2022 is stacked with major releases from all kinds of game developers, and among them, Sonic Team intends to step up to the place. Sega and Sonic Team's next Sonic the Hedgehog game is Sonic Frontiers, a partially open world game that'll take fans to the Starfall Islands, where they'll seemingly wander a variety of biomes and confront the occasional giant robot. Sonic Team has shared a few details on the game, mentioning dexterity-centric combat among other features, but it hasn't revealed a ton of details so far. However, Sonic Frontiers may become less mysterious in the future with the help of Sonic the Hedgehog's official YouTube channel.
Many Sonic fans are probably already aware of Sonic's new adventures as a VTuber. That initiative looks like it'll be expanding in the near future thanks to TailsTube, a series of videos starring Sonic's best friend Tails. While the contents of each TailsTube video may not be consistent, the first in the series involved Sonic and Tails answering Sonic lore questions. That's an important sign for the franchise's future. Sonic Team and Sega could very well use the Sonic Vtuber series and TailsTube to advertise new details about the mysterious Starfall Islands and Sonic Frontiers in general.
A Possible Source of Sonic Frontiers News
The first TailsTube episode didn't go deep into Sonic the Hedgehog lore, but it still addressed a few important matters. For instance, it confirmed that Sonic and his friends share a world with humanity instead of living in a separate world like some Sonic fans have speculated in the past. The video also brought up Sonic and Amy's relationship; while he dodged questions about whether Amy is his girlfriend, Sonic provided some general insight on his perspective of Amy. Through these questions and others, TailsTube established itself as a potential resource for both setting lore and character lore.
It makes sense that the first episode of TailsTube would start out by focusing on some general details, but the series could get more detailed in the future. After featuring the logical early guests like Knuckles and Amy, the Sonic video series could turn to more niche characters who are exclusive to certain Sonic games. Over time, that could lead to Tails preemptively interacting with characters from Sonic Frontiers, who could tell Sonic fans some new information about Sonic Frontiers' setting and plot. Even if the series doesn't introduce new characters, however, Sonic and Tails could discuss the Starfall Islands preemptively, teasing their own experiences there.
Sonic's Unique VTuber Opportunities
It's unclear just how much marketing Sonic Team and Sega might want to do through the Sonic the Hedgehog VTuber efforts, but it seems like fertile soil for engaging with fans. Fictional characters naturally don't get to speak for their own games most of the time, so letting a character speak for their own game can be a fun change of pace. Promoting Sonic Frontiers through the Sonic VTuber videos would also be a great way to raise publicity for both projects at the same time. There's not much to gain from keeping these two Sonic ventures separate, so Sonic Team and Sega might as well let the streams cross a little.
Fans will just have to wait and see when Sonic Team decides to reveal more Sonic Frontiers details and what medium it uses to deliver those details. The timing for another wave of Sonic Frontiers information isn't clear, but Sega and Sonic Team seem committed to a 2022 release window, so the game's developers are bound to speak up again sooner rather than later. Sega delaying Sonic Frontiers out of the franchise's anniversary year inspires hope that it's prioritizing high-quality, creative design over a rushed, timely project. Maybe it's interested in some creative marketing alongside that carefully crafted gameplay.
Sonic Frontiers releases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
