Earlier today, SEGA held a celebratory 30th-anniversary stream for Sonic the Hedgehog, revealing an array of new projects slated to debut in the coming months. However, the biggest surprise was saved until last, with the franchise's Creative Officer Takashi Iizuka announcing that a new addition to the franchise is currently in the works over at Sonic Team.
No official title was given to the game, although it did receive a cryptic cinematic trailer and a release window, with the title slated to hit PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X next year. The footage itself doesn't give much away about the sequel, although it does hint that it'll have some sort of technological focus, with the clip teasing various sci-fi elements throughout its 32-second runtime.
The teaser itself shows Sonic speeding through a scenic forest landscape, with the mascot eventually glowing cyan as the camera pans to reveal he's surrounded by some sort of purple, tech-focused energy. The footage then zooms out, showing Sonic charge out of view using the mysterious power as a propellant. To make things even more puzzling, the clip then cuts to a strange symbol before the trailer comes to a close. There's not much to go off in terms of what type of Sonic game it will be, although the trailer definitely suggests it's a huge new experience for fans to look forward to.
The last mainline Sonic title came through Sonic Forces, which saw players create their own avatar and join forces with the blue blur and his team of iconic allies. It garnered a mixed reception at release, with reviews praising its ambitious concept but criticizing its level design, shallow mechanics, and lack of innovation over prior titles. It'll be interesting to see what direction Sonic Team takes with this new iteration, especially with the franchise having lain dormant for several years since Forces debuted back in 2017.
As for the rest of Sonic's 30th-anniversary broadcast, the event offered an array of new projects for plans to look forward to this year, including a remaster of Sonic Colors titled Sonic Colors: Ultimate and a collection of the game's early iterations titled Sonic Origins.
The character will also crop up in a host of other games, with Sonic-themed content coming to Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 — The Official Video Game, Two Point Hospital, and Lost Judgment. The latter will feature an in-game arcade cabinet that gives the player access to Sonic The Fighters. It seems Sonic fans have a lot to be excited about going into the second half of 2021 and beyond.
A new Sonic game is slated to launch next year for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
