Sega marks Sonic’s 30th anniversary with Sonic Colors remaster – and teases a new game for 2022
Sonic the Hedgehog is an undeniable gaming icon – but despite being an eternal teenager in his games, comics, films, and animated series, the Blur Blur is hitting the big three-oh this year. No 30th birthday would be complete without an appropriately lavish celebration though, and Sega is set to deliver with a range of events, crossovers, and new releases over the year ahead to mark Sonic’s milestone anniversary.
To mark Sonic’s actual birthday – 23rd June, the release date of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game on the Mega Drive/Genesis back in 1991 – Sega will be presenting a free concert performance of music from across the series. The online event will feature a full symphony orchestra playing instrumental pieces, plus performances from rock band Crush 40 – who have been performing vocal tracks for Sonic games since Sonic Adventure – and composer & DJ Tomoya Ohtani. A sneak peak of the concert will be presented as part of Summer Game Fest.
Sonic himself will be taking an anniversary victory lap of sorts too, with cameo appearances lined up in serveral games. On 30th July, an free update for hospital management sim Two Point Hospital will allow players to decorate their hospital with Sonic related items and even have characters from the series appear via costumes for hospital staff. In the Autumn, the 1996 arcade beat-’em-up game Sonic the Fighters will be fully playable in Lost Judgment, the upcoming sequel to Yakuza spin-off Judgment. Players will be able to experience this long-lost game by visiting in-game arcades in Lost Judgment’s sprawling cities.
Perhaps most disturbing though is Sonic’s quasi-apppearance in Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game. Here, players will be able to dress up their avatar in a Sonic costume and compete in otherwise realistic sports. Nothing screams “Olympic glory” like a six foot tall blue plushie. For those who are into that though, the bonus costumes will be available when the game launches on 22nd June.
The big announcement of the stream though was the announcement – or rather, confirmation of earlier leaks – of a remaster of Sonic Colors. Set for release on 7 September, the upcoming Sonic Colors Ultimate will bring the game to PS4, Xbox One (plus PS5 and Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility) and Nintendo Switch. Physical releases will come with a (frankly far too cute) Baby Sonic keychain, while the digital deluxe edition – which also seems set to make its way to the Epic Games store – will offer early access, exclusive music, gold and silver “wearables”, exclusive player icons, and a “Sonic movie boost”.
The original Sonic Colors saw Sonic and longtime sidekick Tails travel to an interplanetary theme park created by a supposedly reformed Dr Eggman. In a twist absolutely everyone saw coming, Eggman had not, in fact, reformed, and had instead enslaved an alien race, known as Wisps. Luckily, those same Wisps can give Sonic new power-ups to help defeat the mad scientist once again. Exactly how the game has been upgraded beyond the 2010 version is yet to be detailed, but Sega plans to release more information “in the coming weeks”.
Sonic Colors Ultimate will be joined by a “short form” original animated series, Rise of the Wisps. Announced by Roger Craig Smith, Sonic’s voice actor, the first of two episodes is due for online release this summer. A longer form Sonic animated series, Sonic Prime, is also in the works for Netflix. Due to arrive on the streaming platform in 2022, the series is in development with Man of Action, the studio behind Ben 10, Generator Rex and Big Hero 6: The Series.
If you prefer your Sonic the Hedgehog old-school though, next year’s Sonic Origins will likely appeal. A compilation of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles and Sonic CD, it’s set to bring these stone-cold classics to “the latest platforms”. Sega says it will also feature “added content and features” but, like Sonic Colors Ultimate, more details are to be confirmed later.
The most tantalising part of the showcase though was Takashi Iizuka, head of developer Sonic Team, rounding out the presentation of what is almost assuredly the next mainline Sonic game. No title was given and only a small teaser was shown, but the next-gen project is set for release in 2022. It’s also slated for release on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, so it’s likely to be a major instalment for the iconic hero.
You can see the Sonic 2022 teaser – along with announcements of updates to Sonic mobile games, past Sonic games coming to PlayStation Now and Amazon Luna, and anniversary merchandise plans, in the video below:
Takashi Iizuka teaser
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