In 2020, the pandemic struck the video game industry leading to a delay with Sega’s future plans forSonic the Hedgehog-among other things.Sonicloyalists had no idea what was coming next until theSonic Central presentation in 2021. With that, Sega made it clear thatSonichad incredible things ahead.
Shortly after the success of the firstSonic the Hedgehogmovie, a sequel was put into production. The aforementioned Sonic Central presentation also announcedSonic Originsand released a teaser trailer for the next mainline title, which would later be revealed asSonic Frontiers. Now, with moreSonicmovies said to be on the way,Sonic Originscoming out on June 23, andFrontiersscheduled for the following holiday season, the future ofSoniclooks to be bright.Spoilers for theSonic the Hedgehog 2movie ahead.
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Sonic the Hedgehog’s Cinematic Universe
Though the firstSonicmovie was a gamble, producers publicly stated before the second movie hit theaters that their goal is to now create aSoniccinematic universe. This was revealed with the announcement of not justSonic the Hedgehog 3, but also a Knuckles the Echidna TV show coming to Paramount Plus. Many fans realized the comedic potential underlying Paramount technically announcing “Sonic 3 and Knuckles.”
Despite the next movie potentially being calledSonic the Hedgehog 3, the secondSonicmovie has already faithfully adapted the plot of the original thirdSonicgame, instead teasing thatSonic 3will deal with the plot ofSonic Adventure 2byfeaturing Shadowin a post-credits scene. Shadow the Hedgehog is one of the most popular characters throughoutSonichistory, and now he’ll be getting his own theatrical film.Sonic Adventure 2’sstory, which focuses extensively on Shadow, is beloved by fans, so there’s a good chanceSonic 3is set up to bring in record profits for the new cinematic universe.
Sonic Origins, Sonic Frontiers, and What’s Next
Many fans have waited quite a long time for the nextSonicgame, as the last mainline title wasSonic Forcesin 2017. This marks the longest wait betweenSonictitles, which was made even more prominent as Sega didn’t release a game for the mascot’s 30th anniversary. However, this was for good reason, as Sega held back on releasing the latestSonictitles to ensure their quality. With this in mind, as bothSonic OriginsandSonic Frontiersare just around the corner, fans are excited about what they hold.
Sonic Originsincludes features that makeSonic 1,2,3, andCDmore accessible, while also offering new ways to play them like Mirror Mode and with missions. The game also comes with new intros and outros to each game that promises to tie all four of them together. While not much is known about the latest modern Sonic game, theearliest known info aboutSonic Frontierspromises a brand-new “open-zone” experience. While fans wait, the TailsTube series on Sonic’s social media channels has been answering lore questions that players have wondered about for years.
With everything currently happening withSonic, there’s a big shift in the franchise on the horizon. Ian Flynn, the writer forSonic Frontiers,is also writingthescripts for TailsTubeand the cutscenes forSonic Origins. Due to the fact that Flynn penned the Sonic Encyclo-speed-ia, the current official encyclopedia for all thingsSonic, it’s clear he’s spearheading the future of the series. This bodes well for whatSonic Frontiersis about to bring, even with what little information is known so far.
Sonicfans have a lot to enjoy this year, and for years to come. Even outsideSonicmovies and games, there areSoniccomics published by IDWfor fans to read between releases, as well as the upcomingSonic PrimeTV show.Sonic the Hedgehoghas some interesting things coming for fans, and by the end of the year, fans may get to experience the full scope of what the series has been building whenFrontiersreleases.
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