Sonic the Hedgehog is a rather interesting series to follow. It has quite a cult following even as the quality of its games has varied between titles. Sonic Mania was a personal highlight that returned to the series’ Genesis days. Playing a modern rendition of the original trilogy was quite the thrill. Sadly, Sonic Forces didn’t continue the trend. It ended up feeling rushed and aimless. Many were hoping that the next entry would correct the trajectory the 3D games were heading towards. There has been no news regarding a sequel to either game that was released back in 2017.
Sega did confirm back in May that they have been hit by a delay due to the pandemic. In a stream, the PR team did confirm that they were originally going to reveal it during South by Southwest. Of course, the event got canceled and we never got any official announcement. It looks like we got our first sign of life of the Blue Blur. Next year is Sonic’s 30th anniversary. To build up some interesting for licensing deals, Sega published a spread in the European licensing magazine, LSB Europe.
Looking at these numbers, Sonic the Hedgehog truly is quite the powerhouse franchise. It is also interesting to see the Sonic the Hedgehog film included, which got its Box Office run interrupted due to the pandemic. What we are focusing on is the 30th Anniversary confirmation. It includes the reveal that new games will be announced in 2021 alongside a major announcement. It’s quite interesting that they confirm multiple game announcements. Sonic Mania is a shoo-in for a sequel given its popularity. I would love to see the franchise return to the Sonic Adventure era. They may announce the games now so that they will be released during the franchise’s anniversary. The thing that stands out is the major announcement confirmed for next year. They might have some remakes or remasters planned for older games. Super Mario is similarly celebrating its 35th anniversary. Maybe I am just really hoping for a remaster of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, which was my childhood classic.
Source: Issuu via Sonic Stadium, PC Invasion, Variety
