In SEGA’s yearly financial report that was posted yesterday, the company revealed that the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise as a whole has move 1.6 billion units as of March 2023. That’s “Billion” with a “B“!
This staggering number includes, both game sales and downloads of the free-to-play games such as Sonic Dash and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle. These numbers also went up by 7% in comparison to last year.
According to the report, the release of Sonic Frontiers, which sold 3.2 million units as of the end of March 2023, partly contributed to the spike in numbers with SEGA also noting that the two Sonic movies were key to the franchise’s increase in sales.
Sonic, SEGA’s flagship IP, was introduced in 1991 as a high-speed action game in which players must run frenetically pace through stages of various ups, downs, and loops. Several hit games followed, continuing to attract fans around the world. The Sonic the Hedgehog movie, released in 2020, and its sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, released in 2022, were each global blockbusters. This has helped to accelerate the growth of the Sonic IP
SEGA Sammy Holdings CEO, Haruki Satomi, also mentions that Sonic Frontiers was “one of the best games in the entire Sonic IP game series, winning over many new Sonic fans.”
The Sonic IP, which arose out of our games, has seen steady expansion into movies, anime, and other media. Sonic has now grown into a huge IP, the most successful example of our IP strategy. More than anything else, the secret behind this success lies in our continued pursuit of the sheer fun of the game where it got its start. For the hugely popular Sonic Frontiers title, the development team tested the game over and over again, even postponing the release date, insisting on raising the quality of the game to the utmost limit. As a result, Sonic Frontiers has become one of the best games in the entire Sonic IP game series, winning over many new Sonic fans. Success with Sonic IP has equipped the Group with a wealth of knowledge regarding IP development, which we plan to harness in actively pursuing measures to expand other excellent IPs on a global scale as well. SEGA has created many compelling IPs over its long history. To maximize their potential, we will further advance and pursue our IP strategy.
It’s certainly been a busy year for the blue hog, with the release of three free content updates to Sonic Frontiers, an expansion to Sonic Origins, a hefty LEGO collaboration, a second season of Sonic Prime, and two new games being released, namely Sonic Superstars, a brand new 2D game in the style of the classic games, and the recently announced 3D platformer, Sonic Dream Team, set to release on December 5th. But the ball won’t stop rolling next year, as the third Sonic movie is also set to release by the end of 2024.
Stay tuned to Sonic City for more Sonic News and Updates!
Source: GamesIndsutry.biz, SEGA Sammy Holdings, Inc. 2023 Fiscal Year Business Report
