The Sonic franchise has experienced its share of highs and lows over the last ten years, but it appears that Sega’s recent endeavor into open-world platforming with their release of “Sonic Frontiers” was a monumental success. Celebrating earlier this month, they revealed that since its launch in November, the game had managed to exceed expectations by selling an impressive 2.9 million units worldwide.
Despite Sonic Frontiers’ steady unit price not dropping much since its release, it has outpaced Sega’s initial expectations in total sales. Looking ahead to further boost the game’s performance, the company is exploring a variety of strategies, such as enticing discounts and promotions, along with an alluring selection of additional downloadable content for engaged fans.
Over on Reddit in a Q&A segment related to the game’s sales strategy, the developers have noted the following:
We are proceeding with this title based on a strategic sales plan. We conducted intensive promotions around the November release, and as announced recently, we have been able to achieve good results so far. A temporary sale was held around Black Friday, but the selling price has since returned to normal. We have been able to achieve these results while maintaining a certain level of quality, and the number of units sold greatly exceeded our original estimation. We will continue to sell over the long term based on sales strategies such as pricing, promotions, and the development of further DLC.
As for the game’s future, the developer noted the following:
We expect development costs for new titles to grow even larger in the future. We will strive to ensure solid quality in the development of major titles from our existing franchises. However, development labour costs will rise due to the impact of the global external environment, and we expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future. Since it is necessary to take on these challenges for major titles, we are proceeding with a bigger budget, even from the basic research stage. Therefore, we assume that development costs for future new titles will increase accordingly.
Sonic Frontiers is an exciting 3D adventure that delivers a genuinely enjoyable experience. The game succeeds in capturing so many of the classic elements from previous Sonic games and brings them to life with modern flair – making this one of his most engaging adventures in years.
