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For the majority of the 1980s, Nintendo has been an overwhelming juggernaut in the video game industry, with Mario being the character at the forefront of Nintendo’s popularity. While many companies tried to make rivals for Nintendo’s plumber boy, none were as effective as Sega’s blue blur, Sonic the Hedgehog.

If the 1980s were for Mario, Sonic dominated the 1990s with style and speed, making him a worthy contender against Mario. In the 90s, Sega was marketed as everything Nintendo wasn’t. 

Where Nintendo had slower and cuter titles for their consoles, Sega’s games were fast-paced and cool. Where Nintendo was family-friendly, Sega wasn’t afraid to use gore. At the time, Sega did what Nintendo didn’t. 

Fast forward to today, Sega has long since dropped out of the console market and has gone primarily multiplatform. Sega has yet to allow Sonic to fade from the public despite his recent escapades being mixed among the gaming communities.

“Sonic Frontiers” and “Sonic Superstars” are the most recent original games in the series, received decently by fans. Both titles received a 7/10 from IGN and GameSpot, yet “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” triumphed over the titles, receiving 9/10s across the board.

Despite the recent drop in quality, Osamu Ohashi, an executive director of Sega and 2nd division manager, recently spoke about the future of Sonic the Hedgehog. While Sega’s 1st division is focused on the successful “Ryu Ga Gotoku” series, better known in the West as the “Yakuza” or “Like A Dragon” series, the 2nd division is solely dedicated to Sonic. 

In an interview on the 2nd division’s webpage, Ohashi explained several aspects of the 2nd division, including Sonic’s direction going forward.

“Simply put, I want to surpass Mario,” Ohashi said. “Sonic is a game that was originally developed to compete with Mario, and it still hasn’t achieved that goal. Our goal is to catch up and surpass Mario because we respect Mario.”

While the older battles between franchises have been primarily about each company’s games, Ohashi alludes to other aspects he would like to see Sonic excel in over his rival.

“I want people to play it all over the world, including Japan, like Mario, and I want the movie [“Sonic the Hedgehog 3”] to be a bigger hit than Mario,” Ohashi said. “I would like USJ [Universal Studios Japan] to create a “Sonic Area” as well. That’s our goal for those of us who love Sonic.”

Fans may say Sega has a long way to go to reach and surpass Mario, but Sonic’s newfound time in the spotlight could come sooner than we think. Two weeks after the release of “Sonic Superstars,” Sega revealed a trailer for “Sonic Dream Team,“ the newest title in the Sonic franchise, coming to Apple Arcade. 

From what was shown of “Sonic Dream Team,” the game seems to have more open levels, including six playable characters, new and old, that embody climbing, flight and speed. Taking place in Dr. Eggman’s dreams, the bosses shown off are creative and wacky.

With a fresh color palette to play with and a new soundtrack composed by Tee Lopes, “Sonic Dream Team” may be a step in the right direction for Sega and the game fans have been dreaming about.