Today at the SXSW Festival, SEGA held a special presentation that had been hyped as “Sonic the Hedgehog: 25 Year Anniversary,” and promised to “celebrate the past” and “look to the future.” And boy did it deliver. First off, a panel of commentators gave us an in-depth look at the history and influence of Sonic, one of gaming’s most iconic franchises.
Shortly after, it was announced that Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice will release September 27th 2016 on the 3DS. The biggest reveal, however, was that on July 22nd 2016 Sega will be hosting a Sonic 25th anniversary event in San Diego. While no new games were announced we do have some new dates to mark in our calendars.
The panelists included some of the biggest names in the series’ past game, both behind the scenes and up front:
- Aaron Webber – Sonic Social Media Manager
- Takashi Iizuka – Head of Sonic Team
- Yuji Naka – Sonic Original Creator
- Austin Keys – Director, Product Development
- Roger Craig Smith – Voice of Sonic The Hedgehog
- Mike Pollock – Voice of Dr. Eggman
But it wasn’t all about the past. In fact, we got huge news about the future of the franchise too. No details yet on what exactly might happen at the 25th Anniversary event, but does tell us that if nothing else, SEGA is far from finished with the Sonic franchise. Stay tuned here for more info as we get it!