Following the short-lived lifespan of Dreamcast, Sega made the decision to exit hardware development and become a third-party developer and publisher. While it was somewhat welcome news for fans of other companies at the time, it was no doubt a difficult period for the team at Sega.
One person who had "mixed feelings" about Sonic's run on "non-Sega hardware" was the character's co-creator, Yuji Naka. This week marks the 20th anniversary since Sonic Adventure 2: Battle made its debut on the Nintendo GameCube in North America, and Mr. Naka used it as an opportunity to reflect on how he felt - describing the moment as "both sad and happy".
"I had mixed feelings about Sonic's run on non-Sega hardware, both sad and happy. It's been 20 years now."
Sonic's relationship with Nintendo has improved over the years - with a large number of Sonic games gracing just about every modern Nintendo platform. The Sega mascot even joined the Super Smash Bros. roster, teamed up with Mario in a series of sports games, and will later this year return to the Switch in Sonic Frontiers.
As for Yuji Naka, he released Balan Wonderworld in 2021 (published by Square Enix) and most recently has been dabbling in mobile game development. Do you have any fond memories of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle on the Nintendo GameCube? Leave a comment down below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 31
Wasn't Sonic Pocket Adventure for NeoGeo Pocket Color long before this?
(and Sonic Jam on Game.com, but nobody remembers that)
But yeah, this was probably more significant since it was his first on a former primary rival's console.
@KingMike Yes, but SNK developed that game and Sega supervised the production.
Yuji's comment above is in relation to the 20th anniversary of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. A game Sega developed and published after it became a third-party publisher.
I think highly of all the GameCube Sonic games, such fun times.
I remember pulling an all-nighter with this game, I don't know why, but I remember it fondly. I imagine it's because with previous games I was too young and would give up easily after 1 or 2 levels, but with SA2B I already had the experience from every other Sonic game on the system even Shadow, so I ended up blasting through the story.
I recently got SADX and SA2B on Steam due to an excellent deal, I still have the Wii hooked up so I haven't bothered setting up the game on PC. These are best played with the gba link cable!
I actually never played the GameCube version of Sonic Adventure 2. I mostly played it on Dreamcast and that is one of my favorite games. I played the heck out of Sonic Mega Collection back on GameCube though. Playing Genesis games on a Nintendo console, good times back then.
I can understand the mixed feelings, Sega were at an absolute low point. This is a stone cold classic though, one of my favourite games of all time. Have very fond memories of Battle on the Cube, and of course it plays better than ever on PC now.
I believe Sonic had games on non-Sega hardware long before GameCube and GBA. There's the Sonic and Knuckles Collection and Sonic R for PC, then there's two Sonic games as Tiger LCD games, Sonic Pocket Adventure for NeoGeo Pocket Color and Sonic Jam for Game.com.
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was great and I love how they were able to utilize the GBA connectivity for the Chao Garden. Ah the Dreamcast GameCube era, the era when fans were not worry or scare about the blue hedgehog's future yet. It was a joyous time when Sonic was at his best and from the actual company and creator unlike today where every new announced Sonic titles could potentially sucks unless it's 2D and fan made.
@Specter_of-the_OLED I think Yuji is mostly just reflecting on the GC release of SA2:B. It was a new chapter for Sega (and Sonic) around this time.
It was a contrast given that I grew up with Sega basically trashing Nintendo heavily in their commercials and magazine advertisements. All that talk of blast processing and a hedgehog being cooler than a plumber, and suddenly, he’s on GameCube… followed by the Bandicoot too.
Too bad Crash never made it to Smash for a true closure to the battle of the mascots.
In an alternate universe in which Sega stayed on as a console hardware manufacturer, and if Sonic games remain exclusively on Sega consoles, I wonder if it will ever reach a popularity that it enjoys right now by being a multi-platform game.
Honestly the Sonic Advance trilogy is not only much better classic sonic platforming but also overlooked in just about every compilation and rerelease they bring out.
There is 3 games I wouldn’t mind seeing remastered. The ability to download Chao from the GameCube and take them with you was a neat little VMU nod.
@GerBearNy alas, the time for some things to end doesn't come soon enough...
while the time for other things comes to soon...
I want SA2B and SADX on Switch
Well Mr. Naka, Sega leaving the hardware business has made most of its fans perpetually just sad. At least Sonic fans regularly get their fix on various platforms, but for those of us who loved most of Sega's other amazing IPs like Shining Force, Shinobi, Phantasy Star, Dragon Force, Skies of Arcadia, and countless others including a huge catalog of some of the most iconic Arcade coin-ops ever made, we haven't gotten much of anything, period. Two decades of Sonic, Yakuza, a bunch of Genesis compilations, and a smattering of other IPs (by far the best of which has been Valkyria Chronicles, IMHO)...and a mountain of others left completely untouched.
No videogame company has done less with more over the past two decades than Sega. And as long as Sonic remains its myopic focus (as evidenced by the sheer proportion of announcements and media coverage year in and year out), it will continue to be a has-been developer.
I would prob buy Game Gear Advance if it was reasonably priced
Sonic Adventure 1 was the game which turned me into a Hedgehog fan and even today, I absolutely love that game.
I played Sonic Adventure 2 first on Dreamcast from my brother and than on Gamecube, it was one of my first games.
I highly enjoyed that game as well and also combine it with good Gamecube memories. But I don't enjoy Adventure 2 these days like back then.
It's sad, that Naka left Team Sonic, maybe things would have been a little different over the years, who knows.
But at least, there's Balan Wonderworld. Even if it's not that special like Sonic to me, it's a worthwhile and charming game to play.
Many many hours of my childhood went to this game! It was a bit sad to see Sega drop out of the console market but I do think it's worked out for the best in the end. Sega was by a mile my favorite dev/publisher last gen after they merged with Atlus. Persona 5, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Judgment, and 13 Sentinels are all among my favorites of the generation.
Also for some of Sega's other games in their catalog they were willing to license them out to other devs to take a crack at them like Streets of Rage 4 and Sonic Mania which both also turned out great.
Hopefully they will continue what they are doing and if Lost Judgment was any indication they are still on the right track.
I was a SEGA and Sonic fan back then, went from Master System to the Mega Drive, Saturn to Dreamcast. I remember getting a GameCube as seemed SEGA were putting a few games on there, with the (then) upcoming new Sonic Team game, Billy Hatcher, set to be exclusive. In reality SEGA put exlusives on each console, with Jet Set Radio and Panzer Dragoon sequels going to Xbox, Shinobi to PS2. OutRun 2006 skipping the GameCube was annoying as I had to buy an Xbox to play it. I liked SEGA having their own console I suppose, as I could get all their games in one place.
@Korgon For Note Sega outright bought Atlus, they saved them from extiction. after their original holding company went bust big time. the only merger Sega has been in is when they merged with Sammy and that was against much of the managements will. As it was that Sammy ended up getting a controlling stake of shares.
I always remember buying Sonic Adventure 2 on Dreamcast when it came out and feeling really excited to play it but I was sad as I knew this was going to be the last time Sonic would be on a Sega system. I still play it today and the garden of Angel Chao I raised are still in my VMU as well.
I swear I would be ecstatic if a new modern Chao Garden was announced. I spent way more time playing that than the actual game.
Atari , Sega, Nintendo , these are the video games legends. Sega's exit from the hardware business was part there own fault with infighting between Sega USA and Sega Japan. In fact Sega had to much power that they went of designing consoles and what not. Spending millions. Sega sqaundered millions on multi console developement with many never released, pure madness. But No doubt Sega are Iconic as a software maker and their consoles where ahead of the time. The only time Nintendo used up to date hardware was the Gamecube which was the most powerful console Sixth Gen. But they messed that up using Mini discs which restricted content.
Sega produced some great games after the hardware exit on all consoles. it was Sammy'S MERGER IN 2005/6 THAT STARTED TO SLOW THEM DOWN, and the fact that Nagoshi who was put in charge of Game developement was restrictive to what he would greenlight. He may have made Yakuza great but hell did he hold other IP's back. But the past few years have seen Sega relaese some great games and even license out their IP. Though Im not so keen on that. It worked in the 8bit and 16 bit computer days where Sega Licensed out most of their titles for other devs to develop. Look at all the games on Sinclair Spectrum,Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari St...
Yes Sega have changed but they have survived and in time I think we will see some great new IP and returning IP again. Now that they have opened new studios and seem to be in a better place as they move forward.
For me Sony and Xbox will never be a relacement for the true video games companies. Now it's all about how much they can control via buy outs. Back in the day it was all a little more toungue in cheek with the console wars and I knida miss that..
Still miss Sega hardware, even though its great Sega games are on different systems. Funny that back in the day you would not of dreamed about Sega games on a Nintendo console.
@KITG_GROUP
Ah I see thanks for the clarification.
@ShadowofTwilight22 Back in the day Sega was at the very pinnacle of the hobby in terms of offering the most diverse range of genres from any publisher. And a fun fact: the Genesis was already neck-and-neck with Nintendo's SNES for probably a full third of its life cycle before the first Sonic the Hedgehog game ever released. That's right, it was accomplishing that on the backs of some of those IPs you referred to as "flops". Was Sonic a revelation when it released with its speed and pseudo-polygonal aesthetics? Absolutely, and no one here is disputing the fact he made for an instant flagship franchise.
I don't know whether you have ever played any of the other games or franchises I mentioned, but yes, each of them are indeed beloved. Maybe not by as many fans as Sonic has, but no less passionate. And here's why: whether you personally experienced them or not, back in the day Sega's development teams, like Team Camelot, poured genuine passion and quality into them. Their RPGs in particular were on par with Square's very best. Long before Western gamers ever got a Fire Emblem localization Shining Force had introduced them to the SRPG genre, and it's an absolute tragedy that most never got to play Team Camelot's Magnum Opus, Shining Force III for the Saturn (the single biggest reason most of these games "flopped" had NOTHING to do with their quality but rather the hardware they were on thanks to Sega's own bungling).
Do I understand that corporations tend to be risk-averse and focus primarily on maximizing profit? Of course. But Sega made themselves a household name by taking risks and pushing boundaries. And yes, some of that came back to bite them hard, but most of the blame rests fully on decisions made on the hardware front, NOT with their games.
Please allow me to pose a question: if Sega ever released the franchises I've advocated for again, would you be opposed to that? I'm not even asking if you would buy/try playing them because I don't know your personal tastes; I just wonder why you seem to want to shoot them down based on a corporate-angled argument (hopefully you're not one of those folks Square's President recently described as "those who play to contribute"). I used to love Sonic, but I also loved a whole bunch of other Sega franchises, and I have the objectivity to recognize when a company has "circled the wagons" and gone into survival mode. Sonic may keep the Sega brand alive for awhile longer, but rest assured it is on the decline, and meanwhile countless IPs that could somehow be contributing to their recovery are being left to rot (I am not counting the ones released recently which they've either outsourced to other developers to varying results or which required Kickstarters to even exist). Sure, taking expensive risks on some of their other IPs may put them under for good; who knows (for that matter, the jury's still out on Sonic Frontiers; for their sake they'd better get it right). But it could also be exactly what would bring them back from the brink.
A prolific Sega that returned to making a wide range of amazing games would be an immense boon to the hobby; I can't imagine why you wouldn't want that, even if your favorite franchise remains Sonic.
Adventure 2 was my first gamecube game and first console game that I owned. Loved it to pieces back than. While I wonder how Sega would've faired if Sega stayed in the console market, Me and many Nintendo fans would never have been introduced to Sonic.
Really wish Sega would port more titles from the Saturn/Dreamcast era to the switch
@ShadowofTwilight22 I'm hard on Sega because I know full well what they used to be and believe they are capable of doing so again with the right combination of effort, genuine passion, and marketing. I air criticisms here and elsewhere because two decades of letters, emails, and survey responses (like those included in each Ages title on the Switch) accomplished almost nothing despite Sega's empty promises to listen to their consumers. A counterpoint to the Sonic-related articles here (and if it's so "bloody tiring" just maybe it's because there are SO MANY OF THEM), even expressed with a negative tone, is my only recourse by now, made in the faint hope that just maybe someone at Sega will read them. It's only responsible for any corporation to listen to and at least consider criticism and constructive feedback, however unpleasant or uncomfortable, and yes, reading industry media and reader responses is a part of that. One thing is guaranteed: nothing will ever change if no one ever voices a complaint or desire for something different.
At least I have a legitimate reason for my complaints. You have been getting the franchise you want (at least in some form) for the past twenty years and by your own admission have made it some sort of personal quest in attacking my posts for being critical, which comes across to me as fanboyism. Maybe my posts regarding Sonic in particular are negative in tone and maybe you disagree with them, but no one is forcing you to either read or respond to them. Agree or disagree, but leave it to the moderators to police what is said or is relevant to the conversation.
Fun fact I actually had the demo disk that had stuff like soul caliber 2 and viewtiful joe on it and SA1 was on it!
At the time alot of people thought that was the end for Sega, but they are still hanging in there. I am glad they still release games that aren't Sonic.
I want to live in the alternate universe where Sega never left the console making market.
@AtlanteanMan Nobody has done less with more, Konami has done more than Sega over these last 10 years to you? What about Activision who used to publish upwards of 20 games a year to only making call of duty games almost exclusively?
@jbreez00 Oh, Konami certainly deserves to be in the conversation; at one time they were one of the most prolific publishers in the industry, offering a wide suite of genres and great IPs including Castlevania, Contra, Axelay, Gradius, Suikoden, Vandal Hearts, and TMNT as well as a ton of great Arcade coin-ops. Like Sega, as they went into decline (and perhaps it actually helped contribute to that decline) they placed way too much of their emphasis around a single franchise (Metal Gear). But at their zenith they were still far behind Sega's absolute mountain of IPs, largely since Sega was supporting their own consoles at the time.
Activision too used to bring a much broader variety of games to the table. As anyone who experienced the Atari 2600 and its contemporaries will tell you, they were unquestionably the leading third-party publisher of that period, and David Crane (Pitfall, Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, River Raid, and many others) was a household name. And yes, they abandoned most of that variety in favor of the CoD annual cash cow. But again, they were nowhere near the presence Sega once was, even at their absolute peak.
Please understand that I'm not debating the sheer importance either Konami or Activision once had in either the industry or the hobby; both provided countless great memories. I'm basing my statement solely upon the number of unused, long-dormant IPs that Sega accumulated across multiple generations of consoles as well as their incredibly rich Arcade coin-op history. Would all of those IPs make for profitable projects or meet with high consumer demand? Of course not, but many would, I firmly believe.
I'd love to see all three of these companies return to the variety and quality they once offered; it would be an amazing development for the hobby, for sure. Sadly, the bigger corporations get the tighter they generally seem to become with their money, and perceived profitability and "safeness" tends to overpower originality, variety, and risk-taking. As a Japanese developer supposedly remarked during E3 2010 regarding the glut of FPSes, "You Americans really must enjoy war." That statement preceded a huge exodus of Japanese and foreign developers from the show that helped make it the shell of its former self it is now. Those smaller publishers and "fringe IPs" MATTER. And through a combination of mismanagement and internal issues, both Sega and Konami have become shadows of their former selves, scarcely clinging to continued existence.
The industry has changed over the past 30 years, and it will continue to change, and not always for the better. I realize there are things I and many other longtime gamers love that we'll likely never get to experience again, and that companies tend to leave you behind for new and more lucrative target demographics; that's life, unfortunately, and it's also the history of the videogame industry. But I try to appreciate the memories the hobby has given me, and I still advocate where and how I can for the return of some of those great old school franchises, especially certain RPGs and SRPGs of years past.
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