Nintendo and Sega are now working together closely on future Sonic the Hedgehog games.
During a Nintendo Direct livestreaming show today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed his company will exclusively publish the next Sonic game, subtitled Lost World, on Wii U and 3DS.
“The onetime rivalry between Mario and Sonic has grown into a friendship that has never been closer,” Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said in a statement. “These announcements in conjunction with Sega demonstrate the commitment we have to bringing great games to the Wii U platform, and set the stage for our upcoming announcements at E3.”
Sonic Lost World will come exclusively to #WiiU and #3DS. #NintendoDirectNA
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 17, 2013
Nintendo didn’t reveal many details. The publisher plans to reveal more details around the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in early June.
This is a lot different than back in the 16-bit days when Nintendo and Sega were the top dogs in the console wars. Sonic was Sega’s flagship franchise, and it represented the company’s efforts to combat Nintendo’s dominance in the market during the 1990s.
Now, both gaming giants are in a very different situation. Sony and Microsoft are arguably the top console manufacturers as Nintendo struggles to sell its Wii U system. Publisher Electronic Arts recently revealed it isn’t making a single game for the system. Getting an exclusive Sonic game on the Wii U and 3DS will please a small group of dedicated gamers, but it probably won’t rescue the floundering home console.