Sega has released its financial results for Q3 of FY2024, and it paints a somewhat disappointing picture for the company as it reports 'sluggish' sales of premium titles, including Sonic Superstars (thanks, IGN).
In its Notice of Revision of Operating Results Forecast letter, the company states "In the Consumer area, although we released some new titles in Q3, including Sonic Superstars, Endless Dungeon, and Total War: Pharaoh, sales went sluggish during the holiday sales season."
Regarding Sonic Superstars specifically, Sega had previously noted that although initial sales were lower than expected, it intended to ramp up marketing for the game significantly during November and December, as this tends to be when Sonic games sell better.
Clearly, this hasn't happened quite how Sega would have liked. We're just speculating, but maybe - just maybe - releasing around the same time as Super Mario Bros. Wonder probably didn't do Sonic Superstars many favours.
In its full financial report, Sega offers some explanation for its slow sales, stating, "Regarding the entertainment content industry, in the consumer area, the expansion of the market, mainly in Europe and the United States, has reached a plateau due to a worsening economic environment caused by inflation and other factors. In addition, game development costs continue to rise, and there is an urgent need to respond to these changes in the business environment."
On the flip side, however, Pachislot and Pachinko Machines appear to be doing rather well, with Sega revising its unit sales forecast from 178,000 to 179,000. Not a huge increase, but still, the numbers are going up.