Sega Delisting Classic Sonic Games Is A Betrayal Of Its Own Legacy

thegamer.com:

Game preservation continues to be a problem. On the same day Sony announces the formation of a preservation team designed to care for its own legacy, Sega spits in the face of the Blue Blur by delisting a huge selection of games purely because it deems them irrelevant in the face of a coming remaster. From a commercial perspective this makes sense, but it also guarantees that unless players are keen to emulate, there will soon be no way to enjoy these games in their original form. That’s a big problem.

The company sent out a press release earlier this week confirming it will soon be delisting Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD across all platforms, except its availability as part of existing collections and Nintendo Switch Online. Sending out a clear message to press was likely a way for Sega to save itself from potential backlash, knowing that in the past companies like Square Enix, Sony, and Capcom have removed games on the sly, hoping to permanently replace them with reissues or remasters because in their eyes, these are now the definitive ways to experience the games.

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But that isn’t always true, as we’ve seen time and time again with mediocre revivals that either fail to live up to the original game’s quality or deliver upgrades that dilute the spirit of them entirely. Remastering classics will always be a double-edged sword, and while I understand the removal of existing titles to avoid confusion and capitalise on profits, directly telling us there is only one way to play, and we should be appreciative of that fact and accept it without complaint feels like corporate malice.It further reveals how we as a medium are still unaware of our own