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Sonic Battle Racers Boardgame Kickstarter

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by Blue Blood, Feb 9, 2018.

  1. Blue Blood

    Blue Blood

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    I figured this should go separately to the merchandise topic, as it's more of it's own thing.

    Shinobi7 has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for the upcoming Sonic boardgame. It is officially licensed and will be released regardless of the the success of the Kickstarter, but if the campaign is successful there'll be additional parts available. It's due out in October. There initial goal is $50,000, and as of the time of writing they're a little over $30,000 with three weeks left to go.

    [​IMG]

    The pledge tiers are as follows:
    • $50: Base game (including Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Eggman Boss), KS exclusive Super Sonic.
    • $100: Base game, KS exclusive Super Sonic, 10 figurines of each badnik (Crabmeat, Motorbug, Buzz Bomber, Spinner)
    • $150: Everything from previous tiers, all stretch goals included as freebies, all optional buys included as freebies.

    Stretch goals:
    • $60k: Token bag
    • $70k: Blaze player
    • $80k: 50 plastic rings to replace cardboard tokens
    • $90k: Sticks player
    • $100k: Metallic finish to cards
    • $110k: Shadow player and Oil Ocean expansion set

    Optional buys:
    • $10: 20 plastic rocks to replace cardboard tokens.
    • $20: Metal Sonic player and Mechanical Madness expansion (I've left a comment asking them to correct the name).
    • $20: Infinite player and Metropolis expansion.
    • $10: Vector large player
    • $10: Big large player
    • $10: Omega large player

    Personally, I'm backing this the full amount. It looks like a fun game and a really nice piece of merchandise too. Anyone else interested?
     
  2. Mastered Realm

    Mastered Realm

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    The graphic design and general typeface usage on this is quite atrocious. I'll pass, thanks.
     
  3. Sparks

    Sparks

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    They seriously need a Kickstarter for a licensed board game?
     
  4. Naean

    Naean

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    2D. Sonic Fan Game
    Edit: I've since simmered down quite a bit from when I initially posted this, so I've gone back and placed my original post in a Spoiler box to hide it from immediate view. :)

    It certainly has also taken me aback that SEGA are setting up a Kickstarter campaign for a product which they have officially licensed, and are apparently planning to sell, even if they don't meet their funding goal.


    I could be completely incorrect about my thoughts here, and absolutely fair play to have egg on my face if I'm totally wrong about this, (I am aware that Sega Sammy Holdings is a thing, and maybe they're of good financial support to SEGA, or something.) but...

    ... I feel like SEGA are perhaps shitting themselves a little financially, at least partially - if not majorly - due to how Sonic Forces tanked reputation-wise and potentially will not make long-term sales well into the future. This of course does not help matters when you consider that this new Sonic game has flopped critically with many people after they already downsized due to other previous failures and luke-warm-at-best receptions with Sonic Boom: Rise Of Lyric and Sonic Lost World. They drove the original Sonic Runners into the dirt, too.

    SEGA already had a substantial money loss due to previous bad Sonic outings, and then you stack that on top of that Sonic Forces' failings, I wouldn't be surprised if SEGA are in a bit of a money panic mode. I started to get the impression that they were scraping the bottom of the earnings barrel when they initially planned to charge, of all pissing things, Super Sonic as paid D.L.C. (!!) for Sonic Forces.

    However, what really cemented the idea that SEGA are money-scrambling, was when I found out about the horrendous bastardisation of the once fantastic Sonic CD 2011 re-release, and its buggy inclusion of advertisement bombardments. (Cheers to Blue Blood for capturing this; totally agreeing with his input about that mess.) Top that with this surprisingly officially SEGA-backed Kickstarter campaign, (Look at the price tag on some of those stretch goals!) and I find little room to doubt that they're desperately reaching to sustain income via a host of different avenues, even if it means them frankly spitting in the face of customer respect while doing so.

    These recent events are honestly very depressing and disappointing. Had the glory that is Sonic Mania not exist or be released recently, SEGA and Sonic's outlook and condition would look even more appalling than it already does. I mean, a company can only continue to pump out mediocrity and half-assed, half-baked products for so long, and downsize so much, until they disintegrate into administration, right?

    I hope to high heaven that SEGA is fucking serious about their "Sonic is back, and ready to take 2018 by storm." statement. My patience for their gross mistreatment, of what is supposed to be their flagship franchise, over the past 3 years or so (Again, excluding Sonic Mania from that.), is wearing very thin. The people in charge of things at SEGA, whoever you may be, for the love of god please sort your shit out promptly. Like Dark Sonic stated in this great post, which I couldn't agree more with, social media damage control can and likely will outstay its welcome eventually if SEGA doesn't knuckle down and stop fucking up. All these individual bad business actions combine together resulting in a giant clusterfuck of unacceptable behaviour, and it's simply not good enough.


    Well damn, I ended up venting/ranting a fair chunk more than I intended; apologies for the wall of text! I just can't stand to see a once widely cherished series stumble away into a path devoid of consistent quality. Maybe I'm simply rather too invested in these fictitious characters and their games, but it's truthfully quite a bit upsetting to see how haphazardly the series has been doing in recent times. Sigh.

    I still stand by most of what I said (Sans some financial-related stuff, which in hindsight I was not well informed on!), although I'm a lot happier now. (Partially because Sonic Mania Plus was revealed to be a thing, so I'm ecstatic about that!) ^w^
     
  5. makoeyes

    makoeyes

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    Sonic isn't back and won't be back unless developers abandon the belief players want to just "dash through stages like a maniac" in regards to game design. I'm also doubtful that another Mania will happen, at least anytime soon. Just the pessimist in me, I guess.

    I dunno if Sega's bleeding money over Sonic, but it certainly does look like horrible franchise management to the nth power. I hate to be crass, but Sega is the abusive, greedy pimp to Sonic the Hedgehog.

    Sonic will turn tricks on demand. Period. And Sega will use, abuse, and shove him out on the streets in whatever way they feel will turn the quickest dollar, past respect or importance as a major gaming icon be damned. There's a shocking lack of reverence regarding their signature mascot who was one of the most highly renowned and known game icons, almost equal to Mario.
     
  6. Blue Blood

    Blue Blood

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    This Kickstarter isn't being organised by SEGA. Shinobi7 bought the license to create this game, and they've secured a publisher. They are small companies handling this project and the only way for them to fund it further is through Kickstarter. There's a thread on Reddit by with one of the designers answering questions.
     
  7. Naean

    Naean

    Naean H.F. (Nez Man) Member
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    Ah, I see. Fair enough I guess.

    It still isn't a pretty look amongst the other SEGA shenanigans though; SEGA's self-awareness is on vacation, it would seem. Bleh.
     
  8. makoeyes

    makoeyes

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    This is the same thing Atari does...

    License their name/brand or whatever to whoever walks in, and then the person is just expected to deliver.

    I dunno, freely offering the license to anybody who'll buy even if they don't have the money on their own seems weird.
     
  9. JaxTH

    JaxTH

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    Jack shit.
    Ah yes, I had forgotten that the only games Sega put out in 2017 were just two Sonic ones.

    You're kidding, right? Yes, Sonic is the flagship, but I'm starting to get tired of hearing this tripe all the time from everywhere as if Sega only ever puts out one game a year and it's somehow Sonic. On consoles/PC Sega put out AT MINIMUM 15 games in 2017 AND bought a new studio. In 2018 we already have a projected 8 coming out so far.

    This isn't even going into other stuff like how Sega owns TMS or how Marza Animation Planet put out a fucking Resident Evil movie last year.

    But yeah, Forces is mediocre so Sega is scrapping the bottom of that barrel and must almost be in bankruptcy right? This was all without going into the company as a whole (SegaSammy) which includes pachinko and owning several resort hotels.

    But yeah, that Sonic.
     
  10. Black Squirrel

    Black Squirrel

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    Don't back this noise - they have more than enough funds to get it to market. It's just a promotional exercise to get you to buy more.

    Crowd funding is meant to be for those who aren't so lucky. Either spend your money on more meaningful projects... or donate it to an actual charity or something.
     
  11. Covarr

    Covarr

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    Trapped in my own thoughts.
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    I'm gonna look past the business aspect and at the game itself: This simply doesn't look like a terribly good game. These sorts of simple, linear, "go forward" board games can be great for little kids, but what parent will spend fifty bucks on this when they can get (from most to least strategic) Sorry! or Pop-O-Matic Trouble or Candyland for a fraction of the price?
     
  12. Sir_mihael

    Sir_mihael

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    Let's not forget their finger in the Arcade pie. Project Diva is a bit of a money-maker...
    But yeah, I think people forget how fooooking MASSIVE SEGA are as a company outside of what we specifically care about. Even in regards to the Videogame side of things, an underperforming Sonic game wouldn't be an issue.

    An underperforming Yakuza game however... :v:
     
  13. Turbohog

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    Yeah I think it's messed up to do a Kickstarter for a licensed entity. If Sega wants this to happen on its on they can fund it.
     
  14. Felik

    Felik

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    Something something Shemnue
     
  15. Pengi

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    As Blue Blood said earlier, that's not what's happening here. Sega is the licensor. They're not the ones paying, they're the ones getting paid.
     
  16. Turbohog

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    I know they aren't making it or paying for it. But is it so crazy to expect Sega to help pay for something that will ultimately make them money?
     
  17. Dark Sonic

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    Will they make money from this though? Maybe the company bought the license and that was the end of it?
     
  18. Boxer Hockey

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    yeah, that's pretty crazy actually.

    Well, not crazy but very unusual to pay for a license and then have the license owner in turn pay for the product cost.
     
  19. winterhell

    winterhell

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    Its already backed up though.
     
  20. Blue Blood

    Blue Blood

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    There's a day and a half left to go at the time of writing, with a total of $97k pledged so far, from an original goal of just $50k. The campaign has seen several changes to the order of its stretch goals as well. This is what's been reached so far:
    [​IMG]

    Further stretch goals will see Cream at $100k, Rouge at $105k and Charmy at $110.