- Sonic orchestral symphony will premier on June 23
- Sonic Colors: Ultimate set to release on September 7, featuring remake of Sonic Colors
- Sonic Origins, featuring five classic Sonic the Hedgehog titles, set to release in 2022.
- The next Sonic Team title is set to release in 2022
Sega has kicked off the summer convention season for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise with today's Sonic Central stream, announcing a slew of games, partnerships, updates, and merchandise in celebration of the upcoming 30th Anniversary of the series.
Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony
An orchestral symphony featuring music from the Sonic the Hedgehog series is coming June 23 in celebration of the series anniversary. The event will be virtual and free, and will feature Sonic rock star favorites Crush 40, composer Tamoya Attani, and others. An exclusive sneak peak is set to be revealed at Summer Game Fest next month.
Partnerships
SEGA announced multiple partnerships today with various video games. First, the upcoming official Olympics video game, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game by SEGA, will feature the ability to dress up an avatar in a Sonic the Hedgehog suit while competing in the games. The game, which already released in Japan in 2019, is set to release worldwide on June 22 this year on all platforms, including consoles, Google Stadia, and PC via Steam.
Sonic and his friends are also set to appear in SEGA's healthcare institution video game, Two Point Hospital. In this game, users will be able to dress up staff in costumes based on Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and add some Sonic-themed merchandise to their hospitals. The Sonic-themed pack will be available on July 30.
Finally, Sonic the Fighters is coming to SEGA's legal suspense thriller Lost Judgement. In Lost Judgement, users will be able to visit any SEGA Arcade in the game, and one of the arcade games will be for the 1996 fighting game Sonic the Fighters, which they'll be able to play within Lost Judgement. Sonic the Fighters will be arriving in Lost Judgement on September 24.
SEGA rounded out the partnerships by teasing more collaborations to be announced later this summer, including what appears to be a teaser for a Minecraft collaboration.
Sonic Colors: Ultimate announced
SEGA announced a remaster of Sonic Colors, now called Sonic Colors: Ultimate. The game will also now feature the Jade Ghost wisp, first introduced in Team Sonic Racing, and a new "Rival Rush" mode that unlocks rewards if players can outrun Metal Sonic.
The remastered Sonic Colors, which originally released on the Wii-U, will be releasing on PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via the Epic Games Store on September 7. Pre-ordering will include a Baby Sonic keychain pre-order bonus based on Sonic from the 2020 movie. There will also be a digital deluxe edition featuring early access to the game, exclusive music, wearables, player icons, and the electric boost ability from the Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps announced
Roger Craig Smith, the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, announced Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps, a two-part short animation series that takes place in the world of Sonic Colors. The series is the first of some short-form animations featuring the voice cast from the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
Episode 1 of Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps is set to release this summer.
Sonic Origins announced, games expanding to new platforms
SEGA announced Sonic Origins, a collection of five games from the classic era of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Sonic Origins will feature Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic the Hedgehog CD, and will release on modern platforms in 2022.
SEGA also announced the three most recent Sonic the Hedgehog console titles—Sonic Mania, Sonic Forces, and Team Sonic Racing—will be coming to PlayStation Plus.
Sonic mobile games
Sonic Dash is now featuring a special event with anniversary-themed in-game prizes, along with Pirate Sonic and Captain Shadow. Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, on the other hand, will soon be featuring Super Sonic and his abilities as an unlockable character. The mobile game will also soon have a new "Party Match" event where users will be able to start private matchups with friends. Additionally, starting in October, the Werehog from Sonic Unleashed will be added as an unlockable character in both Sonic Dash and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
Finally, Classic Sonic will be added to the Apple Arcade mobile app Sonic Racing, featuring a classic zone, Sonic's classic car from Sonic Drift, and all new music.
Sonic Prime development continues
Joe Kelley from Man of Action, one of the showrunners for Sonic Prime, spoke about his excitement to work on the upcoming animated series, which will feature 24 episodes. The series will take place in an environment he referred to as the "Shatterverse"
Merchandise
Various merchandise items were revealed, including a Death Egg Robot toy from Jaks Pacific based on the Death Egg Robot from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic-themed jewelry from King Ice, and commemorative coins from Apmex. SEGA also mentioned the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia from Dark Horse, set to release this year. There are more commemorative products on the Sonic the Hedgehog website.
New Sonic Team title teased
In the final seconds of the stream, Takashi Iizuka revealed a teaser of an upcoming title from Sonic Team. The short snippet features Sonic running through an unknown forest of some kind, with bluish-purple trail following him. The camera then zooms out above him before fading into an unknown symbol. The game is set to release next year.
Let us know what you're most excited for!