As the character turns 30 years old in 2021, SEGA and Sonic Team have been revving up a monumental year of content for Sonic the Hedgehog, with a big reveal event planned to roll out the celebrations this past week. Dubbed ‘Sonic Central,’ the showcase surely didn’t disappoint with quite a few notable announcements let loose during the 12-minute proceedings, including a confirmed remaster of Sonic Colors as well as an all-new 2022 game. A full recap of the event can be viewed below.

Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Symphony

Don’t miss a very special long-form performance of the Sonic Symphony Orchestra as part of #SummerGameFest, streaming on June 23rd.

The Orchestra will perform selections from 30 years of Sonic titles as a special Sonic 30th Anniversary celebration for fans around the world. pic.twitter.com/Ozrw9llekX

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) May 27, 2021

Kicking off the showcase was the reveal of a virtual concert centered around Sonic’s new milestone. Celebrating the sounds of the blue blur, the Sonic Symphony Orchestra is set to perform numerous iconic tracks from the series’ past three decades, with additional appearances from franchise mainstays like Crush 40, DJ Tomoya Ohtani, and more teased for the musical event. The concert is scheduled to happen on June 23rd, with more details planned to be unveiled at the Summer Game Fest presentation in June.

Video Game Cameos

Sonic is headed to the Olympic Games!

Dress your Avatar as the Blue Blur as you go for gold in the World’s Greatest Sporting Event when Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game launches on June 22, 2021!

Pre-order now: https://t.co/iXn9SJRbvb pic.twitter.com/pfS7cGVFGu

— SEGA (@SEGA) May 27, 2021

Throughout the rest of 2021, a number of games will also be graced by the presence of Sonic in the form of assorted crossover DLC. Continuing the grand sports tradition, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: The Official Video Game is launching stateside with an official Sonic avatar included in the game, allowing players to compete in 18 events using a mascot-style version of the hedgehog. Events include baseball, ping pong, as well as (of course) track and field events where the SEGA speedster will undoubtedly have the edge. Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is set to drop on June 22nd for PC, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

GOTTA GO FAST@sonic_hedgehog is coming to the world of Two Point Hospital on July 30th! pic.twitter.com/ZKUbC8h30S

— Two Point Hospital (@2PointHospital) May 27, 2021

The super-fast marsupial and his fellow animal pals look to also be getting medical degrees with the announcement of an official Two Point Hospital collaboration. As shown in the short footage, the likes of Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic himself are to be included as uniforms in the hospital simulation title along with a lineup of items familiar to the franchise such as rings, chili dogs (and chili dog stands), as well as SEGA-branded arcade machines, of course. The DLC arrives in Two Point Hospital on July 30th for Mac, Linux, PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

As part of the #Sonic30th celebration, Sonic The Fighters returns as a fully playable arcade game in Lost Judgment!

Coming to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One on September 24, 2021! pic.twitter.com/jzlOu7X1Nm

— RGG Studio (@RGGStudio) May 27, 2021

On top of that, another to-be-released game is also getting an extra dose of Sonic goodness. The recently-announced Judgment sequel Lost Judgment follows in the Yakuza series’ footsteps by featuring a fully-playable SEGA classic in Sonic the Fighters. Simply heading to the appropriate arcade location in the open world police story, players will be able to play the arcade fighting game in its entirety, or until the novelty wears off. As of now, Lost Judgment is set to release this September for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Sonic Colors Ultimate

The arguable highlight of the event was the reveal of Sonic Colors Ultimate, a remaster of the fan-favorite entry from 2010. Arming the speedster with the power of the ability-altering Wisps, the remaster looks to present a nice visual upgrade from the Nintendo Wii version, also boasting the new “Rival Rush” racing mode, more refined controls as well as 4K capabilities on modern-generation consoles. Sonic Colors Ultimate is set to release for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 7th.

Those who order the special edition are set to get a number of perks, namely exclusive player icons and an electric boost and aura based on the big-screen movie version of Sonic the Hedgehog. The Digital Deluxe Edition touts even more goodies in the form of four-day early access, gold and silver premium cosmetics, additional Sonic movie player icons, and a special set of remixed music tracks available to play in the game. All pre-orders also net players a keychain based on Baby Sonic from the 2020 movie.

Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps

After the voice actor’s seeming departure from the role, Roger Craig Smith is officially back to voicing Sonic in time for a new animated project. Titled ‘Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps,’ the two-part animated short is set to serve as the first of several short-form animations coming from SEGA, all of which will feature full dialogue from the series’ voice cast. While the first episode isn’t set to premiere until later in the summer, Roger Craig Smith presented a small peek at what to expect with a short preview for the new animation, seen above.

Sonic Origins

New games weren’t the only focus of the showcase, as retro fans are also set to get their due with a new compilation called Sonic Origins. Collecting the first Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD, these classic original titles are set to be introduced on “the latest platforms” in 2022 with an undisclosed array of “added content and features.” Little else was revealed during the announcement, but more information was assured to be “coming soon.”

Mobile Game Updates

Let’s gooo! Three super exciting limited-time events are coming to Sonic Forces Mobile this year!

Which one are you most excited for? pic.twitter.com/EqSmgduodd

— SEGA HARDlight (@SEGAHARDlight) May 27, 2021

As the glory of the blue blur also carries over to the mobile market, mobile titles Sonic Dash, Sonic Forces, and Sonic Racing are also getting special updates in the coming months. Sonic Dash gains a pirate-themed event in late May, the mobile version of Sonic Forces is getting a playable Super Sonic form as well as private races in a future update. In a particularly spooky addition, the Werehog from Sonic Unleashed will come to both Sonic Forces and Sonic Dash in time for Halloween this October.

Apple Arcade’s Sonic Racing will also be getting a retro-fueled overhaul, introducing classic racers, vehicles, and maps based on iconic areas from the series, in addition to several updated music tracks. On top of mobile, Sonic Forces, Team Sonic Racing, and Sonic Mania are also confirmed to land on PlayStation Now on June 1st, enabling each to be playable from the cloud. TSR and Mania were also confirmed to be now available on the Amazon Luna game-streaming service.

Sonic Prime

While it’s been a while since Netflix has revealed anything about its upcoming new series Sonic Prime, the Central event may not have been the big reveal fans were looking for. Despite not too much new information, animation collective Man of Action Entertainment confirmed the series for a 24-episode run, teased the hedgehog’s journey through “the strange and mysterious Shatterverse,” and was teased to feature elements never before seen in the franchise. Sonic Prime is currently on track to premiere on Netflix in 2022.

Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Merchandise

New Sonic merch #SonicCentral pic.twitter.com/uuETgwLVRK

— Nibel (@Nibellion) May 27, 2021

With the showcase coming to a close, SEGA announced the launch of several new pieces of 30th-anniversary merchandise depicting Sonic through a number of lovely lenses. Jakks Pacific’s new Giant Eggman Robot playset recreates the big boss battle from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, King Ice’s new line of blinged-out jewelry pendants offer some stylish hip-hop vibes, Dark Horse’s art-filled “Encyclo-speed-ia” compiles the past 30 years of the franchise, and Apmex is offering an exclusive collection of silver and gold coins as part of the character’s commemoration.

“One Last Thing”

While Ivo Gerscovich and Takashi Iizuka took the last moments of the event to wind down proceedings and assure more information at a later date, they decided to leave fans with “one last thing” before ending everything. Revealing a short, 30-second teaser, SEGA announced an unnamed Sonic game coming in 2022, with the hedgehog shown running and leaving a digitized speed trail. The video ends before further details can be gleaned, but the adventure is confirmed to release on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

What do you think? Were you enthralled by everything revealed at the big SEGA presentation, or are you only looking forward to the Sonic Colors remaster at this time? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more re-release headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

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