There has been a lot of news lately about several key members of the Sonic the Hedgehog voice cast stepping away from the series. Back in January it was announced that the longtime voice of the blue blur Roger Craig Smith would be leaving the role, but it appears Mike Pollock, the actor behind Dr. Eggman for almost 20 years, isn't going anywhere.
On top of Roger Craig Smith, Cindy Robinson confirmed she would be leaving the role of Amy Rose, and Colleen O'Shaughnessey has said she would not be voicing Tails in the upcoming Sonic Prime show for Netflix. With the rapid fire exits, it seemed like Sega was cleaning house, and many fans began to worry that Mike Pollock was next, but the actor eased tensions on February 5th by tweeting "You've not heard the last of me as Dr. Eggman in Sonic the Hedgehog video games!"
Pollock has been a fan favorite since taking over the role of the famously nefarious Dr. Eggman in 2003 and his tweet was met with a lot of celebratory gifs of the egg-shaped doctor dancing joyously and laughing with maniacal delight. Yet, while the news that Mike Pollock is still going to be Dr. Eggman for the foreseeable future has been the cause of much celebration on Twitter, many fans are still understandably confused as to why a large portion of the rest of the Sonic cast was let go.
There has been some speculation that Sega is planning on using the cast of the Sonic movies for the video games going forward. This would provide consistency across the two mediums, and could also explain why Mike Pollock is staying as Dr. Eggman. While Ben Schwartz, who has previous video game voice experience with 2013's Turbo Super Stunt Squad, might be happy to pick up the Sonic mantle in video game form, Jim Carrey, the high profile actor who plays Dr. Eggman in the movies, is more likely to stick to the silver screen. If this is indeed the case, while Roger Craig Smith wouldn't be needed as Sonic, Sega would still need someone to voice his arch-nemesis, hence Mike Pollock staying on.
Of course, at this point this is all speculation as replacement actors for Sonic, Tails, and Amy have yet to be announced. Further, it isn't technically known whether Colleen O'Shaughnessey is out as Tails in the video games, or if the actor simply won't be involved in the Sonic Prime Netflix show.
Either way, there have been a lot of changes in the world of Sonic the Hedgehog lately, but fans can rest easy knowing that the villainous Dr. Eggman will continue to greet Sonic with the same wicked laugh, courtesy of Mike Pollock, that they've come to know and love.