"NiGHTS is NOT a playable character in AllStars Racing outside of DLC."

That is what DiGi Valentine of nightsintodreams.com knows and he has been spreading the word along with NiDcom members (via other methods for DiGi) for the past week to send word to SEGA to get NiGHTS in as DLC. The campaign dubbed Don't forget NiGHTS is an attempt to spread awareness of NiGHTS being absent from the final character roster and has gained supporters and disbelievers...mainly disbelievers because, let's face it, most people, even those not completely familiar with the dream jester, expect him/her to make an appearance. But why does this mean so much? The NiGHTS fanbase that admins DiGi Valentine and TRiPPY have watched over has been strong for years, even being there when there was nothing but cameos to go on. Just how many communities out there are willing to sit around feeding on glimpses and short appearances for years when there isn't even full fledged games being made? Well this one for starters. The community at NiDcom is a tight group that one could consider as an online family with all the goofy siblings, overzealous cousins, and, of course, mom and dad to make sure the house doesn't fall down like a deck of cards. And like a family, when dad and mom point out a crisis, everybody listens in. As well, prior to press releases about the second and latest NiGHTS game Journey of Dreams (which did not sell well), TRiPPY and DiGi had already been told about it in November 2006 and when it comes to news, especially when relevant to NiGHTS, they make sure they have facts before announcing or doing anything. So it's no wonder that DiGi responds to "Why should this matter?" by saying:

"Because the inclusion of NiGHTS is secondary to Sonic. He is a secondary mascot behind Sonic the Hedgehog and with all the current evidence shown to me i don't believe NiGHTS is in AllStars Racing. I don't think our fanbase should be treated in such a way as to have our favourite character not make the final line-up for whatever reason. We have not built this community up all these years only to have NiGHTS disregarded."

As a dedicated admin and fan, DiGi is set in his beliefs that NiGHTS is not playable out of the box. In fact, he is so sure of himself that today during a live broadcast he announced a bet. The bet stands that he is willing to burn his (and his wife TRiPPY's) entire massive NiGHTS merchandise collection if he is wrong on the fact and NiGHTS is indeed in the main roster of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing when it releases next year (outside of DLC and cameos of course; those are the only ways left for NiGHTS getting in the game). So if NiGHTS is playable right away and not in DLC, the massive collection worth thousands ranging from a rare 1996 E3 NiGHTS Into Dreams... hat to TRiPPY's detailed, prized U.V. NiGHTS costume to merchandise that is not available to the public (one of a kind items) will all turn to ashes. If NiGHTS is not playable when ASR ships out, DLC or not, then the collection is saved. DiGi knows NiGHTS is not playable and therefore has made this bet to prove his campaign is legit in it's information. He wishes for fans to support NiGHTS as a DLC item as NiGHTS should have his rightful place racing the other characters in the game and not be left out.

A man of his word, DiGi will make a video of the destruction of the merchandise if he is wrong. He and TRiPPY are putting their reputations on the line, because they believe whole-heartedly that NiGHTS is not in All-Stars Racing. Whether you believe that the rogue Nightmaren isn't going to make an appearance, or if you absolutely believe NiGHTS is in ASR you can't deny that this is one event you don't want to miss. But the main reason behind all of this? Perhaps this is enough if you consider the lack in cameos since JoD:

"This could spiral from 'just a racing game' to no longer seeing him at all. If i am correct and NiGHTS is not in the main game then who knows why he was left out and further more this could lead to NiGHTS becoming inactive like so many other SEGA ip's out there."

Mind you, the IP won't go out quick, but it could get there if DiGi and TRiPPY are right. How many likable SEGA IPs have gone inactive within the past 10 years? NiGHTS has stayed because he/she had something special on the Sega Saturn, but with the poor sales of JoD, NiGHTS may not have a spotlight to float under within the next five or ten years (and that's stretching it). After all, how long can a company place a character that barely has any full fledged games - nevertheless poor-selling ones - to speak of on the edge of the limelight? Why keep the character without connections to mainstream figures circling the stage? All-Stars Racing could be the first domino of the end for this lovable purple rebel and the news is traveling as fast as NiGHTS fans can click that NiGHTS shouldn't be neglected.

In the end, it's not just about ignoring a single character or choosing not to make said character playable in the final lineup. It's a huge collection of NiGHTS merchandise, socks, reputations, and an IP on the line and that's not even counting the fate of the fanbase itself. If this isn't dedication to make sure a character doesn't become neglected and to keep a virtual family together, I don't know what is.

Link: NiDcom (To get the full story and understanding, click the link and check it out for yourself.)

I don't understand why this is a big deal. Why burn all your possessions just because NiGHTS isn't in a SEGA game? Hell, it isn't in LOADS of SEGA games - nobody went burning all their Shenmue merchandise before Ryo popped back up.

I've always found TRiPPY and DiGi to be passionate and knowledgeable figures of some esteem in the NiGHTS community, but with this kind of attention-seeking they stand to lose everything and gain nothing. Such a shame.

What Prosody said. Is this meant to be some sort of start to a boycott? I don't get it.

Wow

It's not a boycott. TRiPPY and DiGi truly believe that NiGHTS is not in All-Stars Racing. Neither can cite a source since it would most likely cost someone's job. They would not place this kind of bet on the table unless they were 100% sure of themselves on their information - and they are. DiGi and TRiPPY would not take this stand if the info they had was not reliable, and considering DiGi's connections, it's most likely as reliable as you can get. The entire bet is to attract attention as to how serious he is about NiGHTS being absent from roll call.
And this isn't just "oh, they're burning things in the name of a purple jester." It's the fact that there have been less cameos of NiGHTS ever since JoD (which didn't have a lot of money and resources invested in it in the first place) and if we keep seeing less and less of him/her it's only a matter of time before NiGHTS' IP becomes inactive. Sure, it's fun trying to find NiGHTS in a Sonic game (or a SEGA game in general if there's a chance of him/her appearing), but for the life of me I can't recall seeing that androgynous jester past the game Shadow the Hedgehog (haven't bought any Sonic games in years so I may have missed something from '06 and beyond). This is one heck of a dedicated fanbase which had to survive off glimpses of a character for a decade before a sequel was released. Shenmue and NiGHTS Into Dreams... had different appeals, but NiGHTS was a wonder on the Sega Saturn and boosted sales. Shenmue, on the other hand, did not do the same for the Dreamcast. Sure, both were great in their own ways, but NiGHTS won the cameos because of what the game did back in the day. Now though, with the failure of JoD, they might just shut NiGHTS out. Why keep a character around that doesn't boost sales anymore?
Oh, but NiGHTS does boost sales doesn't he? He's fully expected to be in ASR by most. That's a point the campaign "Don't Forget NiGHTS" is proving. It doesn't matter what side of it you take, you're helping the campaign. Trust the admins of NiDcom and believe NiGHTS isn't in? Spread the word and grab attention. Think it's all ridiculous and believe NiGHTS is already in? You prove NiGHTS still matters.
Whatever views one may have on this, one can't doubt that the release date is going to be highly anticipated for more than one reason next year.

NiGHTS is in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity and NiGHTS and Reala are BOTH in Sega Superstars Tennis.

If they're right, they lose both ways. It isn't going to get NiGHTS put into the game and it does nothing to raise NiGHTS fans' profiles in a positive way. Also, I don't remember the Saturn original boosting sales - it's generally regarded as a commercial failure, but I'd happily swallow my words if proven wrong.

But you know, if they want to burn thousands of pounds worth of their possessions because Sumo Digital haven't put a particular combination of polygons into a racing game, well...

Ah, so no cameo in Sonic Unleashed or Sonic '06? Personally, I would have expected to see something in either game referencing to the jester.
The Saturn was a poor seller. I think that Christmas NiGHTS was packaged with the system back then around the holidays (saw an old Japanese commercial advertising it). That's where I got the assumption that NiGHTS helped the Saturn in some way, even if the system was a flop. NiGHTS was something special and it's one of the more memorable games from the Saturn because of the game had.
From polygons to textures to create an active IP. If NiGHTS isn't in ASR, it will be just the beginning of saying "NiGHT Over" for good. I'm actually more concerned of the fanbase's future at this point if NiGHTS ends up inactive. The possibilities are varied, depending on what each person will do: leave, lurk sometimes, or stay. Hopefully, most will opt for the latter. It's still a forum with other things to talk about besides NiGHTS, so perhaps the community will manage to stay together... It's not out of the realm of possibilities after all.

But they're Sonic games: Sonic only appeared in Christmas NiGHTS and wasn't in either of the other two titles. NiGHTS (to the best of my knowledge) has only ever appeared in one Sonic title, which was as a pinball table in Sonic Adventure. I don't see how a NiGHTS appearance in either Sonic Unleashed or Sonic 06 is all that relevant to either property - that'd just be fanservice. I wouldn't expect to see see Link turn up in a Mario game for example.

The NiGHTS community will continue to flourish long after this nonsense is over and done with - it needs neither racing game cameos nor stacks of unburnt merchandise to survive.

I agree with Pingas on this one.

You have explained yourself thoroughly and vey well, but I still don't get the angst. Sorry.

NiGHTS should've been playable. Omochao should've been the flag-waver instead.