By: Thomas Horvath

On June 23, 1991, the release of a video game would change the gaming scene for the rest of time. That game was Sonic the Hedgehog, with its titular character having become one of the most iconic characters in pop culture, even rivaling Mario for a time. The game was a smash hit in Japan and as popular, if not more popular, in America. But why was Sonic so popular and how has the series stayed afloat despite the series publisher SEGA failing to compete with other big video game companies?

Sonic the Hedgehog was a game that came out for the SEGA Genesis, being a direct rival to Nintendo and their console at the time, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The game was a smash hit with audiences abroad, and a major reason for that was Sonic himself. Compared to Mario, who was a plump Italian plumber, Sonic was a breath of fresh air, having a bit of edge to him that Mario didn’t have. He was similar to Bart Simpson, being an icon for rebellious kids and teens who wanted someone less by the books. He also has a sleek design that is simple but iconic. Sonic was so popular in America that, for a while, the Genesis was selling better than the SNES. Sonic would have a sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which would be even more acclaimed than the first and would further staple Sonic as an entertainment legend. But SEGA and Sonic’s popularity would start to decline in the late 90’s, and eventually, SEGA stopped making consoles altogether. Sonic had a rough late 2000s, with the games going from getting universal acclaim to overall negative reviews. The sales dropped too from what they used to be, not holding a candle to Mario like they used to. This culminated in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), better known as Sonic 06. The game was rushed during production and came out a buggy mess, being so poorly received the game is considered one of the worst games of all time. The 2010s were much better, but still, Sonic has not been able to reach his peak popularity of the early 1990s.

While that remains true, the Sonic franchise has been doing very well recently with the release of two successful movies and the most recent 3D Sonic game being the most successful 3D Sonic game of all time. Despite having many ups and downs, Sonic has been able to withstand the test of time.