Sega CD
Released in 1988, the Genesis (known as the Mega Drive in Europe and Japan) was Sega's entry into the fourth generation of video game consoles. In mid-1990, Sega CEO Hayao Nakayama hired Tom Kalinske as CEO of Sega of America. Kalinske developed a four-point plan for sales of the Genesis: cut the console's price, develop games for the American market with a new American team, continue aggressive advertising campaigns, and ship "Sonic the Hedgehog" with the Genesis as a pack-in game. The Japanese board of directors initially disapproved of the plan, but all four points were approved by Nakayama, who told Kalinske, "I hired you to make the decisions for Europe and the Americas, so go ahead and do it." Magazines praised "Sonic" as one of the greatest games yet made, and Sega's console finally took off as customers who had been waiting for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) decided to purchase a Genesis instead.
ToeJam &amp; Earl
ToeJam and Earl became "one of Sega's second tier mascots, alongside Sonic", and one of the Sega Genesis's "key exclusive franchises". The characters appeared in a spin-off light gun game, "Ready, Aim, Tomatoes", developed by Johnson Voorsanger Productions as one of six mini-games for the Menacer 6-game cartridge. In early 1992, the developers began work on a sequel to "ToeJam & Earl", and spent three months expanding on the original game's concept by adding indoor areas and more terrain types. Sega was not impressed by the sequel, and believed it to be unmarketable. The team redesigned it as a platform game, as Sega was inclined to publish games in this genre. The game, titled "ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron", was highly anticipated, and was a commercial and critical success when it released in 1993. However, fans of the original game were disappointed by the change in design to a perceived generic style. Due to poor North American sales of the Sega Saturn, Sega's next generation video game console, the "ToeJam & Earl" franchise was neglected. A "ToeJam & Earl" game planned for the Dreamcast was cancelled (a beta of the game was preserved, and on Christmas Day 2013 released on the internet by enthusiasts), but a third installment, "", was released for the Xbox in 2002. The release returned to the concepts of the original game, but generated mixed reviews and poor sales. A new "ToeJam & Earl" game is currently in development by HumaNature Studios.