Soo... Sony wants a Mario level IP.

[parallax]

Sony had many chances for this but never backed anything core fans was fukking with

Personally they should have got behind Tomba!
Not let Lara Croft get fukked over...
Ape Escape could have been pushed further.
.shyt Rayman too...Crash...Brave Fencer Musashi....etc.

It's too late...PS1 era was pumping out dope main characters

i agree with tomba and ape escape.( to be honest, ape escape is their best chance at ip mascot franchise still today)
i dont think they had much say on lara croft though.

its wierd that they put so much effort behind crash and he wasnt really theirs though, but they seemed to know the deal when it came to spyro

 

[thaKEAF]

of course they do

 

[Black Man of the Nile]

Gizmo Duck is such a corporate slave for Sony

Nikka probably don't even play games

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

Gizmo Duck is such a corporate slave for Sony

Nikka probably don't even play games

Imagine

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

Closest thing they've got is Sackboy and they didn't do anything with him for a whole gen so idk. I don't think Astro or w.e. his name is is it either

I don't think it's that a new character can't be made like somebody said. I'm sure a focus group back in the day thought a video game about an italian plumber chasing a princess stealing gorilla around (the original Mario) was stupid now look

I don't think Sony has it in them to make one and that's fine since nobody but Sega has. Master Chief is nowhere near that space and Crash could never have a seat at that table

I said that, but let me explain.. I don't care if it's new or old.. I don't care if Mario was never invented and then nintendo discovered him today... There will NEVER be an IP like that again because times have changed. Same way we'll never have another Michael Jackson. They don't say that because they think he's never going to be topped in talent again.. They say that because the music industry and the world has changed so much, that one artist will never again get the chance to sell 70 million albums worldwide.

Same thing with video games. When you had 2 consoles, no pc games, 1 or 2 TVs in the entire house and 10 memorable characters, yea, mario could ride for 3-4 generations (NES, SNES, 64, gamecube). Well now it's 2023 and Sony alone has games out on 2 consoles (3/4 if we count pros), MS has another 2-3 consoles and PC, nintendo has switch, you got mobile games also to compete, streaming games, 100 new games a month.... And on top of that, now you got video game tv shows and movies and comics to also watch...

Ain't no kid getting THAT invested in ONE mascot at a time... All the mascots already mentioned were played by kids, teens and adults, and none of them stuck. Cause in 30 days, something else is out to play, if you already aren't trying to beat 4-5 games at once already. Same way nobody sits with an album for a year or two, just listening to that, therefore no more MJ's... Nobody has weeks and months to play Mario and Mario alone, to build up any type of brand loyalty and keep coming back, buying merch, watching tv shows and waiting on the movie

It's not gonna happen..

 

[Complexion]

Too many distractions, too much choice and things are too fragmented. The only way they could pull it off is a with real slick social media campaign with lots of money hatting to retcon a Mandela Effect in which loads of people "remember" a time when Parrapa dethroned Mario and they create a whole load of fake footage, movies, games, merch etc to sell the narrative then relaunch the IP again.

That would work. Really well and it would have people buzzing but it would need some real creative thinking, a timed rollout and an initial hook that seems at least plausible before the obvious ducktale kicks in. Thats what I'd expect from Sony and their edgy image and what I'd recommend if consulting on how to make this IP dream a real thing. Just need to look back through their catalog for something to flex.

Maybe Ape Escape vs Donkey Kong would do the trick... Its got to be witty, amusing and wildly creative with a new title locked and loaded in the chamber for when hype is fever pitch to deliver on the promise. Just the new retro gimmick lost merch via retconned games would sell alone to collectors and the rest would wade in.

 

[Rekkapryde]

ya know this really is an interesting thought and convo the more I think about it, how the fukk did Sony drop the ball on this..even Microsoft has Master Chief still

Master Chief is washed b.


NOBODY can replicate what Mario is.

Sonic is close, but even then he's Dwade Status next to Jordan. Mario's nostalgia being passed down from the OG Nintendo generation to their kids and their kids and so on is something that just can't be topped.

 

[StatUS]

This is so 90s. The brand is the mascot nowadays. Just make money.

If you want a Mario level IP for marketing potential outside of gaming then I do understand that.

 

[Rekkapryde]

The goal should be Sonic level IMO.

Mario is untouchable.

 

[Hood Critic]

I realized the other day, that my parents actually know who Mario is and that my grandchildren will eventually play more than one Mario game. The Plumber is going to have a PacMan like legacy.

 

[Grifter]

Who wouldn't?...

 

[TripleAgent]

Completely and totally wrong, OP

 

[Red Money]

Sony had many chances for this but never backed anything core fans was fukking with

Personally they should have got behind Tomba!
Not let Lara Croft get fukked over...
Ape Escape could have been pushed further.
.shyt Rayman too...Crash...Brave Fencer Musashi....etc.

It's too late...PS1 era was pumping out dope main characters

Sofia had a moment ps1 era….unofficial but still kinda mascot like.

 

[Neuromancer]

Should have been Kratos

 

[Rekkapryde]

Should have been Kratos

Mario is on his own tier but Kratos is at a level to where he’s popular enough

That God of War tv series has the potential to really increase his popularity as long as it ain’t trash