REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Sega of America Inc. reported Wednesday its 'Sonic The Hedgehog 2' video game sold over 400,000 units in its first six days at the store shelves.
Sega, the American affiliate of Japanese arcade game maker Sega Enterprises Ltd., staged a three-month $10 million marketing campaign before launching the game Nov. 24 and predicting it would sell more than 2 million copies in the United States and 4.5 million copies worldwide.
Sega said Wednesday that 'Sonic The Hedgehog 2,' which has a $54.99 price tage for the Genesis system and $39.99 for the hand-held Game Gear system, sold 50 percent more in its first week of sales than any other 16-bit video game.
'The tremendous sales of 'Sonic The Hedgehog 2' are the results of two very important factors,' said Tom Kalinske, chief executive officer and president. 'First and foremost, Sonic 2 is the fastest and coolest game ever developed.' He said the other key factor was the marketing campaign.
Sega scored significantly last Christmas with the original 'Sonic the Hedgehog' for the 16-bit Genesis machine, selling nearly 1 million copies. Analysts said the game took away significant sales from Nintendo, which had dominated the $4-billion market until then.
Sega sold out its first shipments of 35,000 compact-disc video-game enhancer, dubbed Sega CD and priced at $299, during the first week of November. It said Wednesday that a subsequent shipment also has sold out and that retailers are posting weekly sales of 5,000 or more units.
