Sonic to celebrate 30th anniversary with ‘new games and major announcements’ in 2021

Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary will be marked with the release of new games and some major announcements in 2021.

That’s according to a Sega advert in Licensing Source Book Europe’s summer 2020 edition, originally published in July, which says the publisher is planning “a year of celebrations” for its mascot including “new games, digital content, major announcements and a tailored licensing programme”.

It also highlights various brand statistics, including over $6 billion in lifetime franchise revenue and over 92 million Sonic game sales.

• Further reading: Sonic Origins release date / Sonic Origins level select codes | 2022 games

Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka announced at SXSW Gaming 2019 that production on the next major Sonic the Hedgehog title was underway.

Paramount Pictures recently confirmed plans to release Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in cinemas on April 8, 2022.

The first Sonic The Hedgehog film enjoyed a record opening for a video game movie following its February 2020 release.

The live action film sees Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and his best friend Tom (James Marsden) team up to save the planet from evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

It went on to gross $146 million in the US and $306 million worldwide, making it the third-highest grossing film of 2020 to date, according to Box Office Mojo.

Nintendo is currently celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. franchise with a series of product releases, including this month’s Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Switch.

Further reading

Sega explains its hands-off role in upcoming Sonic movie

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