It seems fitting that on National Video Games Day, while the official Twitter account for Xbox posted an image praising all platforms and gamers on equal terms, CBS All Access dropped a trailer on YouTube for Console Wars, a documentary on the 90’s phenomenon of the same name, that saw Nintendo and SEGA battle it out like sworn enemies on their way to the top of a booming video game industry.
Few other things could show a starker contrast between the current video game market and the full-fledged war of the 90’s, and the trailer gives a glimpse on this corporate tussle by showing testimonies from the industry’s biggest players in both Nintendo, the stalwart name of then; and SEGA, the story’s up-and-coming challenger, both hailing from Japan but looking to make strides in the relatively unknown American market.
It’s easy to forget there was a time when Mario was the only recognizable video game mascot, but the trailer shows that at some point Sonic was meant to go toe to toe with the red plumber, as hinted by some of the early thoughts seen on his creation process. With everything from suggestions of sabotage and price wars. to US Congress hearings and outlandish ad campaigns, this is one area where the 90’s were definitely not a simpler time, as SEGA went out of their way with very aggressive market strategies to make up for the huge position that Nintendo had already secured years before.
The trailer also gives executive production credits to Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, with the latter recently seen very busy by also picking up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise for a possible reboot among other work.
This happens to be CBS All Access' first original film production and was an official selection for the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival before cancellation, thus it will now launch exclusively on the streaming platform and is set for premiere on September 23rd.
Video game documentaries are in style recently with Netflix’s series High Score premiering last month and receiving generally positive reviews. As teasers, announcements and rumors continue to pile up for the upcoming console launches from Sony and Microsoft later this year, Console Wars comes at the perfect time just as another war looms ahead, even if it's more toned down than it used to be.
Console Wars will start streaming on CBS All Access on September 23.
Source: CBS All Access/YouTube