SEGA Networks COO: “We Want To Bring High-Quality Games To Market”

An interview with many notable Sonic and SEGA figures went up on Polygon to mark the hedgehog’s 25th anniversary. Among them was SEGA Networks COO Chris Olson, who had some remarks to say about the future of the mobile branch of the franchise. Once again, quality was talked about:

Speaking specifically about mobile Sonic games, COO of Sega Networks, Sega’s mobile division, Chris Olson tells Polygon, “In the earlier day of mobile development, there was a tendency to kind of bring things out immediately. Those days are kind of gone. Consumer expectations have been raised.” He explains that the company only has one chance at releasing a game to customers.

“The business is always a conflict of weighing bringing a title to market and making the yearly plan versus maybe waiting and bringing something else,” Olson says. “We have an obligation to the fans of Sonic and the consumer, so something we learned is we can look forward to a greater focus on the quality.“

Olson, like Iizuka, points to the way the Sonic series has expanded into other medias, speaking specifically about the success of the Sonic Boom TV show and how the mobile-only Sonic Dash has been downloaded 120 million times.

“We want to bring Sonic wherever gamers are,” Olson says. “We want to bring high-quality games to market.“

“We obviously want to appeal to as many people as possible but still focus on what it means to be Sonic and a Sonic game,” Olson says. “Maybe that might lose some fans along the road, but we’re picking up new fans that will hopefully grow with us as Sonic grows.“

This post was originally written by the author for TSSZ News.