Looking to the Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Celebrations
Thursday, 7th January 2021, 7:28pm (UTC), 0 Comments
In 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog launched on the Sega Genesis, giving the Japanese company a mascot to hold up and use to compete with compatriot Nintendo's Mario. Since then, Sega and Nintendo have gone down different lanes as game companies, but Mario and Sonic remain as two of the most iconic and relevant characters in gaming to this day.

Mario has recently enjoyed his 35th anniversary, celebrating with a vast range of promotional goods and new games. In 2021, it'll be the Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary, with Sega gearing up to make it a colossal year for fans of the blue speedster.

In 2020, the Sonic series' intent on making a splash in the following year was made clear. Taking out an advertisement in a licensing book for Europe, there was a stack of enticing Sonic stats for licensors to mull over, and a commitment to 2021 being huge for Sonic. So, along with some Funko Pop! vinyl figures and special edition energy drinks, what are the big-hitters to look for when the anniversary celebrations get underway?

We all knew it was coming after the first broke records




In February last year, Sonic the Hedgehog smashed the video game movie opening record, landing a $70 million splash at the box office. This was remarkable for a couple of reasons, the first being that video game movies had suddenly been doing rather well. The second was that the movie was delayed because the creators had to do a complete reworking of the titular character after its ill-received debut. They do say that any publicity is good publicity, and it seems as though the rather terrifying live-action debut of Sonic worked a treat. With an eccentric Jim Carrey playing Dr Robotnik and Sonic fixed for the big screen, few pundits would have expected the movie to take off and dominate as it did. However, as is tradition, one success will now lead to a sequel.

So perhaps the most inevitable of the predictions would be for Paramount to reveal the initial trailer for the sequel. Amidst a huge juggling of the Hollywood schedule throughout 2020, and likely through 2021, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has been given the provisional release of 8 April 2022. If the planned release date holds true, a short reveal trailer at some point in 2021 seems all-but-inevitable - especially because it'd continue the 30th Anniversary celebrations.

Breaking into a new sector of gaming




The classic 2D platformer game series has broken into many different genres that once would have deemed incompatible with Sonic. The hedgehog has starred in 3D runs, racing games, arcade fighters, pinball machines, puzzlers, sports titles, and action-adventure games over the years, but one of the more obvious licensing opportunities for a spinoff game is yet to be embraced fully.

For the most part, when the best Sonic stages of all-time are discussed, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and its Casino Night Zone level is often involved. Becoming a staple of the series, the colorful neon lights, giant pinball tables, and chimes of rings make it a very memorable experience. Given the other pop-culture crossovers, particularly in slots, casino game developers should be poised to jump at the chance to licence Sonic - particularly now that the US has joined the scene. Legal Betting shows how online casino gaming is becoming increasingly popular across America, with players partaking in slots, craps, roulette, and video poker online. With bonuses always available on iGaming platforms, casual players are more and more aware that they can add casino games to their entertainment options. Now may be the opportune time for Sega to licence Sonic to a slot or table game developer, bringing the iconic to a new, but familiar, space.

The next instalment to the long-running series




For Sonic's 25th anniversary, in 2016, Sega announced two new games: Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania. They didn't come out until 2017, but Mania still stands as the latest in the 2D platformer line, with Forces being the newest in Sonic's 3D platformer series. Other than those, 2019's Team Sonic Racing is the latest video game from the iconic hedgehog.

Back at SXSW Gaming in 2019, the head of Sonic Team announced that the next major title in the franchise was already in production, and the advert in the licensing book also cited "new games" being on the way. Whether or not those new games will be released in 2021 is unclear, even more so given the delays seen in 2020, but it's nearly certain that Sonic's next great adventure will at least be revealed for the anniversary.

Sega will undoubtedly go all-out for the 30th birthday of their most beloved game character, with Sonic fans set to be treated to a myriad of announcements and new content.
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