Dubbed the ‘Big Three’, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo have dominated the gaming market for what feels like forever. Asian countries have been the domain of Nintendo, gaining popularity through their iconic characters like Mario and games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.

But it looks like another Japanese company, SEGA, is looking to replace the popularity of Mario with an iconic character of their own. They are aiming to battle the vast popularity of Mario using their famous character, Sonic. And a deep dive into the stats shows whether they will succeed in their goal or not.

SEGA wants to overtake Nintendo in this field

SEGA recently uploaded an interview with their Division Manager Osamu Ohashi and the General Manager of Design Sachiko Kawamura. Both SEGA higher-ups came together to discuss the future of their magnum opus, Sonic. The fast-running blue hedgehog has been a mascot for the company and has also celebrated many game titles. The latest of the gaming titles to feature the blue hedgehog is Sonic Superstars, coming out on October 17 for all major platforms.

Surprisingly, the character itself was made to compete with Nintendo and Mario. However, it has yet to reach the popularity level of Mario. Even Ohashi admits Sonic is yet to achieve the goal it was created for. But the SEGA executive remains hopeful about the goal and made some bold claims.

Ohashi said, “To put it simply, I want to surpass Mario. Sonic was originally developed to compete with Mario, and we have yet to achieve that. Because we respect Mario, our goal is to catch up to and surpass him. We want Sonic to be played all over the world, including Japan, just like Mario, and we want the movie to be a bigger hit than Mario. That is our goal as Sonic lovers.”

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However, the path of Sonic blazing past the plumber from Nintendo will be a daunting task. The biggest hurdle for SEGA to clear will be the huge gap between the resources of Nintendo and themselves.

Will Sonic be able to get ahead of Mario?

While the SEGA executives have their priorities straight, the real problem will arrive during execution. SEGA has a net worth of around $3.63 billion. On the other hand, Nintendo has a total net worth of $48.49 billion, almost 13 times what SEGA has. This becomes a huge driving factor as Mario creators have more resources and a workforce at their disposal. They can create games at a much faster pace as compared to SEGA.

Another factor that speaks in favor of Nintendo is its gaming consoles. Nintendo Switch is the most popular gaming console in Japan, with Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 trailing behind. Unfortunately, SEGA is far below the list. In the past, SEGA was one of the primary competitors to Nintendo in the video game console industry. Furthermore, a few of SEGA’s early consoles outsold its competitors in specific markets. But since then, SEGA has pulled back from the console market and focused on being a third-party video game developer.

This also means SEGA can focus solely on developing a great Sonic title that can go head-to-head with Nintendo. While Nintendo is occupied with other things on its plate, they have still managed to put out a new Mario title. Comparing the latest releases based on the two rival characters reveals who is currently winning in popularity.

Sonic Superstars vs. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Sonic Superstars came out on October 17 with a multi-platform release. Just three days later, Super Mario Bros. Wonder came out exclusively for Nintendo Switch. While SEGA released the game on multiple platforms, the Switch exclusive is still outperforming it.

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In Japan alone, Super Mario Bros. Wonder has sold over 638,000 physical copies. On the other hand, SEGA is underperforming with around 4,000 physical copies sold in Japan. Many critics have started to say it was not a good idea to launch Sonic Superstars in the same week as Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

This goes on to show the fast-paced Sonic is currently trailing behind Mario. And it still has a lot of ground to cover to reach the level of popularity of Nintendo. However, SEGA is making positive strides in this direction. They already built a successful rapport with Nintendo fans by developing the Mario & Sonic series.

SEGA has also announced a ‘Super Game’ project which will have multiple AAA Games and a budget of over $800 million. Sonic is bound to be at the epicenter of this $800 million project, giving it a significant boost to reach Mario’s popularity. Only the time will tell how well the SEGA project moves forward.

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