 A few weeks ago, we published a video about why Nintendo was perceived as so aggressive towards fan games. Now it's time to look at the other side of the coin. Why does Sega love fan games so much? Why don't they threaten fan creators with legal action the same way other companies do? Well, it's worth noting that Sega wasn't always like this. In 2011, for example, the company crushed and ambitious Streets of Rage fan remake. At the time, a Sega spokesperson said, we need to protect our intellectual property rights, and this may result in us requesting that our fans remove online imagery, videos, or games in some instances. It's interesting to note that earlier this year, Sega finally approved the release of a new Streets of Rage game which was made by fans. Streets of Rage 4 was built by the talented Lizard Cube, a studio that started by building a fan remake of the Sega Master System classic Wonder Boy 3 The Dragon's Trap. One of Sega's earliest moves to embrace fan games was the decision to work with fan game creator Christian Whitehead. Christian, also known as the Taxman, sent Sega a video of his own fan work, a mobile remake of the underrated classic Sonic CD. Sega had been so impressed that they'd hired Christian to complete his project, followed by similar mobile remakes for Sonic 1 and 2. This, though, was as far as Sega's corporate structure would allow things to go at the time. According to Sega's social media guru Aaron Weber, the San Francisco-based Sega office was not yet ready to develop a closer relationship with fan game creators. Aaron said, Sonic Mania would never have happened in San Francisco. 100% that project would never have gotten off the ground. And by the way, I think they might have even tried for stuff like that. So what changed? Well, Sega changed. Sega of America was downsized significantly. The company's San Francisco office closed entirely, and a newly restructured, far smaller team started working out of Irvine, California. The newly shrunken team meant that Sega of America became a far less corporate entity. There was more room for experimentation and new ideas were welcomed. As someone who experienced both the old and new Sega, Aaron Weber says that there were some elements of the old Sega that were more fun, but that the working environment in the current smaller office is far more fulfilling. It was during this era that Christian Whitehead, Simon Tomley, and other creators were able to successfully pitch Sonic Mania to Sega. It might be hyperbolic to claim that this project alone changed everything, but it certainly had a big impact on Sega's attitude to fan games. Recently, Evo Gurskovich, chief brand officer for Sonic Studio at Sega of America, participated in an AMA on Reddit. This seemed like a perfect opportunity for us while researching this video, so we asked him, why has Sega chosen to encourage fan art and community projects, and what do you feel are the benefits of this policy? In response, he said, hopefully it has come across over the years, but we love our fans. By embracing the fanbase, we can all enjoy Sonic together. Sonic Mania is a great example of truly embracing our fans and working with them to create amazing content all can enjoy. I don't know too many publishers who have done this or would have attempted this hybrid project, Christian and Team working in partnership with Sonic Team, that turned out to be one of the best Sonic games of all time. So it seems that the success of Sonic Mania and Sega's close relationship with Christian Whitehead has convinced the company that encouraging fans is the best way not only to build a sense of community, but also to find new talent. In 2016, while Mania was in production, the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube account commented on a video of a Sonic fan game. Sonic said, BRB, DMCA time. Just kidding, keep making great stuff, Sonic fans. This relaxed, casual approach to Sonic fan games has won the company untold respect and helped the fan community to thrive. In a recent livestream, Aaron Webber said of fan games, I think we're really fortunate that Sega as a company, especially with Sonic stuff, is really open to fan projects and to not constantly shutting them down in the majority of cases. Obviously, if there's a reason it needs to happen, someone's monetising it. But for something that's just a project of love, Sega's pretty cool with it, and I have to give them a lot of kudos for that. Thanks Sega for that. Good move. It's rare. It really is kind of rare among Japanese companies. This shift in perspective has been directly responsible for a growing Sega renaissance. Sonic Mania and Streets of Rage 4 are just a few games that show how much Sega has gained from working with, rather than against fans. Where once the company was concerned about protecting its intellectual property at all costs, now Sega is reaping the benefits from being a little less controlling of its major IPs. The moral of the story? Life is good when we all learn to share.