Sega Has A Surprising Opinion On Fan Games
Good news, Sonic fans: Sega is mostly in support of fan-made games, with some specific stipulations. This likely comes as a relief for developers that make Sonic-themed fan games, or use the blue hedgehog to create other sorts of art.
Sega social media manager Kate Chrzanowski shared Sega's support for fan creations on Twitter. After several gamers and artists reached out to Chrzanowski with questions about fan works, she tweeted, "So long as no profit is involved, there is usually no issue with y'all using our blue boy to hone your art and dev skills." Of course, Chrzanowski's "usually" comes with some catches. She specifically noted that developers looking to create works featuring Sonic would only be supported by Sega if the developers did not earn any sort of profit from the game.
Chrzanowski elaborated, tweeting, "We can handle outliers case-by-case as we notice them, but our goal isn't to stifle everything." In other words, fan projects are encouraged, as long as they're for creative purposes and not used as a money-making tool. However, it was not immediately clear if Sega intends this comment to cover all Sega properties, or just "Sonic" games.
It's a good time to be Sonic, but a bad time to be Sega
Picking up on this thread, some fans questioned if Sega's grace extended to other games, pointing out that previous fan projects have been shut down. One player tweeted, "Is this only for Sonic fan games? Because 'Streets of Rage Remake' didn't get the same treatment." Others simply stated that a certain other game company could learn a thing or two from Sega's generosity, implying that Nintendo might want to consider taking a more lenient stance on fan made games. One gamer even commented that Nintendo "hates creativity."
Sonic recently appeared in an update for "Puyo Puyo Tetris 2," and he's even getting his own Lego set in the near future. Exciting new merch and games featuring Sonic don't mean that fans are completely happy with Sega, though. Recently, Sega announced that it would make NFTs of some of its most loved characters available to the public. Fans felt betrayed by Sega's announcement, specifically taking issue with the fact that it would participate in a practice that could potentially harm the environment — especially considering the fact that Sonic is a staunch supporter of protecting nature.
Still, Sega's stated support of fan projects goes above and beyond what many game companies are willing to tolerate. For example, Riot Games, the owners of "League of Legends," was recently accused of extorting the developers of a fan-made "League of Legends" legacy server. As of this time, Sega still has not commented on its stance regarding non-Sonic games and fan creations.