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is a Japanese
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
series and
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...
created by
Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
. The franchise follows Sonic, an
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
blue
hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introducti ...
who battles the evil
Doctor Eggman Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, ...
, a
mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly amb ...
. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are
platformer A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
s mostly developed by
Sonic Team is a video game developer owned by the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 2 division. Sonic Team is best known for the long-running '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights ...
; other games, developed by various studios, include
spin-offs Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
in the
racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
,
fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
,
party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
and
sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
genres. The franchise also incorporates
printed media Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
,
animations Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
, feature films, and merchandise. Sega developed the first ''Sonic'' game, released in 1991 for the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
, to compete with
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
's mascot
Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
. Its success helped Sega become one of the leading video game companies during the
fourth generation of video game consoles In the history of video games, the fourth generation of game consoles, more commonly referred to as the 16-bit era, began on October 30, 1987, with the Japanese release of NEC Home Electronics' PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North Amer ...
in the early 1990s.
Sega Technical Institute Sega Technical Institute (STI) was an American video game developer owned by Sega. Founded by the Atari veteran Mark Cerny in 1990, STI sought to combine elite Japanese developers, including the Sonic Team programmer Yuji Naka and his team, wit ...
developed the next three ''Sonic'' games, plus the spin-off ''
Sonic Spinball ''Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball'' is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega. It is a Spin-off (media), spinoff of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series set in the continuity of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog ...
'' (1993). A number of ''Sonic'' games were also developed for Sega's 8-bit consoles, the
Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and ...
and
Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
. After a hiatus during the unsuccessful
Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
era, the first major 3D ''Sonic'' game, ''
Sonic Adventure is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'', was released in 1998 for the
Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...
. Sega exited the console market and shifted to
third-party development A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
in 2001, continuing the series on Nintendo,
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
, and
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
systems. While ''Sonic'' games often have unique
game mechanics In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-shap ...
and stories, they feature recurring elements such as the ring-based
health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
system,
level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...
locales, and fast-paced gameplay. Games typically feature Sonic setting out to stop Eggman's schemes for world domination, and the player navigates levels that include springs, slopes, bottomless pits, and
vertical loop The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted. History The vertical ...
s. Later games added a large cast of characters; some, such as
Miles "Tails" Prower , better known by his nickname , is a fictional character in Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Tails also appears in his own spin-off series, comic books, cartoons, and films. He is the second character to consistently appear by Sonic's sid ...
,
Knuckles the Echidna is a fictional character in Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. He is a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna who is Sonic's best friend and former rival. Determined and serious, but sometimes gullible, he has the ability to punch enem ...
, and
Shadow the Hedgehog is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
, have starred in spin-offs. The franchise has
crossed over ''Crossed Over'' is a 2002 Canadian television film directed by Bobby Roth, and starring Diane Keaton as Beverly Lowry and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Karla Faye Tucker. It is based on Lowry's memoir ''Crossed Over: A Murder, A Memoir''. Cast *Dian ...
with other video game franchises in games such as '' Mario & Sonic'', '' Sega All-Stars'', and '' Super Smash Bros.'' ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' is Sega's flagship franchise and one of the
bestselling video game franchises This is a list of List of video game franchises, video game franchises that have sold or shipped at least twenty million copies. Unless otherwise stated, numbers indicate worldwide units sold, ordered alphabetically whenever two or more list the ...
, selling over units and grossing over . Series sales and
free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
mobile game A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
downloads totaled . The Genesis ''Sonic'' games have been described as representative of the
culture of the 1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-16s and McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, F-15s fly over burning o ...
and listed among the greatest of all time. Although later games, notably the 2006 series reboot, have received poor reviews, ''Sonic'' is influential in the video game industry and is frequently referenced in popular culture. The franchise is known for its
fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
that produces unofficial media, such as
fan art Fan art or fanart is artwork created by fans of a work of fiction and derived from a series character or other aspect of that work. They are usually done by amateur artists, semi-professionals or professionals. As fan labor, fan art refers to ...
and
fangame A fangame is a video game that is created by fans. They are usually based on one, or in some cases several, video game entries or franchises. Many fangames attempt to clone or remake the original game's design, gameplay, and characters, but ...
s.


History


1990–1991: Conception and first game

By 1990, the Japanese video game company
Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
wanted a foothold in the video game console market with its
16-bit console In the history of video games, the fourth generation of game consoles, more commonly referred to as the 16-bit era, began on October 30, 1987, with the Japanese release of NEC Home Electronics' PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North Amer ...
, the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
. Sega's efforts had been stymied by the dominance of
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
; the Genesis did not have a large install base and Nintendo did not take Sega seriously as a competitor. Sega of America CEO Michael Katz attempted to challenge Nintendo with the "
Genesis does what Nintendon't The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
" marketing campaign and by collaborating with athletes and celebrities to create games. These efforts did not break Nintendo's dominance, and Katz was replaced by
Tom Kalinske Thomas Kalinske (born July 17, 1944) is an American businessman, best known as having worked for Mattel from 1972 to 1987, where he was credited with reviving the Barbie and Hot Wheels brands, launching Masters of the Universe, then being promoted ...
, formerly of
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
. Sega president
Hayao Nakayama is a Japanese businessman and was the former President and CEO of Sega Enterprises, Ltd from 1983 to 1999. Early life and career Nakayama was born into a family of doctors, and was expected to pursue medicine as a career. However, Nakayama de ...
decided Sega needed a flagship series and mascot to compete with Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise. Nintendo had recently released '' Super Mario Bros. 3'', at the time the bestselling video game ever. Sega's strategy had been based on
porting In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desi ...
its successful
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...
s to the Genesis; however, Nakayama recognized that Sega needed a star character in a game that could demonstrate the power of the Genesis's hardware. An internal contest was held to determine a flagship game, with a focus on the American audience. Among the teams working on proposals were artist
Naoto Ohshima (born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese artist and video game designer, best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman characters from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Although Yuji Naka created ...
and programmer
Yuji Naka , credited in some games as YU2, is a Japanese video game programmer, video game designer, designer and video game producer, producer. He is the former head of the Sega studio Sonic Team, where he was the lead programmer of the original ''Sonic t ...
. The gameplay of ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' (1991) originated with a
tech demo A technology demonstration (or tech demo), also known as demonstrator model, is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a conceivable product or future system, put together as proof of concept with the primary purpose of s ...
created by Naka, who had developed an algorithm that allowed a sprite to move smoothly on a curve by determining its position with a
dot matrix A dot matrix is a 2-dimensional patterned array, used to represent characters, symbols and images. Most types of modern technology use dot matrices for display of information, including mobile phones, televisions, and printers. The system is al ...
. Naka's prototype was a
platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
that involved a fast-moving character rolling in a ball through a long winding tube. Sega management accepted the duo's project and they were joined by designer
Hirokazu Yasuhara (also credited as Carol Yas) is a Japanese video game designer. He is best known for designing the gameplay and stages of the initial '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' video games for Sega Genesis in the 1990s, based on technical demos and engines program ...
. After Yasuhara joined Naka and Ohshima, their focus shifted to the protagonist, who Sega hoped could become its mascot. The protagonist was initially a rabbit able to grasp objects with
prehensile Prehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ (anatomy), organ that has Adaptation (biology), adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term ''prehendere'', meaning "to grasp". The ability to grasp is likely der ...
ears, but the concept proved too complex for the hardware. The team moved on to animals that could roll into a ball, and eventually settled on Sonic, a teal hedgehog created by Ohshima. Naka's prototype was fleshed out with Ohshima's character design and levels conceived by Yasuhara. Sonic's color was chosen to match Sega's cobalt blue logo, and his red and white shoes were inspired by the cover of
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's 1987 album ''
Bad Bad or BAD may refer to: Common meanings *Evil, the opposite of moral good * Erroneous, inaccurate or incorrect * Unhealthy, or counter to well-being * Antagonist, the threat or obstacle of moral good Acronyms * BAD-2, a Soviet armored troll ...
''. His personality was based on
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
's "can-do" attitude. The antagonist,
Doctor Eggman Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, ...
, was another character Ohshima had designed for the contest. The team thought the abandoned design was excellent and retooled the character into a villain. The team took the name
Sonic Team is a video game developer owned by the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 2 division. Sonic Team is best known for the long-running '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights ...
for the game's release. Sonic's first appearance came in
Sega AM3 , known as from 2000 to 2004, is a defunct division of Sega, a Japanese video game company. Established by 1993, AM3 was managed by Hisao Oguchi and developed a number of arcade games for Sega. Series introduced by AM3 include ''Virtual On'', ...
's racing game ''
Rad Mobile is a racing arcade game developed by Sega AM3 and published by Sega. It was first published in Japan in October 1990, followed by an international release for arcades in February 1991. ''Rad Mobile'' was Sega's first 32-bit game, using Sega's ...
'' (1991) five months before the release of ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', as an ornament hanging from the driver's rearview mirror. The ''Sonic'' developers let AM3 use Sonic because they were interested in making the character visible to the public. Although Katz was certain that ''Sonic'' would not be popular with American children, new CEO Kalinske arranged to place ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' as the
pack-in This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...
game with the Genesis. Featuring speedy gameplay, ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' received critical acclaim. It greatly increased the popularity of the Sega Genesis in North America, credited with helping Sega gain 65% of the market share against Nintendo.


1991–1995: Genesis sequels

Naka was dissatisfied with his treatment at Sega and felt he received little credit for his involvement in the success. He quit but was hired by
Mark Cerny Mark Evan Cerny (born August 24, 1964) is an American video game designer, programmer, producer and media proprietor. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Cerny attended UC Berkeley before dropping out to pursue a career in video games. In hi ...
to work at the US-based
Sega Technical Institute Sega Technical Institute (STI) was an American video game developer owned by Sega. Founded by the Atari veteran Mark Cerny in 1990, STI sought to combine elite Japanese developers, including the Sonic Team programmer Yuji Naka and his team, wit ...
(STI), with a higher salary and more creative freedom. Yasuhara also decided to move to STI. STI began work on ''
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Eggman from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space stationnamed T ...
'' (1992) in November 1991. Level artist Yasushi Yamaguchi designed Sonic's new sidekick, Tails, a flying two-tailed fox inspired by the mythological
kitsune In Japanese folklore, , are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. According to ''yōkai'' folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. While some folktales speak of employing t ...
. Like its predecessor, ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' was a major success, but its development suffered from the language barrier and cultural differences between the Japanese and American developers. While STI developed ''Sonic 2'', Ohshima led a team in Japan to create ''
Sonic CD is a 1993 platform game for the Sega CD developed and published by Sega. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he attempts to save an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, from Doctor Robotnik. Like other '' Sonic'' games, Sonic runs and ...
'' for the Genesis's
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...
accessory, the
Sega CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan, ...
; it was conceived as an enhanced port of ''Sonic 2'', but evolved into a separate project. Once development on ''Sonic 2'' concluded, Cerny departed and was replaced by Roger Hector. STI divided into two teams: the Japanese developers led by Naka, and the American developers. The Japanese began work on ''
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis. Like previous '' Sonic'' games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. They control Sonic and Tails, who attempt to retri ...
''. It was initially developed as an isometric game using the
Sega Virtua Processor The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
chip, but was restarted as a more conventional side-scrolling game after the chip was delayed. It introduced Sonic's rival Knuckles, created by artist Takashi Thomas Yuda. Due to an impending promotion with
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
and cartridges size constraints, the project was split in two: the first half, ''Sonic 3'', was released in February 1994, and the second, ''
Sonic & Knuckles is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna in their quests to save Angel Island; Sonic tries to prevent Doctor Robotnik from relaunching his orbital weapon, the Death Egg, ...
'', a few months later. The ''Sonic & Knuckles'' cartridge contains an adapter that allows players to connect it to ''Sonic 3'', creating a combined game, ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles''. ''Sonic 3'' and ''Sonic & Knuckles'', as with their predecessors, were acclaimed. To release a ''Sonic'' game in time for the 1993
holiday shopping season The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...
, Sega commissioned the American team to make a new game, the spin-off ''
Sonic Spinball ''Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball'' is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega. It is a Spin-off (media), spinoff of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series set in the continuity of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog ...
''. While ''Spinball'' received poor reviews, it sold well and helped build the reputation of its developers. A number of ''Sonic'' games were developed for Sega's
8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit Integer (computer science), integers or other Data (computing), data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet (computing), octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) arc ...
consoles, the
Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and ...
and the handheld
Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
. The first, an 8-bit version of the original ''Sonic'', was developed by
Ancient Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...
to promote the Game Gear and released in December 1991.
Aspect Co. was a Japanese based video game company which was founded in March 1991. Company history Aspect has developed for the Master System, Game Gear, Pico, Genesis, Saturn, Super NES, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and WonderSwan Color. Aspect ...
developed most of the subsequent 8-bit ''Sonic'' games, beginning with a version of ''Sonic 2''. Other ''Sonic'' games released during this period include ''
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine ''Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine'' is a falling block puzzle game developed by Compile and published by Sega. It was released for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive in North America and Europe in November 1993, and ported to the Game Gear in 199 ...
'' (1993), a Western localization of the Japanese puzzle game ''
Puyo Puyo ''Puyo Puyo'' (ぷよぷよ), previously known as ''Puyo Pop'' outside Japan, is a series of Tile-matching video game, tile-matching video games created by Compile (software company), Compile. Sega has owned the franchise since 1998, with games ...
'' (1991), ''
SegaSonic the Hedgehog is a 1993 arcade game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series by Sega. Controlling Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, the player must escape an island as quickly as possible after they are kidnap ...
'' (1993), an arcade game featuring isometric gameplay, and '' Knuckles' Chaotix'' (1995), a spin-off for the Genesis's 32X add-on starring Knuckles.


1996–1998: Saturn era

Following the release of ''Sonic & Knuckles'', Yasuhara quit Sega and Naka returned to Japan, having been offered a role as a producer. He was reunited with Ohshima and brought with him
Takashi Iizuka , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his 33-year career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. He has also worked for Pro Wrestling Noa ...
, who had worked with Naka's team at STI. With Naka's return, Sonic Team was officially formed as a brand. Sonic Team began to work on a new intellectual property, '' Nights into Dreams'' (1996), for Sega's 32-bit
Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
console. In 1996, towards the end of the Genesis's lifecycle, Sega released ''
Sonic 3D Blast known in Europe and Japan as is a 1996 platform game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series for the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn. As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player embarks on a journey to save the Flickies, birds enslaved by Doctor Robotnik. ...
'', an isometric game based on the original ''Sonic 3'' concept, as the system still had a large install base. It was the final ''Sonic'' game produced for the Genesis, and was developed as a swan song for the system. Since Sonic Team was preoccupied with ''Nights into Dreams'', ''3D Blast'' was outsourced to the British studio
Traveller's Tales Traveller's Tales is a British video game developer and a subsidiary of TT Games. Traveller's Tales was founded in 1989 by Jon Burton and Andy Ingram. Initially a small company focused on its own content, it grew in profile through developing ...
. While ''3D Blast'' sold well, it was criticized for its gameplay, controls, and slow pace. Meanwhile, in America, STI worked on ''
Sonic X-treme ''Sonic X-treme'' was a platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute from 1994 until its cancellation in 1996. It was planned as the first fully 3D ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game, taking Sonic into the 3D era of video games, and the first ...
'', a 3D ''Sonic'' game for the Saturn intended for the 1996 holiday shopping season. Development was hindered by disputes between Sega of America and Japan, Naka's reported refusal to let STI use the ''Nights''
game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...
, and problems adapting the series to 3D. After two lead developers became ill, ''X-treme'' was canceled. Journalists and fans have speculated about the impact ''X-treme'' might have had if it was released, with producer Mike Wallis believing it "definitely would have been competitive" with the first 3D ''Mario'' game, ''
Super Mario 64 is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in 1996 and PAL regions in 1997. It is the first ''Super Mario'' game to feature 3D gameplay, combining traditional ''Su ...
'' (1996). Due to ''X-treme'' cancellation, Sega ported ''Sonic 3D Blast'' to the Saturn with updated graphics and bonus levels developed by Sonic Team. In 1997, Sega announced "Project Sonic", a promotional campaign aimed at increasing market awareness of and renewing excitement for the ''Sonic'' brand. The first Project Sonic release was ''
Sonic Jam ''Sonic Jam'' is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It was released in Japan in June 1997, and in North America and Europe two months later. It contains the four main ''Sonic the Hedgehog' ...
'', a compilation of the main Genesis ''Sonic'' games which included a 3D
overworld An overworld (sometimes referred to as a hub world) is, in a broad sense, commonly an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other vide ...
Sonic Team used to experiment with 3D ''Sonic'' gameplay. Sonic Team and Traveller's Tales collaborated again on the second Project Sonic game, ''
Sonic R is a 1997 racing game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It is the third racing game in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, and the first to feature 3D computer graphics. The player race ...
'', a 3D racing game and the only original ''Sonic'' game for the Saturn. ''Sonic Jam'' was well received, while ''Sonic R'' reviews were more divided. The cancellation of ''Sonic X-treme'', as well as the Saturn's general lack of ''Sonic'' games, are considered important factors in the Saturn's
commercial failure Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. The criteria for failure depends on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One ...
. According to Nick Thorpe of ''
Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' soon became ...
'', "By mid-1997 Sonic had essentially been shuffled into the background... it was astonishing to see that just six years after his debut, Sonic was already retro."


1998–2005: Transition to 3D

With its ''Sonic Jam'' experiments, Sonic Team began developing a 3D ''Sonic'' platformer for the Saturn. The project stemmed from a proposal by Iizuka to develop a ''Sonic''
role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
(RPG) with an emphasis on storytelling. Development moved to Sega's new console, the
Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...
, which Naka believed would allow for the ultimate ''Sonic'' game. ''
Sonic Adventure is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'', directed by Iizuka and released in 1998, was one of the first sixth-generation video games. It introduced elements that became series staples, such as artist
Yuji Uekawa is a video game developer owned by the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 2 division. Sonic Team is best known for the long-running ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights int ...
's new character designs influenced by comics and animation. In 1999, Iizuka and 11 other Sonic Team members relocated to San Francisco and established
Sonic Team USA is a video game developer owned by the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 2 division. Sonic Team is best known for the long-running ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights int ...
to develop the more action-oriented ''
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It was the final ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game for the Dreamcast after Sega left the home console market. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stor ...
'' (2001). Between the releases, Ohshima left Sega to form
Artoon Artoon Co., Ltd. (株式会社アートゥーン Kabushiki-Gaisha Ātūn) was a Japanese video game developer established in 1999. It became a subsidiary of AQ Interactive in May 2004 and became a wholly owned subsidiary in June 2005. The team w ...
. While both ''Adventure'' games were well received and the first sold over two million copies, consumer interest in the Dreamcast quickly faded, and Sega's attempts to spur sales through lower prices and cash rebates caused escalating financial losses. In January 2001, Sega announced it was discontinuing the Dreamcast to become a
third-party developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
. The following December, Sega released an expanded port of ''Sonic Adventure 2'' for Nintendo's
GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...
. Afterward, Sonic Team USA developed the first
multi-platform In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software ...
''Sonic'' game, ''
Sonic Heroes is a 2003 3D platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos ...
'' (2003), for the GameCube,
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
's
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
, and
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
's
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
. The game, again directed by Iizuka, was designed for a broad audience, and Sonic Team revived elements not seen since the Genesis era, such as special stages and the
Chaotix ''Knuckles' Chaotix'' is a 1995 platform game developed by Sega for the 32X. A Spin-off (media), spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent ...
characters. Reviews for ''Sonic Heroes'' were mixed; while its graphics and gameplay were praised, critics felt it failed to address the problems of previous ''Sonic'' games, such as the
camera A camera is an Optics, optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), ...
. Iizuka later reflected that developing ''Heroes'' was the most stressful experience in his career; he lost 22 pounds due to the crunch conditions he worked under. Sonic Team also ported ''Sonic Adventure'' with additional content to the GameCube in 2003 and
Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
in 2004, to mixed reviews. Sega continued to release 2D ''Sonic'' games. In 1999, it collaborated with
SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
to produce ''
Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure (also known as ''Sonic Pocket Adventure'') is a platform game developed by SNK and released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999. The game is based on ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' (1992) for the Sega Genesis, borrowing much of the stage themes and ...
'', an adaptation of ''Sonic 2'' for the
Neo Geo Pocket Color The is a 16-bit color handheld video game console manufactured by SNK. It is a successor to SNK's monochrome Neo Geo Pocket handheld which debuted in 1998 in Japan, with the Color being fully backward compatible. The Neo Geo Pocket Color was re ...
. Some SNK staff formed
Dimps is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka, Japan, with an additional office in Tokyo. It is best known for developing games in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Street Fighter'' franchises. The company was founded on Mar ...
the following year, and developed original 2D ''Sonic'' games—''
Sonic Advance is a 2001 platform game developed by Dimps for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). It was the first ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game released on a Nintendo console with '' Sonic Adventure 2: Battle'' on the GameCube, and was produced in commemoration of ...
'' (2001), ''
Sonic Advance 2 is a 2002 Side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling platform game, platform video game developed by Dimps for the Game Boy Advance. It is an installment in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and the sequel to 2001's ''Sonic Advance''. The story ...
'' (2002), and '' Sonic Advance 3'' (2004)—for Nintendo's
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
(GBA). ''Sonic Advance'' was the first original ''Sonic'' game released for a Nintendo console after Sega and Nintendo's fierce rivalry in the 1990s. It was outsourced to Dimps because Sonic Team was understaffed with employees familiar with the GBA. Dimps also developed ''
Sonic Rush is a 2005 Platform game, platform video game developed by Sonic Team and Dimps for the Nintendo DS as part of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog, ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. It was released on November 15, 2005, in North America, November 18 in the PAL ...
'' (2005) for the
Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
, which uses a 2.5D perspective. Dimps's projects received generally favorable reviews. To introduce older games to new fans, Sonic Team developed two compilations, ''
Sonic Mega Collection is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2002 for the GameCube. It is a compilation of several ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games originally released on the Sega Genesis, along with a few other Sega-published title ...
'' (2002) and ''
Sonic Gems Collection ''Sonic Gems Collection'' is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the featur ...
'' (2005). Further spin-offs included the
party game Party games are games that are played at social gatherings to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment and recreation. Categories include (explicit) icebreaker, parlour (indoor), picnic (outdoor), and large group games.Frankel, Lillian; ...
'' Sonic Shuffle'' (2000), the
pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
game ''
Sonic Pinball Party is a video game released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. It is a celebration of sorts for Sonic Team featuring many references to its previous games, mostly prominently '' Sonic the Hedgehog'', '' Nights into Dreams'', and ''Samba De Amigo''. ...
'' (2003), and the
fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
''
Sonic Battle is a 2003 fighting video game developed by Sonic Team for the Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being ''Sonic the Fighters''. It was released in Japan in December 2003 and in Nor ...
'' (2003).


2005–2010: Franchise struggles

Sonic Team USA was renamed Sega Studios USA after completing ''Sonic Heroes''. Sega and Sonic Team leadership became in constant flux while they began experimenting with diverging from the established ''Sonic'' formula. Sega Studios USA's first post-''Heroes'' project was ''
Shadow the Hedgehog is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...
'' (2005), a spin-off starring the popular ''Adventure 2'' character
Shadow A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, o ...
. While ''Shadow'' retains most elements from previous ''Sonic'' games, it was aimed at a mature audience and introduced third-person shooting and
nonlinear gameplay A video game with nonlinear gameplay presents players with challenges that can be completed in a number of different sequences. Each player may take on (or even encounter) only some of the challenges possible, and the same challenges may be played ...
. ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' was panned for its controls, level design, and mature themes, but was a commercial success, selling at least 1.59 million units. For the franchise's 15th anniversary in 2006, Sonic Team developed ''
Sonic Riders is a 2006 racing video game for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox in which the player controls characters from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series on hoverboards. In the game's 16 tracks, the player competes against characters—either control ...
'', ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'', and a GBA port of the original ''Sonic''. ''Sonic Riders'', the first ''Sonic'' racing game since ''Sonic R'', was designed to appeal
extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...
fans as well as regular ''Sonic'' fans. With a more realistic setting than previous entries, ''Sonic the Hedgehog''—commonly referred to as ''Sonic '06''—was intended to
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
the series for
seventh-generation consoles The seventh generation of home video game consoles began on November 22, 2005, with the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 home console. This was followed by the release of Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 3 on November 17, 2006, and Ninte ...
such as the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
and
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
. The development faced serious problems; Naka, the last of the original ''Sonic'' development team, resigned as head of Sonic Team to form
Prope Prope Ltd. is a now defunct Japanese video game development studio founded by Yuji Naka, a former Japanese video game programmer, designer and producer. Formation As part of Sega's "support program for independent game creators", Yuji Naka lef ...
, and the team split so work could begin on a
Nintendo Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
''Sonic'' game. According to Iizuka, these incidents, coupled with stringent Sega deadlines and an unpolished game engine, forced Sonic Team to rush development. None of the 15th-anniversary ''Sonic'' games were successful critically, and ''Sonic '06'' became regarded as the worst game in the series, panned for its bugs, camera, controls, and story. Brian Shea of ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' wrote that it " ecamesynonymous with the struggles the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise had faced in recent years. ''Sonic 06' was meant to be a return to the series' roots, but it ended up damning the franchise in the eyes of many." The first ''Sonic'' game for the Wii, ''
Sonic and the Secret Rings is a 2007 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Wii. A Spin-off (media), spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it is the first title in the franchise for the system, and follows Sonic the Hedgehog ( ...
'' (2007), takes place in the world of '' Arabian Nights'' and was released instead of a port of ''Sonic '06''. Citing lengthy development times, Sega switched plans and conceived a game that would use the
motion detection Motion detection is the process of detecting a change in the position of an object relative to its surroundings or a change in the surroundings relative to an object. It can be achieved by either mechanical or electronic methods. When it is done by ...
of the
Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with ...
. Sega released a sequel, '' Sonic and the Black Knight'', set in the world of
King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
, in 2009. ''Secret Rings'' and ''Black Knight'' form what is known as the ''Sonic Storybook'' sub-series. A ''Sonic Riders'' sequel, ''
Zero Gravity Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight. It is also termed zero gravity, zero G-force, or zero-G. Weight is a measurement of the force on an object at rest in a relatively strong gravitational fie ...
'' (2008), was developed for the Wii and PlayStation 2. Dimps returned to the ''Sonic'' series with ''
Sonic Rush Adventure is a 2007 adventure platform game for the Nintendo DS and the sequel to 2005's ''Sonic Rush''. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails, who are teleported to an alternate dimension and seek the help of Blaze the Cat, while battling a band of ro ...
'', a sequel to ''Sonic Rush'', in 2007, while
BioWare BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zes ...
developed the first ''Sonic'' RPG'','' '' Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood'' (2008), also for the DS.
Backbone Entertainment Backbone Entertainment was an American video game developer based in Emeryville, California. The company was formed in 2003 as the result of a merger between developers Digital Eclipse and ImaginEngine. In 2005, Backbone merged with The Collect ...
developed two ''Sonic'' games exclusive to the
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
, '' Sonic Rivals'' (2006) and '' Sonic Rivals 2'' (2007). Following Naka's departure, Akinori Nishiyama, who worked on the ''Sonic Advance'' and ''Rush'' games, became Sonic Team's general manager. Sonic Team began working on ''
Sonic Unleashed ''Sonic Unleashed'' is a 2008 platform video game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic as he attempts to restore the world after his nemesis Doctor Eggman shatters it with a powerful laser ...
'' (2008) in 2005. It was conceived as a sequel to ''Adventure 2'', but became a standalone entry after Sonic Team introduced innovations to separate it from the ''Adventure'' games. With ''Unleashed'', Sonic Team sought to combine the best aspects of 2D and 3D ''Sonic'' games and address criticisms of previous 3D entries, although reviews were mixed due to the addition of a
beat 'em up The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...
game mode in which Sonic transforms into a
werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...
-like beast. After Nishiyama was promoted in 2010, Iizuka was installed as the head of Sonic Team and became the ''Sonic'' producer.


2010–present: Refocusing and new directions

Iizuka felt ''Sonic'' was struggling because it lacked unified direction, so Sonic Team refocused on more traditional side-scrolling elements and fast-paced gameplay.Hester, Blake
"Sonic the Hedgehog's long, great, rocky history"
''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
''
Archived
from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 19 2016.
''Sonic the Hedgehog 4'', a side-scrolling episodic sequel to ''Sonic & Knuckles'' co-developed by Sonic Team and Dimps, began with '' Episode I'' in 2010, followed by '' Episode II'' in 2012. Later in 2010, Sega released '' Sonic Colors'' for the Wii and DS, which expanded on the well received aspects of ''Unleashed'' and introduced the Wisp power-ups. For the series' 20th anniversary in 2011, Sega released ''
Sonic Generations ''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'' for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows; a separate version was developed by Dimps for the
Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
. ''Sonic Generations'' featured reimagined versions of levels from previous ''Sonic'' games and reintroduced the "classic" Sonic design from the Genesis era. These efforts were better received, especially in comparison to ''Sonic '06'' and ''Unleashed''. In May 2013, Nintendo announced it was collaborating with Sega to produce ''Sonic'' games for its
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...
and 3DS platforms. The first game in the partnership, 2013's ''
Sonic Lost World is a 2013 action-adventure platform game developed by Sonic Team. It is part of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, and was released in October 2013 for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in PAL regions by Nintendo and by Sega in North America and Japan. ...
'', was also the first ''Sonic'' game for eighth-generation hardware. ''Sonic Lost World'' was designed to be streamlined and fluid in movement and design, borrowing elements from Nintendo's ''
Super Mario Galaxy is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D game in the '' Super Mario'' series. As Mario, the player embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Peach, save the universe from Bowser, and collect 120 ...
'' games and the canceled ''X-treme''. The second was '' Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games'' (2013) for the Wii U, the fourth '' Mario & Sonic'' game and a
2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
tie-in (see
Crossovers Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
section). The deal was completed in 2014 with the release of '' Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric'' for the Wii U and '' Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal'' for the 3DS; these games were based on the ''
Sonic Boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...
'' television series.Lien, Tracey (February 6, 2014)
"Sonic Boom gives Sega's series a new look, two new developers"
''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
''
Archived
from the original on February 7, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
''Sonic Lost World'' polarized critics, while critics found ''Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games'' mediocre and panned the ''Sonic Boom'' games. '' Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice'', a ''Shattered Crystal'' sequel, was released in 2016. Sega began to release more ''Sonic'' games for
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s, such as
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
and Android devices. After Australian programmer
Christian "Taxman" Whitehead Christian Whitehead, also known by his alias The Taxman, is an Australian video game programmer and designer. He is most recognized for his work creating updated ports of early games in Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, as well as being t ...
developed a version of ''Sonic CD'' for modern consoles in 2011, he collaborated with fellow ''Sonic'' fan Simon "Stealth" Thomley to develop
remasters Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...
of the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' for iOS and Android, which were released in 2013. The remasters were developed using Whitehead's
Retro Engine The Retro Engine is a multiplatform game engine developed by Australian programmer Christian Whitehead, best known for its use in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Overview Unlike most modern game engines, the Retro Engine is primarily tail ...
, an engine tailored for 2D projects, and received praise. ''
Sonic Dash ''Sonic Dash'' is a 2013 endless runner mobile game developed by Hardlight and published by Japanese game studio Sega. It is Hardlight's second ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game, the first being 2012's '' Sonic Jump''. The game was released in March ...
'' (2013), a ''
Temple Run ''Temple Run'' is a 3D endless running video game developed and published by Imangi Studios. The player controls an explorer who has obtained an ancient relic and runs from demonic monkey-like creatures chasing him. The game was initially rele ...
''-style
endless runner Endless runner or infinite runner is a subgenre of platform game in which the player character runs for an infinite amount of time while avoiding obstacles. The player's objective is to reach a high score by surviving for as long as possible. The ...
, was developed by Hardlight and downloaded over 350 million times by 2020 and received a Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom, ''Sonic Boom''-themed sequel in 2015. Sonic Team released ''Sonic Runners'', its first game for mobile devices, in 2015. ''Sonic Runners'' was also an endless runner, but was unsuccessful and was discontinued a year after release. Gameloft released a sequel, ''Sonic Runners Adventure'', in 2017 to generally positive reviews. In a 2015 interview with ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
'', Iizuka acknowledged that contemporary ''Sonic'' games had been disappointing. He hoped, from then on, that the Sonic Team logo would stand as a "mark of quality"; he planned to release quality games and expand the ''Sonic'' brand, while retaining the modern Sonic design. Iizuka and most of Sonic Team relocated to Burbank, California to oversee the franchise with a new team. At the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2016, Sega announced two ''Sonic'' games to coincide with the series' 25th anniversary: ''Sonic Mania'' and ''Sonic Forces''. Both were released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows in 2017. ''Sonic Mania'' was developed by the independent game developers PagodaWest Games and Headcannon with a staff comprising members of the ''Sonic'' fandom; Whitehead conceived the project and served as director. The game, which emulates the gameplay and visuals of the Genesis entries, received the best reviews for a ''Sonic'' game in 15 years. Meanwhile, Sonic Team developed ''Sonic Forces'', which revives the dual gameplay of ''Sonic Generations'' along with a third gameplay style featuring the player's Character creation, custom character. ''Sonic Forces'' received mixed reviews, * * * * with criticism for its short length. In 2019, Sega released a kart racing game, ''Team Sonic Racing'' (2019), developed by Sumo Digital. In May 2021, Sega announced several ''Sonic'' projects for the series' 30th anniversary, including a remaster of ''Sonic Colors'', the compilation ''Sonic Origins'', and the 2022 game ''Sonic Frontiers''. ''Frontiers'' was the first ''Sonic'' game to feature open-world inspired design, and Iizuka expressed hope that it would inform future games in a similar way to ''Sonic Adventure''. ''Frontiers'' received moderately positive reviews, with critics and fans considering it flawed but a solid direction for the franchise, and sold strongly.


Characters and story

The ''Sonic'' franchise is known for its large cast of characters; ''Sonic the Fighters'' (1996) producer Yu Suzuki joked that anyone who makes a ''Sonic'' game has the duty to create new characters. The first game introduced Sonic, a blue hedgehog who can run at incredible speeds, and Doctor Eggman, a rotund mad scientist. During the Genesis era, Eggman was referred to as Doctor Ivo Robotnik in Western territories. Sega of America's Dean Sitton made the change without consulting the Japanese developers, who did not want a single character to have two different names. Since ''Sonic Adventure'', the character has been referred to as Eggman in all territories, although the Robotnik name is still acknowledged. ''Sonic'' games traditionally follow Sonic's efforts to stop Eggman, who schemes to obtain the Chaos Emeralds—seven emeralds with mystical powers. The Emeralds can turn thoughts into power, warp time and space with a technique called Chaos Control, give energy to living things, and be used to create nuclear or laser-based weaponry. They typically act as MacGuffins in the stories. Eggman seeks the Emeralds in his quest to conquer the world, and traps animals in aggressive robots and prison capsules. Because Sonic Team was inspired by the
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, ''Sonic'' features environmental themes. Sonic represents "nature", while Eggman represents "machinery" and "development"—a play on the then-growing debate between environmentalists and developers. Much of the supporting cast was introduced in the succeeding games for the Genesis and its add-ons. ''Sonic 2'' introduced Sonic's sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower, a fox who can fly using his two tails. ''Sonic CD'' introduced Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog and Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, and Metal Sonic, a robotic doppelgänger of Sonic created by Eggman. ''Sonic 3'' introduced Sonic's rival Knuckles, a red echidna and the guardian of the Master Emerald. The Master Emerald, introduced in ''Sonic & Knuckles'', controls the power of the Chaos Emeralds. ''Knuckles' Chaotix'' introduced the Chaotix, a group comprising Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, and Charmy Bee. A number of characters introduced during this period, such as Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel from ''SegaSonic the Hedgehog'' and Fang the Sniper from ''Sonic Triple Trouble'' (1994), faded into obscurity, although they sometimes reappear. During ''Sonic Adventure'' development, Sonic Team discovered that the relatively simple character designs did not suit a 3D environment. The art style was modernized to alter the characters' proportions and make them appeal to Western audiences. Since ''Sonic Adventure'', the series' cast has expanded. Notable characters include Big the Cat, Big, a large cat who fishes for his pet frog Froggy; the E-100 Series of robots;''
Sonic Adventure is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast and the first main '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their ...
'' (Dreamcast) instruction manual, pp. 26–27.
Shadow, a brooding black hedgehog; Rouge the Bat, Rouge, a treasure-hunting bat; Blaze the Cat, Blaze, a cat from an alternate dimension; and Silver the Hedgehog, Silver, a telekinetic hedgehog from the future. The Chao (Sonic), Chao creatures function as digital pets and minor gameplay elements, and Wisp creatures function as power-ups. Flicky, the blue bird from Sega's Flicky, 1984 arcade game, appears in several ''Sonic'' games, most notably ''3D Blast''. Some ''Sonic'' characters have featured in spin-off games. Eggman is the featured character of ''Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine'', a Western localization of ''Puyo Puyo''. Sega replaced the ''Puyo Puyo'' characters with ''Sonic'' characters because it feared ''Puyo Puyo'' would not be popular with a Western audience. In 1995, Sega released the Knuckles spinoff ''Knuckles' Chaotix'' for the 32X, and two Tails spin-offs for Game Gear: ''Tails' Skypatrol'' (a scrolling shooter) and ''Tails Adventure'' (a Metroidvania game). ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' (2005) was developed in response to the Shadow character's popularity and to introduce "gun action" gameplay to the franchise. Iizuka has said that future spin-offs, such as sequels to ''Knuckles' Chaotix'' and ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' or a Big the Cat game, remain possibilities.


Gameplay

The ''Sonic'' series is characterized by speed-based platforming gameplay. Controlling the player character, the player navigates a series of Level (video gaming), levels at high speeds while jumping between platforms, fighting enemies and Boss (video games), bosses, and avoiding obstacles. The series contains both 2D computer graphics, 2D and 3D games. 2D entries generally feature simple, pinball-like gameplay—with jumping and attacking controlled by a single button—and branching level paths that require memorization to maintain speed. Meanwhile, 3D entries tend to be more linear in design, feature various level objectives, different movesets, and allow players to upgrade and customize the playable character. Games since ''Sonic Unleashed'' have blended 2D and 3D gameplay, with the camera shifting between Side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling and Third-person view, third-person perspectives. One distinctive game mechanic of ''Sonic'' games are collectible golden rings spread throughout levels, which act as a form of
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. Players possessing rings can survive upon sustaining damage, but the rings are scattered and the player has a short amount of time to re-collect some of them before they disappear. Collecting 100 rings usually rewards the player an 1-up, extra life. Rings have other uses in certain games, such as currency in ''Sonic '06'', restoring health bars in ''Sonic Unleashed'', or improving statistics in ''Sonic Riders''. Levels in ''Sonic'' games feature elements such as slopes, bottomless pits, and
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s. Springs, springboards, and dash panels are scattered throughout and catapult the player at high speeds in a particular direction. Players' progress in levels is saved through passing Checkpoint (video gaming), checkpoints. Checkpoints serve other uses in various games, such as entering bonus stages. Some settings, most notably Green Hill Zone, recur throughout the series. The series contains numerous power-ups, which are held in boxes that appear throughout levels. An icon indicates what it contains, and the player releases the item by destroying the box. Common items in boxes include rings, a shield, invincibility, high speed, and extra lives. ''Sonic Colors'' introduces the Wisps, a race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial creatures that act as power-ups. Each Wisp has its own special ability corresponding to its color; for instance, yellow Wisps allow players to drill underground and find otherwise inaccessible areas. In most ''Sonic'' games, the goal is to collect the Chaos Emeralds; the player is required to collect them all to defeat Eggman and achieve the games' alternate ending, good endings. ''Sonic'' games that do not feature the Chaos Emeralds, such as ''Sonic CD'', feature different collectibles that otherwise function the same. Players find the Emeralds by entering portals, opening portals using 50 rings, or scouting them within levels themselves. Sometimes, the Emeralds are collected automatically as the story progresses. By collecting the Emeralds, players are rewarded with their characters' "Super" form and can activate it by collecting 50 rings in a stage. The Super transformations grant the player character more speed, a farther jump, and invincibility, but their ring count drains by the second; the transformation lasts until all the rings have been used. Some games require the player to collect all the Chaos Emeralds to reach the final boss. ''Sonic'' games often share basic gameplay, but some have game mechanics that distinguish them from others. For instance, ''Knuckles' Chaotix'' is similar to previous entries in the series, but introduces a partner system whereby the player is connected to another character via a tether; the tether behaves like a rubber band and must be used to maneuver the characters. ''Sonic Unleashed'' introduces the Werehog, a beat 'em up gameplay style in which Sonic transforms into a werewolf-like beast and must fight enemies using brute strength. Both the ''Sonic Storybook'' games feature unique concepts: ''Secret Rings'' is controlled exclusively using the Wii Remote's motion detection, which ''Black Knight'' incorporates hack and slash gameplay. While some games feature Sonic as the only playable character, others feature multiple, who have alternate movesets and storylines. For instance, in ''Sonic & Knuckles'', Knuckles goes through the same levels as Sonic, but his story is different, he explores different parts of the levels, and certain areas are more difficult. Many ''Sonic'' games contain multiplayer and Cooperative video game, cooperative gameplay, beginning with ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2''. In some games, if the player chooses to control Sonic and Tails together, a second player can join at any time and control Tails separately. ''Sonic'' games also feature a Split screen (video games), split-screen competitive mode in which two players race to the end of the stage.


Music

For the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', Sega commissioned Masato Nakamura, bassist and songwriter of the J-pop band Dreams Come True (band), Dreams Come True, to compose the soundtrack. Nakamura returned to compose ''Sonic 2'' soundtrack. Dreams Come True owns the rights to Nakamura's score, which created problems when the ''Sonic Spinball'' team used his ''Sonic'' theme music without permission. For ''Sonic CD'', two soundtracks were composed; the original, featured in the Japanese and European releases, was composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, while the North American score was composed by Spencer Nilsen, David Young (composer), David Young, and Mark Crew. A number of composers contributed to the ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'' score, including Sega sound staff and independent contractors recruited to finish the game on schedule. According to conflicting sources, American pop musician
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
, a ''Sonic'' fan, composed music for ''Sonic 3''. Ohshima and Hector said Jackson's involvement was terminated and his music removed following the 1993 child sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson, first allegations of sexual abuse against him, but composers involved with the project said his contributions remained. ''Sonic 3'' was the first ''Sonic'' game composer Jun Senoue worked on. Senoue has composed the music for many ''Sonic'' games since ''Sonic 3D Blast'', often with his band Crush 40, which he formed with Hardline (band), Hardline vocalist Johnny Gioeli. While the Genesis ''Sonic'' soundtracks were characterized by electropop, Senoue's scores typically feature funk and rock music. Tomoya Ohtani has been the series' sound director since ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' in 2006, and was the lead composer for that game, ''Sonic Unleashed'', ''Sonic Colors'', ''Sonic Lost World'', ''Sonic Runners'', and ''Sonic Forces''. Ohtani said he attempts to "express through music the greatest features each game has", citing the diverse and energetic score of ''Sonic Unleashed'' and the more science fiction-style score of ''Sonic Colors'' as examples''.'' Other composers who have contributed to ''Sonic'' games include Richard Jacques and Hideki Naganuma. Tee Lopes—known for releasing unofficial remixes of ''Sonic'' tracks on YouTube—was the lead composer for ''Sonic Mania'' and a contributor to ''Team Sonic Racing''. The main theme of the 2006 ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' was performed by Ali Tabatabaee and Matty Lewis of the band Zebrahead, while Akon remixed "Sweet Sweet Sweet" for its soundtrack. Doug Robb, the lead singer of Hoobastank, performed the main theme of ''Sonic Forces''. One of the ending themes of ''Sonic Frontiers'', "Vandalize", was performed by the Japanese rock band One Ok Rock.


Other media


Animation

In 1992, Sega approached the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) about producing two television series—"a Syndication (broadcast), syndicated show for the after-school audience" and a Saturday-morning cartoon—based on ''Sonic''. Kalinske "had seen how instrumental the launch of ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' cartoon series was to the success of Masters of the Universe, the toyline" during his time at Mattel and believed that success could be recreated using ''Sonic''. The two cartoons, the syndicated ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' (1993) and ABC's ''Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series), Sonic the Hedgehog'' (1993–1994), were produced by DIC Entertainment. DIC also produced a ''Sonic'' Christmas special in 1996, and ''Sonic Underground'' in 1999, to promote ''Sonic Adventure''. DIC's ''Sonic'' adaptations are generally not held in high regard. ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' comprises 65 episodes overseen by ''Ren & Stimpy'' director Kent Butterworth and features slapstick humor in the vein of ''Looney Tunes''. The 26-episode ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (commonly called ''Sonic SatAM'') features a bleak setting in which Eggman has conquered the world, while Sonic is a member of a resistance force that opposes him. The series was canceled after two seasons. ''Sonic Underground'' was planned to last 65 episodes, but only 40 were produced. The series follows Sonic and his siblings Manic and Sonia, who use the power of music to fight Eggman and reunite with their mother. In all three DiC series, Sonic is voiced by ''Family Matters'' star Jaleel White. In Japan, Sega and Sonic Team collaborated with Studio Pierrot to produce a two-part original video animation (OVA), ''Sonic the Hedgehog (OVA), Sonic the Hedgehog'', released direct-to-video in Japan in 1996. To coincide with ''Sonic Adventure'' Western release in 1999, ADV Films released the OVA in North America as a 55-minute film, ''Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie''. Produced with input from Naka and Ohshima, the OVA is loosely based on ''Sonic CD'', with elements from ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' and ''3'', and recounts Sonic's efforts to stop a generator taken over by Eggman from exploding and destroying their world. Patrick Lee of ''The A.V. Club'' said the OVA was "the only cartoon to adapt the look, sound, and feel of the ''Sonic'' games", with familiar scenes and music. ''Sonic X'', an anime series produced by TMS Entertainment and overseen by Naka, ran for three seasons (78 episodes) from 2003 to 2006. While previous series' episodes feature self-contained plots, ''Sonic X'' tells a single serialized story. The ''Sonic'' cast teleports from their home planet to Earth during a scuffle with Eggman, where they meet a human boy, Chris Thorndyke. Throughout the course of the series, Sonic and his friends attempt to return to their world while fighting Eggman. The second season adapts the ''Sonic Adventure'' games and ''Sonic Battle'', while the third season sees the friends return with Chris to their world, where they enter outer space and fight an army of aliens. Some critics enjoyed ''Sonic X'', while others disliked it. Although it suffered from poor ratings in Japan, ''Sonic X'' consistently topped ratings for its timeslot in the US and France. ''Sonic Boom'', a computer animation, computer-animated series produced by Sega and Genao Productions, premiered on Cartoon Network in November 2014. It features a satirical take on the ''Sonic'' mythos, and the franchise's cast was redesigned for it. According to Iizuka, ''Sonic Boom'' came about as a desire to appeal more to Western audiences, and it ran parallel with the main ''Sonic'' franchise. ''Sonic Boom'' lasted for two seasons and the last episode aired in 2017. In May 2020, Sega brand officer Ivo Gerscovich stated that no further episodes of ''Sonic Boom'' would be produced. To promote the release of ''Sonic Mania Plus'' (2018), a five-part series of animated shorts, ''Sonic Mania Adventures'', was released on the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' YouTube channel between March 30 and July 17, 2018. The series depicts Sonic's return to his world following the events of ''Sonic Forces'', teaming up with his friends to prevent Eggman and Metal Sonic from collecting the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald. An additional Christmas-themed episode was released on December 21, 2018. The shorts were written and directed by Tyson Hesse, who created ''Sonic Mania'' opening cutscene. Similarly, Hesse produced a two-part animated series to tie in with the release of ''Team Sonic Racing'' in 2019. Sonic and Tails also appeared as guest stars in ''OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes'' in August 2019. ''Sonic Prime'', a computer-animated ''Sonic'' series, is in development at Netflix. The series is co-produced by Netflix Animation, Sega of America, WildBrain Studios, and Man of Action Entertainment and is scheduled to premiere in December 2022.


Comics

Shogakukan published a ''Sonic the Hedgehog (manga), Sonic the Hedgehog'' manga series in its ''Shogaku Yonensei'' magazine, beginning in 1992. Written by Kenji Terada and illustrated by Sango Norimoto, it follows a sweet but cowardly young hedgehog named Nicky whose alter ego is the cocky, heroic Sonic. According to character artist Kazuyuki Hoshino, the manga was part of Sega's promotional strategy to appeal to primary school children. The ''Sonic'' design team worked with Shogakukan to create new characters; Amy Rose and Charmy Bee originated in the manga before appearing in the games. – via YouTube. Event occurs at 0:42:22. The longest-running ''Sonic''-based publication is the 290-issue ''Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics), Sonic the Hedgehog'', an American comic book published by Archie Comics from 1993 until its cancellation in 2017. Archie also published a number of spin-offs, such as ''Knuckles the Echidna (comics), Knuckles the Echidna'' (1997–2000) and ''Sonic Universe'' (2009–2017). Archie's comic drew its premise from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' television series, with Sonic and a resistance force fighting the dictator Eggman. Originally written as a "straightforward lighthearted action-comedy", ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' became more dramatic after Ken Penders began writing it with issue #11. Penders remained the head writer for the following 150 issues and developed an elaborate lore unique to the series. Ian Flynn became head writer in 2006 and remained until the series' cancellation. Following a legal battle with Penders over ownership of characters he created, in 2013 the series was rebooted, leaving only characters introduced in the games or which predated Penders' run. In 2008, Guinness World Records recognized Archie's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' as the longest-running List of comics based on video games, comic based on a video game, and by 2016 it was one of the longest-running American comics in the market. While Archie planned to publish at least four issues beyond #290, in January 2017 the series went on an abrupt hiatus, and in July, Sega announced it was ending its business relationship with Archie in favor of a new partnership with IDW Publishing. Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Publishing), IDW's ''Sonic'' comic began in April 2018. Although the creative teams from the Archie series, such as Flynn, returned, the IDW series is set in a different continuity. Flynn said the IDW series differs from the Archie comic in that it draws from the games for stories, with the first story arc set after the events of ''Sonic Forces''. Fans continued the Archie series unofficially, including finishing unpublished issues, while Penders is using the characters he gained ownership of for a graphic novel, ''The Lara-Su Chronicles''. ''Sonic the Comic'', a British comic published by Fleetway Publications, ran for 223 issues from 1993 to 2002; contributors included Richard Elson, Nigel Kitching, Andy Diggle, and Nigel Dobbyn. It featured stories aimed at children, in addition to news and review sections. Although it adapted the stories of the games, the writers established their own lore. The final story arc was a loose adaptation of ''Sonic Adventure'' in 2000, followed by 39 issues reprinting old stories. Following the series' cancellation, fans started ''Sonic the Comic Online'', an unofficial webcomic that continues the stories.


Live-action film franchise

In August 1994, Sega of America signed a deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Trilogy Entertainment to produce a live-action animated film to tie in with ''
Sonic X-treme ''Sonic X-treme'' was a platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute from 1994 until its cancellation in 1996. It was planned as the first fully 3D ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game, taking Sonic into the 3D era of video games, and the first ...
''. In May 1995, screenwriter Richard Jefferies (screenwriter), Richard Jefferies pitched a treatment, ''Sonic the Hedgehog: Wonders of the World'', to Sega. It saw Sonic and Eggman escape from ''Sonic X-treme'' into the real world and Sonic collaborate with a boy to stop Eggman. No agreement was reached and the film was canceled. With permission from Sega, Jeffries pitched his treatment to DreamWorks Animation, but it was rejected.


''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2020)

In 2013, Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired the ''Sonic'' film rights, and in June 2014 announced it would produce a ''Sonic'' film as a joint venture with Sega's Marza Animation Planet. Neal H. Moritz was attached to produce under his Original Film banner, alongside Takeshi Ito, Mie Onishi, and Toru Nakahara. In February 2016, Sega CEO Hajime Satomi said the film was scheduled for 2018. Blur Studio's Tim Miller (director), Tim Miller and Jeff Fowler were hired the following October to develop the film; Fowler would make his feature directorial debut, while both would executive produce. In October 2017, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights after Sony put the film into Turnaround (filmmaking), turnaround. However, most of the production team remained unchanged, and principal photography began in September 2018 in Ladysmith, British Columbia. The film, written by Patrick Casey (writer), Patrick Casey and Josh Miller (filmmaker), Josh Miller, follows Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) as he journeys to San Francisco with a small-town cop (James Marsden) so he can escape Eggman (Jim Carrey) and collect his missing rings. Additional cast members include Tika Sumpter, Adam Pally, and Neal McDonough, while Colleen O'Shaughnessey reprises her voice role as Tails from the games for a mid-credits scene cameo. Sonic was initially redesigned to be more realistic, with fur, new running shoes, separate eyes and a more humanlike physique. The design triggered a backlash; it was criticized for not resembling the game design and provoked an uncanny valley-type of repulsed response from viewers. As such, Sonic was revised to better resemble the original design. Paramount originally scheduled ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for a November 8, 2019 release, but delayed it to February 14, 2020, to accommodate the redesign. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who felt it exceeded the low expectations typically associated with video game-based films; Carrey's performance in particular was praised. Criticism was directed at a perceived lack of originality or ambition, and while Sonic's second redesign was praised, some felt it set a negative precedent for the film industry by giving fans the power to influence the filmmakers. With an estimated budget of $81–95 million, the film grossed over $310 million worldwide, becoming the 2020 in film#Highest-grossing films, sixth-highest-grossing film of 2020. In March, it became the highest-grossing film based on a video game in US box office history.


''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' (2022)

''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' was announced in May 2020, and principal photography began in March 2021. It features Sonic and Tails attempting to stop Eggman, with Knuckles' help, from finding the Master Emerald. Schwartz, O'Shaughnessey, Marsden, Carrey, and Sumpter reprise their roles from the first film, while Idris Elba voices Knuckles. Much of the crew, including Fowler, Casey, and Josh Miller, returned. ''Sonic 2'' incorporates more aspects of the ''Sonic'' games than the first film, including the Chaos Emeralds and Super Sonic. It adapts plot elements from ''Sonic 2'' and ''Sonic 3'', and introduces Shadow in the mid-credits scene. ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' was released on April 8, 2022. It received positive reviews and grossed over $402 million worldwide, surpassing its predecessor as the highest-grossing video game film in the US.


Future

In February 2022, Paramount and Sega announced that they were working on a ''Sonic'' cinematic universe, with ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'' and a Knuckles streaming television series for Paramount+ in development. Elba is set to reprise his voice role in the series.


Merchandise

Licensed ''Sonic'' merchandise includes books, clothing, soundtracks, board games, and toys such as figures and plushes. By 2004, the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise had generated more than in licensed merchandise sales. Sega and McDonald's collaborated for ''Sonic''-themed Happy Meal promotions in 1994 for ''Sonic 3'' and in 2004 for ''Sonic Heroes''. ''Sonic'' was the first video game franchise promoted in McDonald's, and over Sonic Happy Meal toys were sold worldwide. A million pairs of ''Sonic'' trousers were sold by 1996. First4Figures has produced a large number of vinyl and resin ''Sonic'' figures since 2008. In January 2012, Sega and RHM Solutions opened an online ''Sonic'' store, while PlayStation Gear began selling ''Sonic'' items in December 2017. Sega and The Lego Group collaborated to produce a Green Hill Zone Lego set in 2021, after it was suggested on Lego Ideas in 2019.


Reception and legacy


Commentary

The ''Sonic'' platformers released during the 1990s were acclaimed and have been listed among the List of video games considered the best, greatest video games of all time. The original ''Sonic'' was touted as a faster, Cool (aesthetic), cooler alternative to Nintendo's ''Super Mario World'' (1990). According to ''Kotaku'' Zolani Stewart, Sonic's rebellious character was representative of the culture of the 1990s, "when the idea of individual rebellion seemed inextricably linked to consumer culture". Writing in ''The Guardian'', Keith Stuart observed that ''Sonic the Hedgehog''s emphasis on speed departed from accepted precepts of game design, requiring that players "learn through repetition rather than observation" as "the levels aren't designed to be seen or even understood in one playthrough... ''Sonic'' is incorrect game design and yet ... it's a masterpiece." ''Sonic 2'', ''Sonic CD'', ''Sonic 3'', and ''Sonic & Knuckles'' were praised for building on the first game's formula; in 1996, ''Next Generation (magazine), Next Generation'' described them as "the zeitgeist of the 16-bit era". After the uneventful Saturn era, the series found renewed popularity during the sixth generation of video game consoles. ''Sonic Adventure'', though criticized for its glitches and camera system, was acclaimed for its visuals, spectacle, and varied gameplay; ''Sonic Adventure 2'' was met with similar praise. However, journalists began to feel the series was straying from its roots, with some commenting that ''Sonic Adventure'' failed to reinvent Sonic for the 3D era as ''Super Mario 64'' had for Mario. Stewart argued that the addition of voice acting and greater focus on plot changed Sonic into "a flat, lifeless husk of a character, who spits out slogans and generally has only one personality mode, the radical attitude dude, the sad recycled image of vague '90s cultural concept". Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of ''Eurogamer'' agreed, writing that Mario's "plucky earnestness and whimsy will always enjoy a longer shelf-life than [Sonic's] over-compensatory edginess". After the Dreamcast, the series' critical standing declined. Evans-Thirlwell summarized further 3D ''Sonic'' games as "20-odd years of slowly accumulating bullshit". Although reviews for ''Sonic Heroes'' were mostly favorable, Stewart said this was when the focus on story and cutscenes became unbearable. ''Shadow the Hedgehog'' was widely criticized as a misguided attempt to bring a sense of maturity to the franchise, and ''Sonic '06'' was List of video games notable for negative reception, critically panned. The ''Sonic Mania'' developer Christian Whitehead said that the changes to the ''Sonic'' formula "stemmed from a – perhaps misplaced – desire to continue to push Sonic as a AAA brand". Journalists, Whitehead, and the former Sega of America marketing director Al Nilsen criticized the number of characters added to the series, which Naka had justified as necessary to please fans. Evans-Thirlwell argued that Sonic Team had never successfully translated the momentum-based gameplay of the Genesis games to 3D, and that unlike Mario, ''Sonic'' never had a 3D "transcendental hit". Simon Parkin of ''The Guardian'' noted that whereas the Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto reviews every ''Mario'' game prior to release, the individuals who had shaped ''Sonic'' (Naka, Ohshima, and Cerny) left Sega. Despite the critical decline, Dimps' side-scrolling ''Sonic'' games for the GBA and DS were consistently praised. * * * * * Writing for ''Destructoid'', Jim Sterling said: "Hyperbole states that we haven't had a good ''Sonic'' game since ''Sonic Adventure'', which really betrays how much we gamers ignore the handheld market... ''Sonic Advance'' and the ''Sonic Rush'' games have often ranged from decent to superb, which makes one wonder why Dimps is the 'B' team and the inferior Sonic Team is the 'A' team." In the wake of the 2006 ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', Brett Elston of ''GamesRadar+'' said that ''Sonic Rush Adventure'' "managed to keep the [series'] spirit alive". While ''Sonic Unleashed'' was criticized for its addition of beat 'em up gameplay, which ''IGN'' Hilary Goldstein bemoaned had "nothing to do with Sonic whatsoever", its speed-based platforming levels were widely praised; critics suggested that the game would have been better received if it had focused on them. In October 2010, Sega de-listed ''Sonic'' games with average or below-average scores on the review aggregator website Metacritic, to increase the value of the brand and avoid confusing customers. That month, ''Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I'' was released to general praise, with Goldstein summarizing it as "short but sweet and well worth downloading". ''Sonic Colors'', released shortly afterward, was hailed as a return to form, as was 2011's ''Sonic Generations''. Though Evans-Thirlwell considered ''Sonic Generations'' the best 3D ''Sonic'' game, he called it "an admission of defeat" for depicting the 2D and 3D incarnations of Sonic "together only to remind us of their profound differences". ''Sonic Lost World'' was released in 2013 to more mixed reviews, with some critics considering it a fresh take on the ''Sonic'' formula and others a poorly designed mess. The two ''Sonic Boom'' games received widespread negative reviews and sold only 490,000 copies combined by February 2015, making them the worst-selling ''Sonic'' games. That year, Iizuka admitted that Sonic Team had prioritized shipping games over quality and did not have enough involvement in third-party ''Sonic'' games such as ''Sonic Boom''. The Sega CEO, Haruki Satomi, acknowledged that Sega in general had "partially betrayed" the trust of the longtime fans and hoped to focus on quality over quantity. In June 2015, the ''Sonic'' public relations manager Aaron Webber took charge of the series' Twitter account. Under Webber, the account, @sonic_hedgehog, became renowned for posting internet memes and making self-deprecating comments about the ''Sonic'' franchise's critical decline. According to Allegra Frank of ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
'', Webber "had an important effect on the franchise, cultivating a new persona for the character, one that has created a renewed sense of hope". The announcement of ''Sonic Mania'' in 2016 brought further hope for the ''Sonic'' franchise's future. Journalists described it as a true continuation of the Genesis games, succeeding where previous ''Sonic'' games—such as ''Sonic Rush'' and ''Sonic 4''—had failed. It became the best-reviewed ''Sonic'' game in 15 years upon its August 2017 release; Matt Espineli of ''GameSpot'' summarized it "exceed[ing] expectations of what a new game in the franchise can look and play like, managing to simultaneously be a charming celebration of the past and a natural progression of the series' classic 2D formula". Many called it one of the best games in the series and expressed excitement for ''Sonic'' future, although ''Sonic Forces'', released a few months later, received mixed reviews.


Sales

''Sonic the Hedgehog'' is one of the
bestselling video game franchises This is a list of List of video game franchises, video game franchises that have sold or shipped at least twenty million copies. Unless otherwise stated, numbers indicate worldwide units sold, ordered alphabetically whenever two or more list the ...
. The series' cumulative sales reached 89million units by March 2011) and over by 2016. The ''Mario & Sonic'' series alone sold over 19million units . The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video games grossed over in sales by 2014, and over . Series sales and
free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
mobile game A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
downloads totaled units by 2019, and over units by 2020. In 1993, Sonic was tied with Mario as the highest-earning entertainment personalities of the year, each generating ( adjusted for inflation) in digital game sales that year. In the United Kingdom, ''Sonic'' was the sixth-bestselling game franchise between 1996 and 2012. Individual ''Sonic'' games have been bestsellers as well. The original game is the List of best-selling Sega Genesis games, bestselling Genesis game, while ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' is the bestselling Game Gear game, ''Sonic CD'' is the bestselling Sega CD game, and ''Sonic Adventure'' is the bestselling Dreamcast game. ''Sonic Adventure 2'' is the eighth-List of best-selling GameCube video games, bestselling GameCube game in the US and the bestselling GameCube game that was not published by Nintendo. Upon release, ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' set records for being the List of fastest-selling products, fastest-selling game, selling out copies worldwide within two weeks in 1992. In terms of sales revenue, the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' earned over by 1997 ( adjusted for inflation), while ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' grossed in 1992 ( adjusted for inflation), the latter being the highest-grossing home entertainment product 1992 in video games, of 1992.


Effect on the industry

Primarily because of its Genesis bundling, ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' contributed greatly to the console's popularity in North America. Between October and December 1991, the Genesis outsold its chief competitor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, by a two-to-one ratio; at its January 1992 peak Sega held 65 percent of the market for 16-bit consoles. Although Nintendo eventually reclaimed the number-one position, it was the first time since December 1985 that Nintendo had not led the console market. ''1UP.com'' credited ''Sonic'' for "turning the course" of the 16-bit console wars, helping make Sega a dominant player and industry giant. During the 16-bit era, ''Sonic'' inspired similar platformers starring animal mascots, including the ''Bubsy'' series, ''Aero the Acro-Bat'' (1993), ''James Pond 3'' (1993), ''Earthworm Jim (video game), Earthworm Jim'' (1994), and ''Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel'' (1994). "Animal with attitude" games carried over to the 3D era, with the developers of ''Gex (video game), Gex'' (1995) and ''Crash Bandicoot (video game), Crash Bandicoot'' (1996) citing ''Sonic'' as a major inspiration. According to Levi Buchanan of ''IGN'', "''Sonic'' inspired so many of these copycats that they practically became an entire subgenre for the platformer." Thorpe commented that "it's hard to keep track of how many programmers have cited [''Sonic the Hedgehog''] as a bar against which they have measured their own work", while Phil Hornshaw of ''Complex (magazine), Complex'' noted that few animal mascot characters achieved the same success as Sonic. Regarding the series' influence on the video game industry, Thorpe wrote: ''Computer and Video Games'' (''CVG'') magazine also credited ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' with helping to popularize console video games in the United Kingdom, where home computers previously dominated the home video game market. They said the success of ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' was "one of the main reasons for the popularity of" console video games in the United Kingdom.


Crossovers

Outside the ''Sonic'' series, Sonic appears in other Sonic Team games as a playable character in ''Christmas Nights'' (1996), a power-up in ''Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg'' (2003), and in a cameo in the 2008 Wii version of ''Samba de Amigo'' (1999). ''Sonic'' characters also feature in the '' Sega All-Stars'' series, which includes ''Sega Superstars'' (2004), ''Sega Superstars Tennis'' (2008), and Sumo Digital's kart racing games ''Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing'' (2010) and ''Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed'' (2012). Since 2007, Sega has collaborated with former rival Nintendo to produce ''Mario & Sonic'', an Olympic Games-themed Crossover (fiction), crossover with the ''Mario'' franchise. The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, first ''Mario & Sonic'' game was released in 2007 for the Wii and in 2008 for the DS to tie in with the 2008 Summer Olympics. ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games'', based on the 2010 Winter Olympics, was released in 2010 for the Wii and DS, and ''Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games'', based on the 2012 Summer Olympics, was released for the Wii in 2011 and the 3DS in 2012. The fourth game, 2013's ''Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games'', was exclusive to the Wii U, but the following game, ''Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games'' (2016), was released on both the Wii U and 3DS. After a brief hiatus, the series made a return in 2019 with ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020'' for the Switch, based on the 2020 Summer Olympics. Sonic appears as a playable character in Nintendo's '' Super Smash Bros.'' crossover fighting games, beginning with ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' in 2008. Alongside Solid Snake from Konami's ''Metal Gear'' franchise, Sonic was the first non-Nintendo character to appear in ''Smash''. He was considered for inclusion in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' (2001), but the game was too close to completion so his introduction was delayed until ''Brawl''. He returned in the sequels Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' and ''Wii U'' (2014) and ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' (2018). Shadow and Knuckles appear in ''Smash'' as non-playable characters, while Tails and Knuckles costumes are available for players' Mii avatars. A Sonic amiibo figurine was released for the ''Smash'' games, and is also compatible with ''Mario Kart 8'' (2014), ''Super Mario Maker'' (2015), and ''Yoshi's Woolly World'' (2015). In June 2015, characters from the ''Angry Birds'' RPG ''Angry Birds Epic'' (2014) appeared as playable characters in ''Sonic Dash'' during a three-week promotion, while Sonic was added to ''Angry Birds Epic'' as a playable character the following September. Similar crossovers with the Sanrio characters Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, My Melody (character), My Melody, and Chococat and the Namco game ''Pac-Man'' took place in December 2016 and February 2018. In November 2016, a ''Sonic'' expansion pack was released for the toys-to-life game ''Lego Dimensions'' (2015); the pack includes Sonic as a playable character, in addition to ''Sonic'' levels and vehicles. In September 2021, Sonic and Tails became playable characters in ''Cookie Run#Cookie Run: Kingdom, Cookie Run: Kingdom''.


Cultural impact

One of the world's most popular video game characters, by 1992 Sonic was more recognizable to children ages 6 to 11 than Disney's Mickey Mouse. In 1993, Sonic became the first video game character to have a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and was one of the four characters inducted on the Walk of Game in 2005, alongside Mario, Link (The Legend of Zelda), Link, and Master Chief (Halo), Master Chief. Additionally, a Japanese team developing the Radio & Plasma Wave Investigation (RPWI) instrumentation for the ''Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer'' spacecraft, to be launched by ESA and Airbus in 2023, received approval to use Sonic as the mascot. Sonic and Eggman appear as minor characters in the Walt Disney Animation Studios films ''Wreck-It Ralph'' (2012) and ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' (2018), while Sonic makes cameos in Steven Spielberg's ''Ready Player One (film), Ready Player One'' (2018) and ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (film), Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (2022). The franchise is known for its eccentric and passionate
fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
, which produces unofficial media including
fangame A fangame is a video game that is created by fans. They are usually based on one, or in some cases several, video game entries or franchises. Many fangames attempt to clone or remake the original game's design, gameplay, and characters, but ...
s, fan fiction, Mod (video gaming), modifications and ROM hacks of existing games, fan films, and
fan art Fan art or fanart is artwork created by fans of a work of fiction and derived from a series character or other aspect of that work. They are usually done by amateur artists, semi-professionals or professionals. As fan labor, fan art refers to ...
. Caty McCarthy of ''USGamer'' noted that many fans have continued to support the series in spite of poorly received games like the 2006 ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', and credited the fandom with helping maintain public interest in the franchise. Notable ''Sonic'' fangames include ''Sonic: After the Sequel'' (2013), set between the events of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' and ''3'', and ''Sonic Dreams Collection'' (2015), which satirizes the series' fandom. ''Sonic Mania'' development team included individuals who had worked on ''Sonic'' ROM hacks and fangames, while Iizuka said the character customization system in ''Sonic Forces'' was influenced by the ''Sonic'' community's tendency to create original characters. Summer of Sonic, an annual fan convention dedicated to the ''Sonic'' series and hosted in the United Kingdom, was founded by Svend Joscelyne and Adam Tuff and first held in 2008. ''Sonic'' has inspired various internet memes, which have been acknowledged by Sega and referenced in games. "Sanic hegehog", a crude Sonic drawn in Microsoft Paint, originated in 2010; typically, the meme uses one of Sonic's catchphrases but with poor grammar. The ''Sonic'' Twitter account has made numerous references to it, and it appeared in official downloadable content for ''Sonic Forces'' on in-game shirts and as a visual gag in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' film. Sanic also inspired similar memes and parodies, and was described by William Moo of ''Syfy Wire'' as "perfect proof of the twisted love and appreciation many have" for Sonic. In January 2018, players flooded the virtual reality game ''VRChat'' with avatars depicting "Ugandan Knuckles", a deformed version of Knuckles the Echidna. The character stemmed from a 2017 review of ''Sonic Lost World'' by YouTube user Gregzilla, as well as fans of ''PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds'' streamer Forsen, who often reference the African country Uganda. The Ugandan Knuckles meme was controversial for its perceived racial insensitivity, and the creator of the avatar expressed regret over how it was used. In response, the ''Sonic'' Twitter account encouraged players to respect others and donate to a Ugandan charity through GlobalGiving. The Sonic hedgehog, ''sonic hedgehog'' gene, first identified for its role in fruit fly embryonic development, was named after Sonic. Robert Riddle, then a postdoctoral fellow at the Clifford Tabin, Tabin Lab, came up with the name after his wife bought a magazine containing an advert for ''Sonic''.Interview with Robert Riddle, on naming of the gene, features in "Ingenious: The Cyclops Gene", BBC Radio feature by Kat Arney https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000h263 A mutation in the gene causes fly larvae to bear spiky denticles, reminiscent of Sonic.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Sonic the Hedgehog, Fantasy video games Platform games Sega Games franchises Sonic the Hedgehog video games, *Sonic the Hedgehog games Video game franchises, Sonic the Hedgehog series Video game franchises introduced in 1991 Video games adapted into comics Video games adapted into films Video games adapted into television shows Video games about animals Video games about robots