payday 3 is still far from reaching the same heights as Payday 2.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

Return to Moria, at least the start, is brimming with potential. This is a new adventure in The Fourth Age, with the Dwarves retaking their home and facing a shadowy curse as they explore its depths. Some mechanics were also pretty unique, but it all fell apart due to jank, poor combat, terrible AI, lack of freedom when mining and some shoddy building mechanics. What could have been a Valheim-esque adventure in Middle-earth is instead an awkward meandering.

Crime Boss: Rockay City

Proof positive that loading a game with Hollywood actors doesn’t equal success (and many of the performances aren’t even all that great). While the shooting isn’t terrible, it comes at the price of stealth and missions that encourage going guns-blazing more often than not. Throw in all the bugs, terrible writing, repetitive objectives and general lack of polish, and you have a disastrous title that’s more like Takers than Heat.

Exoprimal

After playing the open beta, Exoprimal looked like it had potential as a dumb hack and slash heavy co-op game. However, the lack of content forced PvP, and somewhat repetitive objectives remained concerning up to the full release. Due to how the story works, events can feel disjointed, while the dialogue ranges from awkward to unfunny. There are some positives for those who want to smack dinosaurs and various improvements courtesy of patches, but Exoprimal feels like it could have done better with a stronger focus on pure co-op PvE.

Immortals of Aveum

A single-player-focused magical first-person shooter with an epic scale, talent like Gina Torres and an extensive campaign, that too with striking visuals? Immortals of Aveum seemingly promised it all and delivered on some fronts (Torres was quite good) but suffered with many others. Lackluster story-telling and graphical issues, particularly with HDR, made playing a headache in several ways. The shiny presentation couldn’t save the below-average gameplay with its damage-sponge enemies and an annoying gear grind. It’s a better experience technically after several patches, but far from delivering on the hype.

Atlas Fallen

You have to feel bad for titles like Atlas Fallen. Developed by Deck 13 of The Surge fame, it’s an action-adventure title with a double-A budget, a unique world and unique movement options (like sand surfing). The premise is wasted with underwhelming writing, and the combat, the most important aspect of the experience, is sluggish and shoddy. It also doesn’t help that the world doesn’t have much going on, even with some strong aesthetics on display.

EA Sports FC 24

It’s probably not that surprising in retrospect, given how the FIFA franchise fared over the years, but EA Sports FC 24 was an opportunity for a fresh start. However, while the gameplay remains enjoyable, it doesn’t improve enough, much less advance the status quo. Career Mode is still a rote affair, the new interviews are incredibly lackluster, and the presentation feels like it’s slumming in certain places. Some positives, like PlayStyles and the new UI, are worth mentioning, but if you’re a hardcore FIFA player hoping for some evolution, EA Sports FC 24 disappoints.

Layers of Fear (2023)

Layers of Fears, renamed Layers of Fear, is a remake of Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2. Sounds confusing? It’s also a sequel with a new character, The Writer, who must link the stories together while dealing with the oddities of the Lighthouse. While the visuals look good, as Bloober Team’s other Unreal Engine 5 titles have, the bland gameplay and story-telling don’t form a cohesive whole. It’s not the worst horror game out there (Stray Souls would like a word), but many issues undermine the entire experience.

The Last of Us Part 1 (PC)

You’re probably wondering, understandably so, why The Last of Us Part 1, a remake of one of the greatest games ever made, is on this list. The answer lies in the PC version, which launched in a catastrophic state. Shader compiling took hours upon hours, broken textures rendered characters into monstrosities, performance issues abound, glitches, bugs, crashes – the list went on and on. It made for good comedic material, but those wanting to experience the classic on PC for the first time were far from amused (especially for the $70 price point). Months and months of continuous patching finally put it in a good place, but not without some questioning Sony’s PC porting efforts.

Sonic Superstars

After Sonic Mania and Sonic Frontiers, I looked forward to Sonic Superstars, with bright 3D visuals and gameplay in line with classic titles. While it felt good to play, some inconsistent Zone design, irritating boss battles and gimmicks overpowered the experience to an annoying degree. Other issues like the underwhelming music, boring Battle Mode and the new Special Stage also made it hard to warm up to. While not the worst game in the franchise (that honor still goes to Sonic ’06), Sonic Superstars is underwhelming – a definite plateau in quality over more recent titles.

Fang (Trip’s Story) – Sonic Superstars

It’s almost hilarious how Sonic Superstars has not one, not two, but three terrible final bosses. Fang in Trip’s Story narrowly manages to win out by sheer virtue of annoyance, which is saying something given how unnecessarily challenging her playthrough feels. This fight is long, with severe waiting periods between each attack and some insta-killing you just because it would be funny. The lack of any checkpoint in the second phase is also especially excruciating. It isn’t the end of the game, as there’s the true final boss to deal with, but it’s a disappointing conclusion to Trip’s Story all the same.

Zhang Rhang – Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

On the surface, Zhang Rhang’s schtick is interesting as he continuously summons clones. The problem? You have to keep killing them, building up Spirit Damage until he’s staggered for a Fatal Strike. So you’re running around, smacking clones, trying to find the right one, getting pelted with magic from this way and that.

Guan Yu and Cao Cao also assist during this fight, further adding to the visual mess and chaos. The worst part? Once you’ve staggered him and dealt a Fatal Strike, you must go through the whole process again. It’s one of those ideas that seems unique on paper but ends up being extremely tedious in practice.

Hunter and Emissary – Starfield

Depending on your decisions, you have to fight one or both of these entities in the finale of Starfield. However, outside of their gimmick of all three of you teleporting across different universes and areas, the fight’s mechanics are pretty non-existent. All you do is follow and shoot. Then you get teleported.

Then follow and shoot some more in a cave against them and alternate versions of your companions. Of course, the question arises: What could the team possibly have done differently? Maybe a space battle against the Starborn’s ships? It’s hard to say, but this wasn’t it. At least you can skip the fight with enough Persuasion.

Corrupted Parade Master – Lies of P

Given the sheer range of bosses in Lies of P, it’s weird fighting one with several of your options temporarily removed. Nevertheless, surely there would be an interesting twist to fighting a corrupted version of the first boss, aside from the danger of Decay? Well, not really. Most of his attacks are similar, and all you have to do is dodge through most of them, back off when it starts crawling on the ground and repeat. Not the worst fight ever, but pretty rote despite his heavily altered appearance.

NORA – Atomic Heart: Annihilation Instinct

The first story DLC for Atomic Heart is pretty underwhelming, with its final boss easily the capstone to all the disappointment. After the Twins arrive to save P-3, you must create a new schematic to stop NORA’s madness. It amounts to inserting the mechanical balls in the correct configuration on the floor, taken from fighting a familiar boss that keeps regenerating.

The sheer amount of manufactured tension belies how dull it is, despite the puzzle-solving approach, and the fight ends in a whimper. The worst part is that even after a relatively happy ending, the conclusion teases more annoyance for P-3.

Ahriman, the Destroyer – Ghostrunner 2

As the first boss of One More Level’s sequel, Ahriman is a solid test of the game’s combat and movement. The problem is, that’s pretty much all he is. Having such a cool-looking appearance and sword, you would think there would be something more to him after his defeat. Alas, he commits seppuku and that’s it.

No coming back later in some big twist or anything like that. Would I have been less disappointed if he wasn’t called “The Destroyer”? Probably. As an intro to the rest of the Asura, he’s pretty lame, but thankfully, the rest more than pick up the slack and offer far better fights.

Ruiner – Lords of the Fallen

Ruiner is this hulking beast of a warrior with a crazy look and fire magic that can build Ignite. As the guard of Fitzroy’s Bridge, he seems virtually impassable…until you start dodging his attacks. As agile as Ruiner can be, some attacks are insanely telegraphed, leaving him open for a heavy attack that knocks off a sizable chunk of his health. Pair that with Radiant damage, and take him out in no time. When the lead-up to a boss with all the enemies you have to deal with is considered more tedious than the actual boss, you know there’s a problem.

Narag-Shazon – The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

It’s bad enough that Return to Moria has the issues it does, but there is a kind of charm throughout as you venture to the final boss. The Balrog isn’t your final challenge – instead, it’s Narag-Shazon, a dragon. Additional prep and end-game armor and weapons are a given, especially when playing solo, but she quickly falls after just a few hits. It seems to be an issue that will be fixed sooner or later. However, for those who have been playing on PC since October, it’s a let-down.

DJ Cyber – Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Finally, you get to fight against DJ Cyber after all the cryptic nonsense, conspiracies and mysteries. Unfortunately, the first phase involves meleeing his projectiles back at him as his spider-bot jumps around. The second involves dodging explosives that he leaves on the ground and then returning his projectiles. Then you hit him with one last melee, and that’s it – game over. Truly a weak way to end the game, especially considering the final battles in the Jet Set Radio games were so hype.

Scorpion and Nitara (Invasions) – Mortal Kombat 1

After the insanity of Story Mode’s final battle (which admittedly ends in a bit of a disappointing fight), there was the opportunity to do something special with Invasions. With all the different mechanics, it could have made its bosses special, right? Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and both Scorpion and Nitara, the bosses of Seasons 1 and 2, are relatively boring.

Of course, it also doesn’t help that Invasions has no impact on the overall canon (such as it is after two reboots). While this is likely due to the seasonal model, it also means there are no stakes, and the lasting impact on their demises is pretty much moot.

NOTE: There are spoilers ahead for every game discussed in this feature.

Stray Souls

In Stray Souls you’ll take control of unremarkable teenager Daniel who moves into the dreary town of Aspen Falls after inheriting his recently deceased grandmother’s house. The prospect of a Silent Hill-alike was certainly enticing, but Stray Souls fluffs its lines by being a little too cookie-cutter. It certainly doesn’t nail the psychological trauma element it’s aiming for as Daniel’s actions and those of accompanying Martha can’t easily be explained. All this creepy stuff is happening, but they don’t seem phased at all. The spectre of Daniel’s grandma torments him, but why? Martha gives Daniel a gun, somehow? By the end, the lore is explained by a random note found in a police station. See, Daniel has ‘The Darkness’, with his grandmother’s haunting causing all the strange monsters to appear in Aspen Falls and the surrounding forest. Oh, and there’s a cult. It’s as inconsequential a backstory imaginable with zero context to explain the scary stuff happening despite its best efforts.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Soulslike Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a lot to like: it’s an inviting spin on FromSoftware’s blueprint with the challenge of certain encounters indicated to the player before engaging, saving them needless frustration, and a streamlined combat system forgoing the mental gymnastics required with Team Ninja’s other Soulslike Nioh. The story overall has merit too, telling a complex tale of multiple parties vying for control of an all-powerful magical elixir. It’s just that, the ending just… happens, with minimal challenge. The final three bosses are much easier than the side-quest boss Zhang Liao for instance, for once you’ve mastered deflecting his lightning-fast attacks, the remaining bosses are a walk in the park.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Numerous complaints surround the brevity of Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare 3 and its controversial open combat missions. That said, the Modern Warfare 3’s villainous Vladimir Makarov hatches a plan to blow up the Channel Tunnel between England and France, with Task Force 141 fighting for their lives to defuse the bomb and eliminate the terrorists. Thing is, there’s no jeopardy; we know Task Force 141 will succeed – albeit, as it happens, at a cost – but perhaps others who’ve suggested Makarov should be victorious have a point. This resolution would set up a true cliff-hanger. As it happens, Task Force 141 learn of Makarov’s latest scheme and thwart it within minutes. Makarov could be portrayed as a major evildoer, but Modern Warfare 3 instead prefers to depict him as an easily beatable, cartoonish villain.

Daymare 1994: Sandcastle

The story-driven survival horror prequel to Daymare: 1998 features a host of deadly enemies, tense encounters, and niggling environmental puzzles. The plot itself however is a befuddling mess, poorly paced acted out by largely unlikeable characters. There’s no motivation established for the character’s actions; it’s a feeling of procession as player-character Dahlia Reyes delves deeper into the not-so-surprising underground secret base. And the ending, whereby Dahlia is telepathically persuaded by her sister Helen to inject herself with the final sample of Ogre blood to presumably survive teleportation is too ambiguous. Why would she do this? Is Helen speaking under the influence of the ogre? How is Reyes even hearing her in the first place?

Quantum Error

Developer TeamKill Media should be applauded for their ambition; attempting to meld first and third-person action, cosmic shooting, and horror, all through the lens of a firefighter can’t have been easy, but alas the results of Quantum Error make all their efforts somewhat misdirected. Front and centre is the game’s convoluted story, masterfully failing to make sense of its dimension hopping, planet spanning madness. The story is told through poorly directed cinematics to boot, with surprise cutscenes interjecting the gameplay. It tries to do too much, and by game’s end its impossible to make sense of the events that have transpired.

Amnesia: The Bunker

The Bunker is a smaller scale Amnesia experience, with an underdeveloped story to go with it. It’s possible Frictional opted to tell a story lighter on lore to fit the overall more refined experience, but the plot is guessable, full of red herrings and unnecessary distraction. The biggest diversion though is that player-character Henri’s amnesia doesn’t have any relevance at all. He didn’t forget, he was simply in unconscious when all the scary stuff started materialising. The ‘bad thing’ that he did was to cheat at poker to avoid partaking in a night-time patrol. An innocuous undertaking for the usually decent Henri; had he not cheated and gone on patrol himself, the events of the game – kickstarted by Lambert consuming the mysterious spring water – would likely have happened anyway.

Greyhill Incident

Owing to Greyhill Incident’s cliché story, underbaked characters, murky visuals, tepid gameplay, and extreme brevity, it’s premature ending might be its saving grace. The game’s only serviceable character Ryan is on a mission to save his son Henry from the clutches of the sinister greys, who for the game’s handful of hour runtime skulk nonchalantly through the rural farmland Ryan calls home. To save his son, he must be abducted. And… that’s it. We don’t see Ryan’s fate. Does he save Henry? Does he survive? Has his consciousness been transferred to his dog? Greyhill Incident’s climactic abruptness leaves too many pesky questions.

The Walking Dead: Destinies

It’s bad enough that The Walking Dead: Destinies has some of the most horrendous gameplay, stealth, writing, visuals, and cutscenes ever put into video game format. Yet somehow, for a game about your choices having an impact, it manages to have the same ending scenarios for Shane and Rick. The same attack on the prison with a tank (with Merle as the villain for Rick and the Governer for Shane). The same choice leads to either Glen or Michonne dying. Even the same fight in the circle of fire. The same bland evacuation from the prison, with either Shane or Rick leaving separately with Carl. It just comes down to which characters you’d like to see appearing in the same terrible ending rather than your choices having any meaning. At least Rick’s path has Carol 1v1ing a tank with an assault rifle, which is hilarious.

Flashback 2

This long-awaited sequel to the 16-bit classic has its fair share of problems. If you managed to get through to the end, well done you, as not only was there clunky combat, cliched atmosphere, lacklustre missions, and boring, blurry level design to lumber through, there was an unfathomable number of technical deficiencies which broke the game, meaning finishing it was an impossible endeavour anyway. Much like the original, protagonist Conrad is working to thwart an alien invasion, but the settings and story beats rarely deviate. It’s an execution so tepid that you’ll probably not even care what happens come the game’s end. Flashback 2 is a sequel we did not need.

Sonic Superstars

As with all 2D Sonic the Hedgehog games, story is told in between-level cutscenes. Except, in Sonic Superstars – the return to side-scrolling Sonic many long-term fans hoped would be a spiritual successor to Sonic Mania – even between-level cutscenes can’t explain all the crazy goings on in the Blue Blur’s latest adventure. Of the game’s multiple narratives, the Last Story is the most perplexing, with the release of a dragon, the origin of which is remarkably unclear. Eggman’s use of time manipulation is never explained either. A dumbfounding conclusion to an underwhelming Sonic game.

“In recent years, Sonic the Hedgehog has forged new paths for Sega, bringing the franchise to life and reaching new audiences in ways we had only dreamed of in the past,” said Co-COO of Sega Corporation and CEO of Sega of America Shuji Utsumi. “Building off that success, we are digging into our legacy and reimagining several franchises to bring these games to more audiences around the globe.”

Utsumi’s statement goes on to talk about how this is only the beginning for Sega.

“Today’s announcement is just the start of our initiative. First and foremost, our ambition will be to create great games with memorable characters and worlds. We hope fans of all ages will look towards our future with anticipation as we release these projects in the coming years.”

During its announcement at The Game Awards 2023, Sega confirmed that new games in the Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi are in development. The studio also announced new games for even older franchises, including Shinobi, Streets of Rage, and Golden Axe.

Sega recently released Sonic Superstars, which it had described as a new take on the classic 2D Sonic formula. Released back in October, Sonic Superstars has seemingly seen a weaker start than Sega had anticipated. Previously, the company had released Sonic Frontiers, which was quite successful and saw a host of content being released through post-launch updates.

During Sega’s recent quarterly earnings call, CEO Haruki Satomi revealed that in terms of sales, Sonic Superstars had a “slightly weaker start” than the company had anticipated.

However, Satomi explained that the company expects the 2D platformer’s sales to pick up in the months of November and December, which is typically the period where Sonic titles enjoy the strongest sales. In fact, as per Satomi, 90% of the title’s marketing budget is set to be spent over the course of the Holiday period, following which Sega is expecting sales on par with last year’s Sonic Frontiers (which had sold 3.5 million units as of May).

“Sonic Superstars was released in October, which is a slightly weaker start than we had anticipated,” Satomi said (transcription via VGC). “But in reality, when Sonic IP sells the most is mainly November to December, and more than 90% of this title’s marketing cost will be spent in the Thanksgiving and holiday season from November onwards.

“Although in the financial results announced today, we are forecasting this title’s sales slightly weaker with the view of the status of start mentioned above, we plan to continue our marketing efforts to sell on the same level as Sonic Frontiers.”

When asked about what had impacted Sonic Superstars’ sales, Satomi explained that the busy period in which the game launched had been a factor. The likes of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, and many others were released in close proximity to the 2D platformer.

“We believe that the impact of other companies’ major title[s] released at the same time is significant, but we plan to expand the promotion towards the Holiday season, especially in the overseas market,” he said. “Both the Metacritic score and user score are higher than Sonic Frontiers, and we would like to continue to sell firmly.”

Upon its release in the UK, physical launch sales for Sonic Superstars in the region were 63% lower compared to what Sonic Frontiers managed upon its launch last year.

Sonic Superstars is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Read our review of the game through here.

However, the other big story is that Sonic Superstars held its own against Nintendo’s flagship property. The 2D side-scrolling debuted in fourth with 49 percent of physical sales on Nintendo Switch, 34 percent on PS5, 10 percent on Xbox and six percent on PS4. Launch sales were down 63 percent compared to Sonic Frontiers, but it could receive a boost from Black Friday later this month.

Other new releases include Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged at 32nd place. Lords of the Fallen,  which debuted last week in fourth, fell to 18th place with sales dropping by 70 percent. Check out the full top-ten best-selling games for the week ending October 21st below.