Do Mascots matter anymore? I know Nintendo is really big into Mario as its main mascot, but I don't think it even used Mario as a flagship title for the past two generations now. It used to be that when you think "Nintendo" you automatically think "mario" or when you think Sega you automatically think "sonic." Now its sort of whatever. This is especially the case with Sony and Microsoft. There's no one dominant videogame character that associates itself with a brand (though the guy from Halo comes close). So then are Mascots dead?

Nah, not at all. There is a pretty close link between 'mascots' and 'brands'. A lot of modern brands have *lots* of mascots - so there isn't as many huge ones. Look at the Nintendo licences/brands - Mario, Zelda, Yoshi, Kirby, Pikmin, DK, Bowser, Picachu. Add some of the less strong 'mascots' (but still well on the way to being associated with a brand) - Animal Crossing characters, Mii's (in general), Pokemons, Brain Training (heads) - Nintendog puppies? (probably not recognisable enough). Add some other mascots: - Lara Croft, Jak/Dexter, Rachet/Clank, Sly, Master Chief, That guy from GoW, Kratos, VF characters, DOA characters... Do you consider these mascots at all? Or something else? I still think its all linked - you see the character, then recognise the brand, then recognise the company. Nintendo's characters are particularly strong (up there with Disney?).

Iono, it just doesn't seem as strong as it used to be. I think its because Nintendo used to bundle Mario with all its systems and Sega bundled Sega with all its systems. I think Lara Croft was a big mascot in the PS1 Generation, but not so much any more. I think you're right in that the sheer number of brands probably dilutes the power of any one brand. Also, a lot of brands are third party now-- Sonic is now on every system so the association with a sega system is somewhat lost. The same goes for franchises like DOA, VF, or Solid Snake. In this generation, I don't see any definitive Mascots for Xbox or PS3. Gears or War? Motorstorm? not as much association as Mario + SNES or whatever.

Oui les mascottes sont très importantes, ce sont des symboles très forts de significations.
Moi ma mascotte c'est la marmotte :)