Back in 1983, Nintendo had released the Famicom (Family Computer) that reinvigorated the stagnant gaming market in Japan and revitalised the US market from the ‘video game crash’. On the same day as the Famicom release, another company, Sega, released the SG-1000. It couldn’t compete with the Famicom and soon faded into obscurity.Â
Sega was continually looking for a way to get a foothold in the home console market. Arguably this happened in 1988 with the released of the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive. But perhaps the pivotal point that turbo boosted the console wars was in 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog, promoted by Sega as the fastest video game in history.
Sonic was Sega’s answer to Mario. An impatient hedgehog that could run, jump and curl into a ball to speed through Green Hill Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog sold over 15 million copies and placed Sega on the map. Sonic was the cooler, edgier alternative to Mario.
And here’s an interesting fact. The original idea for Sonic was a rabbit that could grab enemies with its long ears and throw them. Development started on the idea but fell apart when the act of stopping to pick up and throw an enemy went against the sense of speed they were trying to achieve. Instead, the core character evolved into a hedgehog that could curl into a ball and speed through a map.
