In the early 1990s the Nintendo NES was on top of the gaming world and everyone was wondering if anyone would challenge Nintendo NES in the home video game console market. Sega stepped up and released the Sega Genesis, and began the era of 16 bit gaming. The Sega Genesis was released in 1989 with out a lot of fanfare. The Sega Genesis Console didn’t really take off until Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991 and gave Sega a Mario figure to promote the brand with.

The Sega Genesis had no 16 bit competitor in the market until the release of the Super Nintendo in 1991. The Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo had a fierce competition for market share and both sides advertised aggressively against the other however the Super Nintendo eventually won out around the time the next generation of consoles was coming out.