Categories #SEGA

Update: The Creator of Gravity Falls is at Sega? And Nobody Knows Why

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Author Dave Luty
58 Comments

So this happened. The creator of Gravity Falls just posted a most interesting picture on twitter of what appears to be himself sat beside a giant classic Sonic statue at Sega of America.

But what makes this more interesting is later he commented that he cannot comment on any rumours as to why he’s there, suggesting he might be under some kind of NDA.

Could be utterly anything at this point, we’ll let you know if more information comes to light.

UPDATE: Turns out Alex Hirsch wasn’t the only one to visit Sega, so was Matt Braly, the director of Gravity Falls.

Thanks to everybody who sent this in.

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58 Comments

  1. Very interesting. I’ve never intensely watched the show, but it makes me happy that he’s fond of our beloved blue boy.

    That comment implies something greater than just a visit. If we’re to assume it’s that… I wonder if he has a chance of being a writer. Or, someone to help out with Sonic Boom.

  2. Hirsch would make a great writer, and I think he could add a lot to Sonic. He is very adept at writing a large variety of character types and interactions in a balanced and interesting way– just what Sonic needs after all the flanderization he’s got over the years. I’d hate to put all my eggs in one basket though, so I don’t want to get too attached to the notion that Hirsch is doing important stuff at Sega. I guess I’ll just speculate while waiting for a confirmation.

    If Hirsch has been doing work at Sega, perhaps all those secret codes and hidden images were his doing. After all, he put all kinds of foreshadowings and codes in Gravity Falls. If so, then I’d say that perhaps the codes do mean something after all.

  3. The creator of Gravity Falls might be involved in a Sonic product? That’s…actually somewhat of a good sign. Well, depending on two things;
    1. If that is actually the case.

    and 2. If he IS, how much SEGA will inevitably restrict his potential work with their sod-awful mandates.

  4. My guess is that he’s a writer for the 25th game, which I would not be opposed to. We’ll just have to wait and see.

      1. At this point I’d rather not know his reason. I’m just way to hyped by this to let anything crash my hype high….my, “highpe”? Eh, I’ll work on that one.

      2. I just don’t like the writing of the show but who knows what they could do with Sonic.

        1. Well I like the writing of the show, miles ahead of how I like Happy Tree Friends (which I don’t), so if they ever were to write for a Sonic game I would have much more faith in them than I do with Pontac and Graff at this point.

    1. Ooooh. Very good point. I do wonder if this appearance holds any significance.

  8. *sighs forlornly as he thinks about an Eggman/Bill Cipher teamup that’s never going to happen*

    1. Idk if they would even work out together they are both evil and crazy but Bill is off the rails insane

      1. Considering how often Eggman has been duped by the monster of the week in the past and has his vast technological resources, Bill might see him as a useful pawn.

        1. “Hmmmmm, team up with a muli-dimensional being with a will of his own that would probably turn me into a cheese sandwich the second he feels like it after I’ve done my part? I don’t see any possible way this could backfire on me!” X)

          1. actually now that I think about it, It totally sounds like something Eggamn would try. And then fail at.

          2. I do almost miss those days. I mean, yeah it’s good to be reminded of how evil and dangerous Eggman can be as a final boss, but the ending to Lost World not only felt predictable but also just kind of unnecessary. After all the hype you build up with Zavok and the others only to beat them, move on, and not know what their fates even are is just really anti-climatic. Plus it almost felt like it was arbitrarily done that time. Like they could have just ended it with Eggman faking his death but still helping from the sidelines, giving up on this plan, and swearing victory over Sonic the next time they face, showing that there was actually a point to having him and Sonic be that close to each other for the whole game. But no, he just had to betray Sonic just so they could make him the final boss, because formula, that’s all we can write. XP

          3. I liked the balance Gens struck where it had a mysterious monster, but Eggman was in complete control of it.

            Of course, I don’t want that to be the only way Sonic ever does villains. Some variety would be nice.

          4. Would have been nice if they actually explained what that thing was or where it came from and why it showed up when it did. Or what Lost Hex was, where it came from, and why it showed up when it did. Or even why all of those Wisp planets just showed up around Earth in the first place. A simple page from Sonic CD (they show up every other year or so) would have been fine, but nooooooooooooooo, you don’t want explanations, you just want the typical thing from Sonic games that we THINK you are looking for. We’re honestly guessing here, we’ve never played any of these. What? Sonic CD? What’s a Sonic CD? ICE CREAM CANNONS!!! XP

  10. JUST saying, the cryptic numbers and codes that SEGA has been leaving around? Very reminiscent of Gravity Falls itself. The show is all about hiding cryptic codes and stuff within the episodes. Not sure if that means anything, but it couldn’t go unsaid. Bonus points for Gravity Falls actually referencing Sonic in the episode “Fight Fighters”.

    1. *Edit: Looks like it already was said. But my point still stands. I’d love to see some involvement from Alex. He’s literally a genius.

  13. Oh man I can’t wait he ask for a special Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary I’m hype my body is ready for this!

  14. OH GOD YES PLEASE CHASE AWAY THOSE HAPPY TREE FRIEND HACKS AND MAKE SONIC SOUND INTERESTING AGAIN MY GOD PLEASE!!!! <3

    1. *pants* I’m sorry, I uh….I don’t know where that came from…must be penting up a lot of…emotional tension after the last few games of Sonic dialogue…

      Please Hersh, let this be good…. T3T””

        1. And now we got Matt Braly there two!!?? OMG, that’s two successful writers you could easily replace your meh writers with, the opportunity is literally forming itself, you don’t pass shit like this up!! Act on it Sega, ACT ON IT!!!!

          1. Not that they haven’t written anything epic or compeling, I’m not sure they can match the same lore of a 20+ year franchise that gave us Sonic Adventure and writers like Akinori Nishiyama, Shiro Maekawa, and Ian Flynn. Plus, I’ve seen this show’s humor. While it works for Gravity Falls, I’m not sure it works for Sonic.

            And we need that same spark that the Adventure series gave us, especially after the Pendering, Lost World, and Boom.

          2. They haven’t written anything epic or compelling? Both season finales for Gravity Falls, especially the final one, say hi to that not to mention the massive build up throughout the show.

          3. Did you even read my post. I WASN’T implying that they haven’t written anything epic or compeling.

            Why must I point that out? Start over.

          4. Writing for a show is different from writing for a game, I can agree with you on that much (just look at how Pontac and Graff are doing. Clearly they’re out of their element here). But if you’re a good enough writer to know where the differences should lie and can still find a way to match the pacing the game is going for, I’d say any successful writer’s ability is worth putting to the test before we rule them out. As harsh as I am on the current writers, I did give them at least a small chance with Sonic Colors, and it’s a policy I would grant anyone who took over, such as that Ian Flynn possibility that’s still floating around (haven’t heard much back on that in a while tho).

            Anyway, my point is that if they can match the challenge, I’d like to see them give it a shot. Who knows, it might be pretty exciting. Just because they wrote Gravity Falls doesn’t mean that that’s what whatever game they write for will feel like. At most the sense of humor and how maybe some pacing is shown might be a bit reminiscent, but a good writer makes sure that each project feels distinct, even if it has a few shared traits with sibling projects.

            I will say though, I’m not entirely sure that we “need” the Adventure style of “spark” per say. For one thing, that spark was made of many things, but the timing it had was one of the big ones. It worked out the way it did just because of how things worked at the time. They had such a fairly solid foundation with those Genesis titles that most people ignored most of the failed Saturn attempts and saw the Adventure games as a natural progression from the fun that the classic titles had. Now fast forward to today and we’ve had about a good decade of sharp ups and downs and Sonic now has a rather messy reputation with the rest of the gaming world. His foundation isn’t as solid as it used to be. At the base there are still the Genesis titles and now the Adventure titles, but from that point up it’s got a few sections firmly in place and a few that are slanting out and a few that just fell out of the column completely. To capture that spark in the same way the Adventure titles did is nearly impossible, it’s something that you just can’t replicate, nor should you. Rather, it would be best to learn from the context that allowed for that to be successful and apply it in a way that fits with today’s context, and try to make something that gives off a better spark. Something that isn’t trying to re-kindle an old flame, but make one that is much brighter. I’m not saying that they should throw everything out the window and come up with something random like they did with Lost World and Rise of Lyric, but they should still try thinking with the mindset of evolving Sonic further and further. Adding to what has already been there, not replacing it. Adventure became such a staple not because it made up an entirely new style of Sonic gameplay from scratch, it took what was successful and familiar from the classic games and reworked it in a way that functioned in a 3D environment, then Unleashed took those reworked elements and further reworked them in a way that pushed Sonic to go forward even faster, while at the same time giving just enough of a nod to it’s original foundation to make it feel welcome, not overstayed. However the next Sonic is handled, it should be in a way that feels like a natural progression and evolution from where the last 25 years have gotten us. It shouldn’t try to feel like an older title, it should just emulate what made that title good and try to make it better.

            Adventure is one of many good examples to be inspired by, but it’s not what should solely be relied upon for a new success. Maybe try to be as exciting and thrilling, sure, those were always the best traits of those games, but not try to be exactly like what it was. The best of every point in Sonic’s 25 years should be considered so that the next 25 feel like steps forward rather than steps back, or even sideways.

  15. In case it helps solve which of Hirsch’s professions took him to meet the Classic Sonic statue, Matt Braly was also with it:

    https://twitter.com/Radrappy/status/712406020438364162

    Braly did storyboards and directing for Gravity Falls, and won an Annie for one of his episodes. Unlike Hirsch, he did not also voice any characters in the show. So if Hirsch and Braly went for business reasons, it’s much more likely to be creative than voice-acting related.

  16. “But what makes this more interesting is later he commented that he cannot comment on any rumours as to why he’s there, suggesting he might be under some kind of NDA.”

    Or he’s joking. You guys clearly have no experience dealing with Alex Hirsch’s sarcasm.

    Anyway as much as I would Capital L Love Alex Hirsch to do something Sonic Related he payed a trip to the Pokémon Company and joked about doing a Mewoth movie. I’m not going to get my hopes up that this is anything other than a visit to the studio.

  17. I think a meeting of the Order of the Holy Mackeral is in order, we need to dig the life out of these tweets to find the truth. What is the Master Troll Tier himself doing at SEGA?

  18. Huh , sillymunati guys are with Sonic , I hope they won’t put their dirty things to Sonic

    1. Anything Alex and Matt would put into the Sonic series would be a million times better than the current crap Pontac and Graff have been pumping out.

  19. Yeesh, why all the Pontac and Graf hate in the comments? I actually like those two, because they made me like Sonic as a character.

      1. I never liked Sonic in the games during the Adventure era, personally, yet I now do. I always preferred him in the DiC shows and the Archie comics. He was just that much more likeable and three dimensional outside of the games back then. Yet now I like him in the games too. I did, however, much prefer Shadow and Eggman in the games back then. they’re really the only two in-game characters I liked during that era though.

        1. You mean back in the days where Sally (and the House of Acorn) CURBED him, as her own personal Inuyasha dog.

          1. The fact that you had to tie in a justifiably one-sided romantic coupling with That dog-fetist show and all this nonsense about Sonic Adventure’s “brilliant” writing only brings to mind one word about this conversation.

            WEEEEEEEEEEBBBBB-BUH!

          2. I like how you’re using one comparatively short scenario to back up your point… What’s wrong, couldn’t think of anything else to counter my opinion?
            I’m also unsure what that scenario has to do with what I said about Sonic not being two-dimensional in the comics. In the games he was always just a cool guy who likes adventure and always wins. Nothing more, nothing less. In the comics and shows, however, he was more human. he was still the cool guy who loved adventure and always won, sure, but he also had a soft side, an emotional side, a romantic side, a bad-tempered side, a sarcastic side. He was a person, not just an icon with a vague purpose and attitude to look cool.
            He was also relatable in the comics. He had family issues (most people have lost close loved ones like he has), he had romantic problems (who hasn’t?) yet he was always able to bounce right back, giving us all hope and a good example to live by. None of that was ever in the games, only romantic issues he ever had was some screaming fangirl constantly chasing him. He has no known family in the games.

        2. Permit me to be a bit controversial, but what is it about Jaleel White’s performance that just makes Sonic sound “cool”? Sure he played the character straight as a totally 90’s, catchphrase spewing teenage marketing abomination but when he did, he gave Sonic the smooth confidence that would define the WESTERN version of the character for 25 years. His Sonic was a much a trickster, a joker, a hot-head and a cocky s.o.b as the manuals and the information about Sonic implied.

          I think that famous attitude was lost in translation once the Japanese canon forced it’s way in through Sonic Adventure. After that, depending on which voice you listen to, he’s either some Japanese dude sounding like your typical anime protagonists who peppers his lines with random English words because…reasons or the vocal equivalent of an undercover cop trying to pass himself off as a 15 year old. It didn’t got any better with Sonic X and Jason Griffith, though at least he tried to take control of the character near the end.

          This is why I give Pontac and Graff slack. They may be a bunch of hacks that can’t really write story for anyone past 5 yr olds but they at least understand what made Sonic so appealing in the first place: They brought the “Cool” Sonic back. Well, technically, Roger’s Sonic is more “chill surfer dude” than “stylish cocky 90’s kid” but he still brings that same mixture of arrogance and confidence that Jaleel brought to the role and what Sonic desperately needs to appeal to a wider audience.

          2. I tend to give Drummond some slack as 1998 and 2001 were terrible years for voice acting in video games. It was emerging as something that would be integrated throughout the game and in cutscenes (as opposed to being rarely used for grunting or victory/loss audio), but because nobody was experienced with it and technology for dealing with it was still somewhat primitive, it was all terrible. Basically everybody sounded stilted and cheesy, not to mention that audio quality was poor by today’s standards. Griffith had no such excuse in 2004, though I respect him for trying to improve his Sonic voice after 06. As I see it, Roger got it right the quickest (though I didn’t like his performance in Free Riders), so he’s my favorite.

            I think its interesting that you bring up attitude. The Classic Japan games actually had a lot of that attitude, as shown with the classic foot tap or “I’m outta here!” from CD? Not to mention that Japanese Sonic commercials tried to play up Sonic’s “rebellious teen” factor like the American ones. I think its seeming dissipation is a side effect of Adventure era titles trying to have edgy, dark plots. Not for bad reason– after all, the writers don’t want to make Sonic seem uncaring. Having Sonic snark it up when he’s dealing with a villain whose clearly acting out on his grief for his dead family (SA1, SA2), who is trying to wipe out all life on Earth by eating or straight up killing everybody (Heroes, Shadow, 06), or who has been tormenting a whole kingdom for years (06… again) would be a quick way of making him come off as such. But that sensitivity comes with a cost. A lot of the Adventure titles lacked the balance needed so that Sonic can have both his signature attitude and not be an uncaring jerk. Pontaff is about as far from perfect as it gets, but one thing I agree they’ve brought back (and one thing I think comedy lends itself really well to) was giving Sonic his signature attitude.

            In terms of non-Classic Sonic, I think Sonic and the Black Knight does this balance the best, but Unleashed and BoomTV do a really good job at it too.

    2. Pontac is the worst at writing character, story, and dialogue I’ve ever seen.
      Personally I’m starting to lose interest solely because of him.

  20. I think that he was there for fun.
    A vacation after the completion of the show.
    He did go to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Japan as well.

  21. I think Alex may be working on the Sonic the Hedgehog movie! On his Twitter he poster this “Say pals, if your ole pal Alex was to direct a movie about a known video game IP, which one would you want it to be?#TOTALLYHYPOTHETICAL” He posted it May 2nd.

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