Transcription
Sonic The Hedgehog was Sega's answer to Super Mario, and the hedgehog is now far more than just a video game mascot. The blue spiky creature is the main character in books, TV series, movies, comics, and even a popular internet meme. But why did Sonic become Sega's mascot in the first place, and how did he get his iconic design? You'll find out all this and much more in the following video. Okay, it's a bit funny that I'm starting my Sonic video now with gameplay from an absolute Nintendo classic, but I have no other choice. Because in 1981, game designer Shigeru Miyamoto had created a rather inconspicuous side character in the arcade game Donkey Kong. The character was named Mario. He wore red overalls and a blue shirt. The red hat replaced his hairstyle, and the mustache replaced his mouth. The default character was only meant to play a minor role. Therefore, not much effort was put into the design, and it was more oriented towards the graphical limitations of the arcade hardware at the time. Against all expectations, the character was exceptionally popular, and in 1983, he even got his own game with Mario Bros. The big breakthrough finally came with Super Mario Bros., which was released exclusively on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985 and redefined the "jump & run" genre. Due to the enormous success of Super Mario Bros., the plumber quickly became Nintendo's flagship. Sega, on the other hand, mostly only had ports of its arcade games to show for its console, the Sega Master System, which were less suitable for the home console market. The company lacked a bit of its own identity. Due to the popularity of Super Mario Bros., SEGA decided to develop a similar 2D platformer for their 8-bit console. Alex Kidd was supposed to be Sega's counter-proposal to Super Mario, but the monkey boy couldn't hold a candle to Nintendo's popular mascot in terms of quality or recognizability. In 1988, Sega released the Mega Drive, or Genesis, a 16-bit console that was technically far superior to the Nintendo Entertainment System. The company gained a technological advantage over the competition. However, thanks to its better game library, Nintendo continued to dominate the market with its 8-bit console. Even aggressive marketing campaigns by Sega of America, such as "Genesis does what Nintendon't," or collaborations with prominent athletes, couldn't break Nintendo's dominance. There were simply too few reasons to buy the Mega Drive. The US video game market was the largest and most important single market in the world. Sega had already failed in North America with the Master System, and this failure threatened to repeat itself with the Mega Drive. The company urgently needed to gain more market share. For this, Sega needed not only a blockbuster game but also a strong mascot that could directly compete with Super Mario. Sega's president, Hayao Nakayama, therefore commissioned the development of a new identification figure and focused particularly on the American audience. This figure was not only supposed to represent Sega but also be THE reason to buy the Sega Mega Drive. The company then launched an internal design competition, which resulted in around 200 new character designs submitted from all departments of SEGA Japan and SEGA of America. In the end, a rabbit with a bow tie and long ears stood out from the crowd. It was drawn by Naoto Ohshima, who was then tasked with developing a game concept with programmer Yuji Naka. As a fan of racing games, Naka proposed a 2D jump 'n' run focused on extremely high speeds, thereby demonstrating the performance of the Mega Drive hardware. The two then designed a prototype that showed a fast-moving character rolling like a ball through a long tube. SEGA liked this energetic interpretation of a platformer and assigned Hirokazu Yasuhara to the team as a supporting game designer. The team's mission was clear from the start: to develop a hit game for SEGA and create a company mascot at the same time. It should be mentioned here that Sega did not blindly trust any newcomers. Yuji Naka had previously ported arcade games like Space Harrier and OutRun to the Master System and developed the extremely successful Phantasy Star games. Naoto Ohshima had also been involved in the development of both Phantasy Star titles as a character and monster designer. And together with Hirokazu Yasuhara, Ohshima had worked on the Mega Drive game Fatal Labyrinth. So, the three understood their craft and got to work. However, they soon encountered their first design challenge. A character that picked up objects with its ears and then threw them at enemies slowed down the gameplay. To maintain the pace, the team came up with the idea that the character would curl into a ball after a jump and simply smash through obstacles. The rabbit as the main character was thus out. The trio then looked for animals that could curl into a ball for an attack or defense. In the end, they had to choose between an armadillo and a hedgehog. The choice finally fell on the hedgehog because its quills are better suited for an attack than the armadillo's leathery shell. Naoto Ohshima remembered one of his discarded sketches that might fit the new main character. He simply named the character "Mr. Harinezumi," which translates to "Mr. Hedgehog" in English and "Herr Igel" in German. Ohshima presented it to Naka and Yasuhara, and they recognized that the sketch was exactly the design they were looking for. Inspired by American cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat, they began to develop the new game character, making adjustments to the original design. The spiky creature should not appear too cute, thus only appealing to elementary school students, but also reach an older audience. Nevertheless, the hedgehog had to be an easily recognizable mascot for Sega that children could also draw. The blue color was chosen so that it would better match the cobalt blue Sega logo. The human-like hedgehog ultimately wore white gloves and red running shoes. For the design of the shoes, including the buckle, the trio was actually inspired by Michael Jackson's boots, which he wore in the music video "Bad." The contrasting red and white color scheme of the album cover also influenced the Christmas-red color of the shoes. With the final design, the definitive name for the hedgehog was also decided. Yuji Naka chose "Sonic," which is the English word for sound. This not only fit the character's concept perfectly but was also easy to pronounce in Japanese. Around the same time, Ohshima took a trip to New York City and conducted a small survey in Central Park, showing passersby sketches of his various character designs. Among them was Sonic, a dog, and a character who would later evolve into Dr. Robotnik. Sonic proved to be the most popular drawing, underscoring the team's choice. The new main character was then presented to Sega to get permission for the modified design. Naoto Ohshima even had a Sonic the Hedgehog plush toy made specifically for this purpose and managed to convince management of the new main character. As a backstory, Oshima initially imagined the hedgehog as a former fighter pilot whose life would be retold in the video game. Although the idea was discarded, its influence can be seen in the game's title screen, where Sonic is shown in a flight emblem. Additionally, the arcade game Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair likely served as an influence here, as its logo shows great similarities. Inspired by Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson, the three decided to make Sonic a cool, confident, and heroic character because these traits better suited the American video game market. Ohshima developed a new backstory, which Yasuhara was to further elaborate on. To prevent Sonic from appearing too childish, Ohshima designed a human girlfriend named Madonna. Furthermore, the blue hedgehog was to be a member of a rock band. Fortunately, both concepts were rejected under pressure from Sega of America. Only the crocodile Vector survived the cut and became a playable character in the Sonic universe in 1995. The Americans then conceived a completely new backstory for the blue hedgehog. This document was internally referred to as the Sonic Bible. Mark Cerny, who is now Sony's chief architect for the PlayStation, worked as a mediator between the Japanese and American Sega offices at the time. The new plot revolved around the villain Doctor Ivo Robotnik. The megalomaniacal scientist has turned Sonic's friends into aggressive robots or imprisoned them in metal containers and wants to transform Sonic's home island, South Island, into an environmentally hostile "Robotnik Empire." For this, he only needs the mystical powers of six unique gems, the so-called Chaos Emeralds. Sonic aims to thwart these plans by freeing his animal friends and collecting the powerful gems himself. Dr. Robotnik was one of Naoto Oshima's original character designs and is considered one of the most iconic villains in video games. As mentioned earlier, the illustration was part of Oshima's mascot survey in New York's Central Park. The man in pajamas with a mustache inspired by Theodore Roosevelt had taken second place at the time. Although the character design appealed to Sonic's development team, it was not suitable as a hero for their game. The trio decided to include the character anyway and cast him in the role of the antagonist. Sonic's adversary is a mad scientist who represents technology and machines, while the hedgehog symbolizes nature. Due to his round body shape, Sonic's arch-nemesis was named "Dr. Eggman." The Japanese chose an English name because they assumed it would be used internationally. However, Sega of America decided to call this character "Dr. Ivo Robotnik" for the Western releases in North America and Europe. The first name "Ivo" was chosen for its phonetic similarity to the English word "evil," while "Robotnik" is the Slavic word for work and better suited the industrial themes of the game. Outside of Japan, Dr. Eggman was known only as Dr. Robotnik for a long time. It wasn't until the US manual for Sonic Adventure in 1999 that it was mentioned that Dr. Eggman is his nickname. For the gameplay, Naka was inspired by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. However, he wanted to make his game more action-oriented than the Mario series because he was bored by most 2D jump & runs. The arcade classic Ghouls & Ghosts, where you can move diagonally up and down while hanging, also had a significant influence. After Naka received the source code from Capcom, he ported the game to the Mega Drive in 1989 and already experimented with the speed of the main character. Yasuhara was inspired by pinball games and introduced loops and bumpers to adapt the level design to the fast gameplay. The game consists of six zones, each with three acts that can be defined as levels. Each zone has its own visual style, and the respective levels offer multiple paths to reach the goal. This makes them appear larger and more varied overall. At the end of the third level of each zone, the player faces Dr. Robotnik in a boss battle. Sonic's primary attack form is the Spin Attack, where he curls into a spinning ball during a jump, destroying robot enemies and freeing captured animals. With his attack, Sonic can not only fight enemies but also clear certain obstacles. Similar to Mario, Sonic can collect items and power-ups found in monitor boxes. The monitors can contain an extra life, ten rings, a shield, increased speed, or invincibility. Gold rings are scattered throughout each level, protecting Sonic from damage or granting him an extra life once he collects one hundred. If you reach the end of the first or second act of a zone with at least 50 rings, Sonic can enter one of the six pinball-like Special Stages, where a Chaos Emerald can be found. Only by collecting all the gems can Sonic thwart Dr. Robotnik's plans. Accordingly, there are also different ending sequences after the final battle. If all the gems are not collected, Dr. Robotnik taunts the player. The levels can be approached in different ways. Either you proceed slowly, freeing every animal and collecting all the rings, which also drives up the high score. Or you race through the levels as quickly as possible, setting new best times one after another. For Yuji Naka, this increased the fun factor and replayability, as setting new record times could be an incentive to play already completed levels again. For the graphics style, the team opted for a cartoonish yet futuristic design. Inspiration for this included 80s CGI technology, pop art artist Eizin Suzuki, and the US West Coast. The state of California, in particular, influenced the artistic design of Green Hill Zone. In the zone, Sonic runs over a checkered ground that resembles computer-generated, three-dimensional images. Artificial shadows create a kind of depth effect here, and the palm trees look as if they are made of 3D polygons. Similar to the first level of Super Mario Bros., Green Hill Zone is one of the most famous video game levels in gaming history. Sega had very high expectations for the game and increased the working group several times during development with additional programmers and designers. The internal codename for the promising project was "Defeat Mario." Internally, the collective soon referred to themselves as Team Sonic, and upon the release of Sonic The Hedgehog, the group was officially renamed Team Sonic and simultaneously became Sega's own development department. A technical demo of the game was first presented at the Tokyo Toy Show in June 1990. However, the self-running demo attracted little interest and was barely mentioned in magazines. Sega nevertheless stuck with the blue hedgehog and was already working on an extensive advertising strategy for their upcoming main attraction. This also included guest appearances in other games. In October 1990, Sonic debuted in the arcade game Rad Mobile, where he dangled as a keychain from the rearview mirror. In November 1990, the hedgehog suddenly appeared in promotional material for the J-pop band Dreams Come True. Band member Masato Nakamura had composed the soundtrack for Sonic The Hedgehog, and Sega was sponsoring the group's tour. Sonic made further guest appearances in May 1991 in the games The Adventures of Quik & Silva and Puzzle Construction. In The Adventures of Quik & Silva, however, it can be strongly assumed that Sonic's guest role was purely coincidental and had nothing to do with Sega's cameo strategy. The developer KAICO had generously borrowed from well-known video game characters for enemy design and simply put them into their game. A first playable demo of Sonic The Hedgehog was presented to the public at the Winter CES in January 1991 and immediately awarded the "CES award for innovation." At the Summer CES in June 1991, Sega went a step further and compared the fast gameplay of Sonic to Super Mario World, which had already been released in Japan in November 1990. On June 21, 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog was released in Europe and North America for the Sega Mega Drive, or Sega Genesis. On July 26, 1991, the game was released in Japan. Sales of the 16-bit console then increased, and customers who were actually waiting for the release of the Super Nintendo instead opted for the SEGA console. Sonic the Hedgehog impressed the specialist press with its colorful graphics and fast, action-packed gameplay. The game was technically flawless and received high ratings, mostly over 90%. In terms of gameplay, the hedgehog didn't quite reach Super Mario yet, but technically, Sonic clearly had the edge. The soundtrack was also positively received. The title theme and the music of Green Hill Zone, both timeless earworms, were particularly noteworthy. From November 1991, Sonic was bundled with American Mega Drive consoles, and the price of the package was reduced from $189 to $149. This made the Mega Drive cheaper and, moreover, had a larger game library than the Super NES. Nintendo had released its 16-bit console in North America in August 1991 and sold it bundled with Super Mario World for $199. Primarily thanks to the popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog, the Mega Drive sold almost twice as well as the Super Nintendo during the Christmas season. With two million units sold worldwide, Sonic The Hedgehog was the best-selling video game of 1991. In January 1992, Sega controlled 65% of the 16-bit console market. Suddenly, they were no longer the lagging pursuer but a serious challenger to Nintendo, which had led the console market uninterruptedly since December 1985. The great success of the Mega Drive game solidified Sega's position in the rest of the world, and Sonic The Hedgehog became a sensation almost overnight. The game catapulted its creators into the realm of video game superstars. Programmer Yuji Naka even became the face of Sega for a time, similar to how Shigeru Miyamoto became Nintendo's figurehead after the success of Super Mario Bros. Sonic The Hedgehog was subsequently ported to the Sega Game Gear and the Sega Master System and released in late 1991 and early 1992, respectively. In North America, Sonic the Hedgehog was also the last game released on the Master System. In Europe and Brazil, Sega continued to release games for the Master System until 1998. If you want to learn more about Sega's underestimated 8-bit console, I can recommend my documentary. I'll link the video in the top right corner. You can also find it in the description. After the almost unbelievable success of Sonic, Sega wanted to follow up quickly and released the sequel Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for the 1992 Christmas season. The development team for Sonic 2 was significantly larger than that of the first game, consisting of American and Japanese developers. The game was released on Tuesday, November 24th, in North America and Europe, the so-called Sonic Twosday. It featured the debut of the new character Miles Tails Prower, who accompanied Sonic. The sequel introduced pseudo-3D bonus levels that were absolutely impressive for the time. The game also offered a split-screen multiplayer mode, and the scope was increased from six to eleven zones. The game also introduced the Spin Dash, by which Sonic spins in place and is launched like a rocket. The individual levels were also better designed for the hedgehog's high speed, and there were fewer frustrating stops due to obstacles. For many, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is still considered the best Sonic game of the entire franchise, especially by the standards of the time. An 8-bit version of the same name was also released for the Game Gear and Master System for this game. Sega had by then distributed the development of Sonic games to different teams to supply their various platforms with their own Sonic titles. For the Sega Mega-CD, Sonic the Hedgehog CD was released in 1993, and in the same year, Sega also released an arcade machine called SegaSonic the Hedgehog. With Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, two spin-offs were released in 1993 for the Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, and Sega Game Gear. The two 8-bit systems received further 2D jump & runs or spin-offs with Sonic in the lead role in the following years. Like Nintendo with Super Mario, Sega was now also experimenting with Sonic in various genres. In early 1994, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released for the Sega Mega Drive. The game was intended to surpass its acclaimed predecessor in all aspects. However, the third installment had such large and graphically impressive levels that Sega had to split the game in two and released Sonic & Knuckles as a so-called lock-on cartridge in late 1994. If the Sonic 3 game cartridge is inserted, the player can experience both games as one. Like its two predecessors, the third installment was also a commercial success for Sega and is among the best-selling Mega Drive titles. It is worth mentioning here that Michael Jackson was supposed to compose the music for the third installment. However, he left the project around the time sexual abuse allegations against him surfaced. Jackson's involvement was the subject of fan speculation for decades until Yuji Naka confirmed it in 2022. The game's end credits song later served as the basis for Jackson's 1996 song "Stranger in Moscow." But all of this is more of a topic for its own video. Here, I only want to briefly mention this fun fact because Jacko was a big Sonic fan, and Sega naturally used this for their simply brilliant marketing. And the company did almost everything right from the start, especially with the marketing of the blue hedgehog. With its 16-bit console, Sega wanted to attract players who were looking for something more mature after the NES, something that matched their youthful perspective. The children had now become teenagers, and the Sega Mega Drive was the console to own. With Sonic, SEGA was to be established as the coolest brand, appealing not only to teenagers but also to young adults. Sega of America placed the blue hedgehog at the center of its marketing and directed advertising more towards a young adult audience. Sonic was then ubiquitous. He dominated both print and television media and burrowed deep into consumers' minds. The marketing strategy focused on direct competition with Nintendo. Sega produced provocative advertisements and presented the fast 16-bit console as the next stage of gaming evolution. Nintendo was mocked and considered a relic of past days. Sega deliberately divided fans into different camps. Supporters of the blue hedgehog made fun of Mario's overalls, his plump physique, the slower gameplay, or the colorful "kiddie graphics." Sonic was the exact opposite of Mario, and Nintendo was now for babies! The cool kids were now playing Sonic on the Mega Drive. Mario was more of an anti-hero. An ordinary guy who saves a princess. Sonic, on the other hand, was cool, lightning-fast, and saved an entire island with all its inhabitants. Sonic was not just Mario's challenger but an outsider, and people often consciously sympathize with the underdog. This was Sega's trump card, and they played it to the fullest. With Sonic, they completely changed the image of video games. The MTV culture of the 90s was loud, fast, and rebellious. Sonic catered to exactly that. Those who owned the Mega Drive saw themselves as more mature, cooler, and more modern. Sonic gave teenagers the feeling of outgrowing childhood. Sega's aggressive advertising matched the zeitgeist and hit the mark. In 1991, the advertising budget was $10 million; in 1992, Sega allocated $65 million for its marketing; and in 1993, the sum grew to $95 million. The advertising strategy was a complete success, and Sonic became a phenomenon. SEGA established itself as a cool and hip brand among teenagers and adults. The former pursuer had become Nintendo's biggest competitor. In 1993, Sega even sponsored the European Grand Prix in Formula 1. The third race of the championship took place in England and was promptly renamed the Sega European Grand Prix. The company went to great lengths to prominently showcase the blue hedgehog and its own logo in Formula 1. They even had stickers of Sonic's feet placed on one side of the Williams cars to make it look like he was driving the race car. Shortly before the presentation of the actual winner's trophy, Ayrton Senna was, of course, presented with a Sonic trophy. Sega's sophisticated marketing concept included not only an advertising offensive in TV and print media. At the release of Sonic the Hedgehog, the company had also published a 16-page promotional comic that dealt with the backstory of Sonic and Dr. Robotnik. In late 1992, the Sonic the Hedgehog comic was released, created in collaboration with Sega of America. The comic was well-received and continued monthly until December 2016. There were also separate comics in Great Britain and France. Over the years, several other comic series were released, each developing a different story around Sonic and sometimes released concurrently with specific games. Several novels or children's books and coloring books were even published. In 1992, Sega approached the American Broadcasting Company to produce two television series based on Sonic. Tom Kalinske, then CEO of Sega of America, had witnessed during his time at Mattel how crucial the launch of the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was for the success of the toy line. He wanted to repeat this success with Sonic and the Mega Drive. In 1993, two TV series starring the hedgehog, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog, were launched. In the following years, more series in the Sonic universe were produced. Since 1992, there has also been various merchandise featuring the blue hedgehog. Sega also entered into a strategic partnership with McDonald's. For the marketing of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic and other characters from the games were part of the Happy Meal. This promotion was carried out in several countries in 1994 and 1995. In the past three decades, there have been further collaborations with McDonald's. Sonic was Sega's superstar and essentially THE reason to buy the Mega Drive. Thanks to Sega's brilliant marketing strategy, the hedgehog became a legend, and the Mega Drive a huge success. The console war between Nintendo and Sega was in full swing, and the successor to the Sega Mega Drive was already in the pipeline. On the Sega Saturn, released in 1994 and 1995 respectively, the hedgehog was once again to play a crucial role and achieve the complete leap into the third dimension. Sonic X-treme was supposed to be the next big hit. But Sega unexpectedly struggled here. The game started as a 2D jump & run for the Mega Drive, then switched to the ill-fated 32X hardware expansion, where it became an isometric platformer. Sonic X-treme was eventually transformed into a full 3D jump & run and was to be released exclusively for the Sega Saturn. The title was very important for Sega's 32-bit console, but the development team at the American Sega Technical Institute apparently couldn't get a handle on the Saturn's complex hardware and made little progress in development. In mid-1996, Sega canceled the project and released the isometric pseudo-3D platformer Sonic 3D Blast in late 1996, which was merely a port of the Mega Drive game. In 1997, the Japanese released Sonic Jam for the Sega Saturn, which contained the Sonic games for the Sega Mega Drive and included Sonic World, a simple 3D platformer as a bonus. Later that year, the racing game Sonic R was released on the Sega Saturn. However, no more games with the blue hedgehog made it to Sega's 32-bit console. Nintendo's plumber, by the way, celebrated an impressive 3D debut on the Nintendo 64 in 1996. The game was almost perfect and immediately set the standards in the 3D platformer genre. But Nintendo was no longer the only competitor. Sony, with its PlayStation and many new IPs, also put Sega under pressure. In arcades, Sega released the fighting game Sonic the Fighters in 1996, which, however, did not make it to the Saturn and was never actually released on a Sega console. The first true 3D Sonic title was Sonic Adventure. The game was released in late 1998 for the Sega Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure was generally well-received and particularly impressed with its incredibly good graphics. Commercially, the game was also a success. Sonic Adventure sold 2.5 million copies, making it the best-selling game on the console. In June 2001, Sega released Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast. Console production had already ceased by then, and despite good reviews, the game only sold just under a hundred thousand copies. Sega then changed its corporate strategy and no longer developed its own hardware, but only developed games for various platforms. After successful re-releases and spin-offs for various consoles and mobile phones, unfortunately, rather mediocre new developments like Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Riders, or a technically disastrous GBA port, tarnished the company's realignment. Sega's mascot began to show its first scratches. All hope was therefore placed on the next game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which was intended to restart the series and restore it to its former glory. However, Sonic the Hedgehog was rushed to market in November 2006, unfinished. Many bugs and glitches ruined the gameplay, and in addition to the catastrophic gameplay, the cheesy romance between Sonic and the human princess received extremely negative feedback. Almost the entire backstory was among the absolute worst Sonic moments of the entire franchise! Instead of a glorious new beginning, Sonic reached a low point. The blue hedgehog still had a lot of appeal, but in his recent games, he stumbled once more. Compared to Sonic 2006, Sonic & the Secret Rings, released in 2007 and at best average, almost seemed like a ray of hope. Sega subsequently released various Sonic games on different consoles or experimented in other genres. In the Nintendo-exclusive Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, the former arch-rivals competed in sporting events around the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. The sports game was very popular and continued on various Nintendo consoles until 2020. However, the International Olympic Committee let the license agreement with Sega and Nintendo expire in 2020, which unfortunately ended the popular series. With Sonic Unleashed, the next main title in the series was released at the end of 2008, which, after Sonic 2006, at least achieved more stable quality standards again. With Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, another crossover outside the Sonic series was released in 2010. The fun racer was really enjoyable but fell short compared to Mario Kart Wii. Sega produced several sequels, the latest of which was released in 2025 and is, in my opinion, one of the best fun racers currently available. In October 2010, Sonic 4 Episode 1 was released, the successor to the 1994 Mega Drive game Sonic & Knuckles. The game was planned to be released in three episodes, but due to low sales, Sega discontinued development after Episode 2. In November 2010, Sega released Sonic Colours, a jump 'n' run that repeatedly switched between 2D and 3D segments and was very well received by the specialist press. For the 20th anniversary of the blue hedgehog, Sonic Generations was released in 2011. Like Sonic Colours, the game featured both 2D and 3D segments and was predominantly positively reviewed by the specialist press. In 2013, Sega released Sonic Lost World on the Wii U and 3DS. The game received rather average reviews and sold poorly. In November 2014, a new TV series called Sonic Boom started, and in parallel, two Sonic games were released for Wii U and 3DS. While the 3DS version was a rather poor 2D jump & run, the Wii U version of Sonic Boom in particular made negative headlines. The game was unfinished and in some places even unplayable. Sonic Boom received historically low ratings from the specialist press and even managed to surpass the catastrophic Sonic 2006. Furthermore, Sonic Boom was not only a commercial failure but also the worst-selling title in the entire Sonic series. The image of the series was severely damaged, and many looked with concern at Sonic's video game future. The Sonic Boom Fire and Ice released in 2016 managed to achieve slightly more solid ratings, but fans had to seriously worry about the future of Sega's once so strong mascot. In 2017, the 2D jump & run Sonic Mania was released for all current systems and was very positively reviewed. A few months later, the next main title in the series from the Sonic Team followed with Sonic Forces. The 3D jump & run received rather poor reviews and garnered little attention. In 2021, Sega released Sonic Colours: Ultimate, a remaster of Sonic Colours. In 2022, the Japanese released Sonic Origins, a remaster collection of the 16-bit games. Sonic Frontiers, the new main game in the series, was also released in 2022 and received predominantly positive reviews. While the game was sometimes a bit bland graphically and not as colorful as the old installments, it was fun and introduced new gameplay approaches. Despite the drab graphics and sometimes somewhat uninspired design of the explorable zones, Sonic Frontiers was seen as a pioneering precursor for the future of the Sonic series. Frontiers was therefore not a complete gameplay failure and, especially for fans of the blue hedgehog, a step in the right direction that the series desperately needed after so many setbacks. As part of an April Fool's joke, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog was released on Steam on March 31, 2023. The free game is a visual novel with characters from the Sonic universe and was very well received. In October 2023, Sonic Superstars was released, a 2D jump 'n' run with modern graphics and presentation. In addition to classic gameplay, the game exclusively features new levels and even has a co-op mode for up to four players. The rabbit that won the internal competition at Sega back then was even available as a skin in the game. Towards the end of the year, the 3D jump & run Sonic Dream Team was released exclusively for Apple Arcade, which was predominantly well-received and graphically oriented towards the classic colorful Sonic games again. In October 2024, Sega released Sonic X Shadow Generations. The game is a remaster of the original Sonic Generations from
Year 2011 and additionally contained a new campaign in which Shadow the Hedgehog plays the main role. The title is the last entry in the Sonic main series to date. Besides comics, books, and TV series, the hedgehog even made it to the cinema. In 1996, a two-part Sonic miniseries aired only in Japan, which was only released in the USA on September 7, 1999, as Sonic The Hedgehog The Movie. The DVD movie was released in North America practically parallel to the release of Sonic Adventure for the Sega Dreamcast. So far, three Sonic live-action adaptations have been released in cinemas. The first film, however, had to be postponed by several months due to massive criticism of Sonic's appearance. Subsequently, numerous fan edits went viral on social media. Despite justified concerns that Sonic's first appearance on the big screen could be just another embarrassing video game adaptation, the film offered solid entertainment and was one of the most successful films of the year in 2020. In 2022, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was released and managed to attract even more viewers to cinemas. In 2024, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released, which was again more successful than part 2. In all three films, Jim Carrey slipped into the role of Dr. Robotnik and visibly enjoyed embodying Sonic's adversary. Although Carrey announced his retirement in 2022, he played the mad scientist again in the third installment. He also takes on the role of the villain again in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which has been announced for 2027.
The Sonic franchise is not only known for its games or films, but also for its eccentric and enthusiastic fandom. As just mentioned, the negative feedback from fans was responsible for the postponement of the first theatrical film. So far, many unofficial media featuring Sonic have also been produced, including fangames, fanfiction, modifications, ROM hacks of existing games, or fan films and fan art. Among the best-known fangames are Sonic After the Sequel and Sonic Dreams Collection. While Nintendo is hostile towards even the best fangames and ruthlessly sues them, Sega reacts more leniently with its intellectual property. The company has no problems with fan content in most cases, as long as it is not monetized. However, Sega not only honored some works but even extended a hand to talented hobby developers. The development team of Sonic Mania consisted of people who had previously worked on Sonic fangames and ROM hacks. The blue hedgehog even inspired scientists in the early 90s to officially name a gene the Sonic-Hedgehog gene. A mutation in this genetic material causes fly larvae to have spiky teeth reminiscent of Sonic. Through its passionate fandom, Sonic the Hedgehog has also become a significant part of internet culture. Due to many mediocre games and absolute disasters like Sonic 2006, the fandom slowly tipped into the ironic in the mid-2000s. The game's influence led fans to coin the term "The Sonic Cycle" in 2008, which describes the pattern of hope and disappointment with every new Sonic game. The formulation of the "Sonic Cycle" consists of three stages: Stage 1 is the announcement, Stage 2 includes initial gameplay scenes with familiar characters, and Stage 3 is the poor reception upon the game's release. The cycle then repeats with the next major Sonic announcement.
Sonic has also inspired many memes, one extremely popular one being Sanic. The satirical depiction of the blue hedgehog was drawn by the musician 0nyxheart with Microsoft Paint. His video titled "How 2 Draw Sanic Hegehog" was uploaded to YouTube in March 2010 and received millions of clicks. Sega eventually jumped on the meme bandwagon and took the pop culture influence with humor. The official Sonic Twitter account has even reposted Sanic tweets multiple times. In 2017, Sonic Forces honored the meme with a free in-game shirt. The sketch of Sanic also briefly appears in the cinematic film Sonic the Hedgehog, which in my opinion is a very funny Easter egg and pays homage to the meme culture surrounding the blue hedgehog. In 2026, Sega revisited the well-known meme and even released three T-shirts of the so-called Sanic Collection in its own Sega Shop. However, the shirts were exclusively sold on April 1st. Sanic also inspired similar memes and parodies and is a perfect testament to the twisted love and appreciation many feel for Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most famous video game characters and an icon of pop culture. In 1993, Sonic was the first video game character to have a balloon in the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. The blue hedgehog is Sega's flagship and not only one of the best-selling video game franchises but also one of the highest-grossing media franchises. Hardly any character is as symbolic of a company that had its heyday in the early 90s. However, from the mid-2000s onwards, there were only a few good games, quite a lot of average products, and unfortunately also a few really bad titles that severely damaged Sonic's image. The fandom now celebrates Sonic's mediocrity and thus also ensures that the hedgehog remains in conversation. Even the development into a popular meme has ultimately not harmed Sonic, but rather benefited the franchise and Sega. As Sega's mascot, Sonic is still omnipresent and extraordinarily popular. He regularly appears in Sega's own games as well as in many other games, in TV series, and also in cinema films. In the Walt Disney films Wreck-It Ralph and Ralph Breaks the Internet, Sonic and Dr. Robotnik appear as supporting characters. In the end, it can be stated that the hedgehog has a better reputation than most of his games. Hardcore Sonic fans will always defend him fiercely and see something positive even in the worst games. But Nintendo's Super Mario series has regularly set new standards over the past forty years and has practically surpassed itself with each new installment. This is exactly what Sega's ambition for Sonic's future should be. Mediocrity is not good for the blue hedgehog and also for Sega in the long run. [music]