Q&A
[BEGIN Q&A SECTION — 10 MINUTES]
Panelists: All
AARON: Alright! (If we have giveaway items) Now before we reveal a little goodie that we brought along for all of you in the audience, as well as one online for all of you watching via livestream, we’re going to do 10 minutes of Q&A where you guys can ask whatever questions you’d like. We’ll try to do this fast, so please keep your questions short and concise, so that we can let as many of you ask questions as possible.
If you don’t get a chance to ask your question, there might also be some time after the panel is done, so don’t lose heart.
AARON: Alright, if everyone could please form a line/lines in the aisle leading up to the mic, let’s go ahead and begin.
Special reveals
[SPECIAL REVEALS — GIVEAWAY ITEMS]AARON: And that is all the time we have for the Q&A right now, but again, for those who wanted to ask questions, you may find some time right after our panel ends as we’ll be sticking around here a little longer for a signing session.
MIKE: A signing session? But I didn’t bring anything to get signed!
ROGER: Hmm… I wonder if our audience did?
AARON: Audience, how many of you guys brought something to get signed today?
[PART OF AUDIENCE CHEERS]IIZUKA: Hm… not everybody cheered.
AARON: You know, you’re right, lizuka-san.
ROGER: Sure would be cool if we had… something free… to give them, so they could get it signed.
MIKE: I like free stuff. Do you all like free stuff?
[AUDIENCE CHEERS — LOUDLY]AARON: Well, on behalf of SEGA, we have a little surprise for all of you here in person.
Sonic Mania poster
IIZUKA-SAN: First, for Sonic Mania…
[POSTER ON SCREEN]AARON: We’ve created an exclusive SXSW Sonic Mania Poster, featuring Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as they travel through Studiopolis Zone. [IF IT GLOWS] And, on top of the fact that it’s awesome… it glows in the dark!
[SHOW GLOW LAYER] [AUDIENCE CHEERS]MIKE: I’ll admit, that’s pretty cool. Especially the Eggman in the stars.
AARON: Actually, we’re not done yet Mike.
Sonic Forces poster
[AUDIENCE CONFUSED — WHAT’S HAPPENING?]IIZUKA-SAN: We also created one more piece of merchandise, to celebrate Sonic 2017. (FORCES)
[CUT TO FULL CONCEPT ART PIECE]AARON: Now that the full concept art has been revealed, we’ve created exclusive prints of the Sonic 2017 concept art for each of you. So, if you didn’t have something to get signed… now you do.
[AUDIENCE CHEERS]Now, this next part is very important, so I need you all to make a promise with me right now. Is that OK?
[AUDIENCE AGREES]Alright — now, these items are awesome, but there’s a limited amount, so look around at the people to your right and your left. We want everyone here to get them, so please, take ONLY ONE of each item. Don’t take any for a friend or someone who isn’t here, because that’ll mean those people you’re looking at around you might not get one, and we want all of you today to have these as thanks for coming out to our panel. Does everyone understand, and are we all
good there?
Closer
IIZUKA-SAN: There’s also one more gift, for our viewers on the livestream.
AARON: That’s right! Livestream, we wish we could give you guys this stuff, so instead, we’ve decided to give you an exclusive first listen at a sample of the main theme song of Sonic 2017, which is available online right now on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/sonicthehedgehog.
AARON: And with that, our second year of Sonic Panels here at SXSW is coming to an end! Mike, Roger, lizuka-san, any final comments?
MIKE: [TBC]
ROGER: [TBC]
IIZUKA-SAN: On behalf of Sonic Team, we hope you look forward to both Sonic Mania and Sonic 2017 (FORCES) releasing this year.
AARON: Stay tuned to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, and of course MySpace for all the latest on news for both Sonic Games, as well as other fun stuff, in the months to come.
To all the great folks at SXSW who helped us make this panel happen — thank so much! Let’s hear it for all the staff at SX who are working behind the scenes right now!
[AUDIENCE CHEERS]AARON: And let’s hear it one more time for lizuka-san, Roger, Mike, and Austin off-stage, who traveled all the way out here to be with you today!
[AUDIENCE CHEERS]AARON: In a moment, you guys can pick up your Sonic Mania Poster and your Sonic 2017 Art Print at the table on the way out, and if you’d like to get items signed by our team, we’ll be sitting just outside in a few minutes.
SEGA jingle
AARON: Now, if you were here last year, or at any of the parties we’ve hosted in the past, there’s one thing we like to do at the end each time. You guys know the SEGA Genesis Startup noise, right? (SEEGAAA)
OK, great. We’re going to end our panel today just like that with all of you, alright? So on 3, let’s hear it from everyone in this room today. Ready?
MIKE: One!
ROGER: Two!
IIZUKA-SAN: Three!
[SEEEEEGAAAAAAAAAA]AARON: Thank you so much for coming everyone, thank you SXSW, and thank you to all of our livestream viewers for tuning in! Have a great afternoon and evening!
[WE’RE DONE!] [PANELISTS HEAD TO SIGNING AREA]Signing session
Signing Session
[Estimate one hour for signing – might be more. Not sure how much larger our crowd might be yet.]
