Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
Please note that this site is no longer being updated or maintained; as a result, there may be design issues, and links to images and other media may be broken. Links to posts may redirect you to the same article on the current Sonic Stadium website.
Founder of The Sonic Stadium and creator/co-organiser of the Summer of Sonic convention. Loves talking about Sonic the Hedgehog in his spare time. Likes Sonic Colours a little too much for his own good, apparently.
IDW Sonic comic author and Sonic Frontiers story writer Ian Flynn has teased his involvement around the recently-announced Sonic Superstars. But, he’s not working on the game itself.
Writing on his personal social media channel, Flynn hinted that an associated project related to Sonic Superstars is in the works.
“For those asking: no I’m not involved with the game [Sonic Superstars],” the writer explained. “Nope. Not the game.” He added his trademark “Knowing Smile” phrase that suggests that something is going down.
What do you think it could be? Flynn has been involved in some game tie-in comics and other media in the past, most recently for Sonic Frontiers’ prologue comics. Maybe we will see a similar one-shot arrive ahead of Superstars’ launch?
Time will tell – but for now let’s have fun speculating!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
SEGA’s been doing a good job at making sure fans are all signed up to its free email newsletters. First the incentive was free Sonic Frontiers DLC, then it was advance tickets for Sonic Symphony (which ended up arriving too late for many to actually take advantage of, but it’s the thought that counts). Now, Sonic Newsletter subscribers will get themselves a free exclusive DLC for Sonic Superstars, in the form of a ‘Modern’ Amy Rose costume.
As you probably expected, Amy Rose’s default look in Sonic Superstars is of the Classic variety. But, if you head over to the Sonic Superstars official website, and sign up for their email newsletter before January 31st 2024, you’ll get a code for a “classic, redefined look”. Which is to say, you can “don modern Amy’s outfit on classic Amy”. The wording is a bit confusing, but I think you got the gist of it.
What do you think about the Classic and the Modern merging in such an unholy manner? Should someone please think about the children? Let us know in the comments section below!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
It’s fair to say we’re super-excited about tonight’s reveal of Sonic Superstars – it’s already looking like a promising like a true return to form for the colourful and attitude-heavy series! SEGA has just released some official screenshots of the game in action, and we thought you’d might like to take a look for yourself.
As you can see, Sonic and the game world just look absolutely gorgeous, with eye-popping colours and vibrant environments throughout. Hopefully we’ll see some original takes on some classic gameplay tropes.
One of the big features about this particular game is the inclusion of up to four-player local co-op, which means that for the first time Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy can all go around kicking Dr. Eggman’s mechanical Badniks in unison! We’re hoping that this will open the door for some creative co-op play and routes only accessible by using certain characters’ moves.
It seems like, for all its Classic Sonic approach to gameplay, Sonic Superstars does pick up a few things from the more Modern Sonic titles. Such as this set-piece which sees Sonic being chased by a massive…. robot fish thing.
Amy Rose is playable for only the second time in the Sonic series (after her gameplay debut in the upcoming Sonic Origins Plus, of course). Here she is running around with her Piko Piko Hammer – possibly deadly for any robots standing in her way.
As reports have revealed, there are special abilities that can be unlocked using retrieved Chaos Emeralds in the game. This could be one of those powers in action.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
SEGA has surprise-announced a brand new 2D Sonic game at Summer Game Fest 2023, called Sonic Superstars!
Featuring 3D models and environments and focusing entirely on Classic Sonic gameplay, Sonic Superstars will see Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose go on a new adventure as they tackle Dr. Eggman in a scenario reminiscent of the 16-bit days… only this time, Eggman has help in the form of returning classic bad guy, Fang the Sniper!
According to IGN, the game will take place in a new location called the North Star Islands, which look like it’s going to be home to a whole lot of new gimmicks such as vines that shoot Sonic upwards, trees that the blue blur can grind along and chutes that work in a similar way to those found in Stardust Speedway.
Apparently the Chaos Emeralds are also back, and can be seen to unlock specific powers for Sonic and friends. We can see in one instance where the player makes clones of themselves, and another where the player travels up a waterfall using another Chaos Emerald power.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 8, 2023
Sonic Superstars will be coming to PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC later in Fall 2023.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
SEGA HARDlight has announced the next wave of new characters for Sonic Forces Mobile, and for Silver and Sonic Prime fans there is a lot to be happy about. Super Silver will be joining the race for the first time, as well as Shatterverse protagonists Knuckles the Dread and Thorn Rose. And for Super Silver, we’re treated to an incredible CG render that harks back to some classic Sonic Channel Yuji Uekawa artwork. Check out the images below.
The images come from Sonic Forces Mobile superfan SonicWindBlue, with the details and dates pulled from SEGA HARDlight’s Discord server – Knuckles the Dread will be the first character available to unlock during this season, with his event running from 15 June – 22nd June. Then, Super Silver will be bogarting Sonic’s birthday by having his event run from 22nd June – 29th June. And then, Thorn Rose will be unlockable from 13th July – 20th July.
We will add all of these events to the Sonic Stadium Events Calendar soon, so you can keep track.
In addition to all this multiverse multi-character madness, the Sonic Forces Mobile app in general was updated to version 4.18 today, here’s a list of changes made to the game with this new patch (via HARDlight’s Discord channel):
Fixed an issue where Babylon Rogue characters could get stuck in their jumping animation after slamming onto grind rails
Fixed an issue where the text for ‘Special’ rarity would go onto two lines when language set to Russian
Fixed an issue where the text for ‘Challenger’ rarity would go onto two lines when language set to German or Russian
Fixed an issue with the visual effect of second dash pad (on triple dashpad boost)
Removed the incorrect free chest reward info displayed in tiers section
Fixed an issue with the party match ticket icon that sometimes appears in Lightning Deals
Fixed an issue where suspending the app when activating Super Form could prevent ring drain
The new update now comes with an awesome-looking new splash screen featuring Super Silver (via SWB):
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
It seems like the back-breaking hard work Tomoya Ohtani has put into the amazing Sonic Frontiers soundtrack hasn’t put him off from making music for a while, as he appears to be already working on some “cool new thing”! We wonder what it is…
The Sonic series sound director posted the above photo of himself in the workplace earlier today, with the phrase: “Working hard on some cool new thing. We are moving on to the next chapter.” What a tease!
Thinking about what this all could mean, we have a few thoughts. He could be hinting at some new audio work for Sonic Frontiers (we are due some significant story DLC in the second half of this year, after all). Aside from that, the musician has been involved with the Sonic Symphony live show, which is debuting a World Tour in London and LA in September.
Or, and we’re just speculating here, he could of course be talking about a new Sonic project entirely..?
No doubt we’ll find out soon enough! What do you think Ohtani-san is working on?
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
If you’re tempted to get a physical copy of Sonic Origins Plus when it releases in a couple weeks’ time, then you may want to check in with European limited editions specialist Pix’n Love Games, which has announced that it is working with SEGA and PLAION to release a ‘Collectors Edition’ of the compilation.
Posted on the company’s social media channels earlier today, Pix’n Love Games called for all “die hard Sonic fans” to simply stay tuned for more details. No details have so far been revealed as to what such a Collector’s Edition might include, but Pix’n Love is no stranger to working with SEGA on special game releases, so chances are there may be some additional things here that would be worth your time.
It appears that the tweet from Pix’n Love announcing the Sonic Origins Plus Collector’s Edition from yesterday (as reported above) has been deleted. The only reference to anything Sonic-related is a tweet from 7 June asking fans to “see you tomorrow”. We’ve reached out to Pix’n Love for an update and we’ll share if we get an answer.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Those of you who like all your gaming bits and bytes on a physical medium may be in for a little disappointment with the upcoming Sonic Origins Plus release this month. According to information on the game’s box, the additional ‘Plus’ content – playable Amy Rose, Knuckles in Sonic CD the Game Gear titles and more – will only be served to players in the form of a downloadable code.
The information came from eagle-eyed Sonic fan SnazzySonic, who saw a bunch of promotional Sonic Origins Plus boxes on his local GameStop store shelf. “I almost had a heart attack when I thought my GameStop was selling Sonic Origins Plus early,” Snazzy said. But for other fans, the heart attack would be had after looking at the back of the box.
As you can see on the blurb there, the physical edition of Sonic Origins Plus comes complete with all of the bonus content DLC originally released for the base game last year (which actually IS present on the disc/cartridge), as well as the new playable characters and Game Gear titles. But there is a line underneath the Plus-specific content that reads, “Downloadable via included code.”
For many, this won’t be too much of a problem, but there are plenty of people out there that are passionate about game preservation who will feel that the lack of the additional content on disc risks Amy, Knuckles in CD and the GG games being lost media in the far future. You might even wonder why there’s a physical edition in the first place if you’re not getting all of the content on the media. So you can see why this is a bit of an issue.
Still, at least the GameStop had a rad looking Sonic Origins Plus poster to show off at least. So you know, the day wasn’t a total loss, right?
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
It’s that time again! Sonic Channel is asking fans who they would like to see paired with Orbot & Cubot in an upcoming Sonic Calendar 2023 art piece. The choice is between Metal Sonic – Sonic the Hedgehog’s longtime robotic rival – or Gemerl, a key antagonist of Sonic Advance 3.
As with past fantasy polls, it pits a well-known character with one that hasn’t had much presence in the Sonic series since their initial debut. Sonic fans have trended towards voting in the lesser-known character in previous polls, to allow for some interesting artworks. So although Metal Sonic is currently leading the poll with around 52% of the vote… we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Gemerl ultimately win this one too.
Voting ends on June 5th, and you can go ahead and make your choice known to Sonic Team via the official poll right here.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Former Sonic Team leader and Balan Wonderworld director Yuji Naka has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for insider trading relating to his time at publisher Square Enix, according to a new Japanese report this morning.
The co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog concluded his third trial on the matter today, according to Denfaminicogamer.jp, with the courts and prosecution demanding that Naka serve the jail time, alongside two additional fines of ¥2.5 million and ¥170 million.
In response, Naka’s defence team is seeking to reduce the fines levied against him, as well as a suspension of the sentence (whether this means a delayed start to the sentence or a full-blown cancellation remains to be seen).
Naka was previously employed by Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix from 2018 to 2021, working with Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima and his team at Arzest to produce Balan Wonderworld. Before that game’s launch, he was removed from the project, and since then the creative has been embroiled in a series of court cases and arrests relating to his time at the company.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
The latest Sonic Channel wallpaper has been revealed by Sonic Team designer Tomoko Hayane – and you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the blue blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog, is the focus this month.
Celebrating his birthday on the 23rd June, SEGA’s heroic mascot features in this new batch of wallpapers and artwork. From Tomoko Hayane’s notes on the official Sonic Channel website:
Sonic this time looks like he’s recovering from a sudden attack, but on the contrary, he looks like he’s challenging himself. And the fearless smile is cool! Is that your nemesis, Dr. Eggman?
……Well, that’s what I imagine .
From the first appearance of “Sonic the Hedgehog” to the latest work, Sonic has saved the world over and over again with an expression like this illustration, even in situations where many people would despair.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Thirty years ago today, the very first issue of Egmont Fleetway’s Sonic The Comic hit store shelves in the UK. And with it began a revolution in video game universe storytelling that gripped an entire generation.
‘STC’ initially started out as a more general SEGA-themed comic book that happened to feature Sonic the Hedgehog as the headliner. Early issues always had a one-shot Sonic story at the front, but also ran strips for other Mega Drive titles such as Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and even Decap Attack.
The first few Sonic adventures were pretty simple affairs, without much substance beyond the blue blur taking on Dr Robotnik’s “mean trap of the day”. But Sonic the Comic really came into its own some ten books in, when writer Nigel Kitching decided to break away from one-shot stories and introduced a universe-setting event that would allow for much more interesting plots and multi-issue arcs.
As the comic evolved, so too did the complexity of the characterisations of SEGA’s mascot and his friends. Sonic, as a hot-headed leader of a pressed team of freedom fighters, often plays against incredible odds in order to take back Emerald Hill and the rest of Mobius from Robotnik’s rule, while Knuckles’ ancestry and duty to Angel Island is explored through multiple side stories and adventures with the Chaotix crew.
And while the Fleetway team was careful to stay incredibly close to the video game source material (unlike the US Sonic comic of the time by Archie Comics, which leaned more towards the DiC cartoon universe), in doing so they were able to create original, vicious enemies that really felt like they could have belonged in a Mega Drive game. Robotnik’s near-invincible robot general Brutus gave Sonic – and Robotnik – a serious challenge, while the Brotherhood of Metallix took the Metal Sonic concept and evolved it into something more of a creepy and incredibly dangerous robo-cult bent on transforming the universe.
Over the years, characters such as Tails, Knuckles and Amy got their own strips (pushing out the other SEGA IP until Sonic the Comic was filled with nothing but blue blur adventures) with equally-interesting arcs (Tails having a secret life in an alternate dimension as a Troll-defeating knight of honour?), and many of these crossed over to great effect.
Knuckles would co-star in Tails adventures, while Knuckles’ strips often canonically ran alongside – or preceded – the events that were taking place in the headline Sonic story. Even minor Fleetway-original characters like Tekno the Canary and Shortfuse the Cybernik had their fans, and starred in strips of their own.
Throughout all the years of incredible game adaptations, original story arcs and crossover events, Sonic the Comic sadly came to the end of its original run at the end of 2001, the publication squeaking along for a few years more as mere reprints of what happened before. In a world where many video game IPs now have some form of expanded universe multimedia, the UK’s Sonic the Comic arguably blazed a trail and set the standard for what could be done. And in our view, it still hasn’t been topped.
Happy 30th Anniversary, Sonic the Comic! Share your favourite stories and memories in the comments below!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Hold on to your hats, because it’s Sonic Movie Rumour Time once again! The latest gossip to float around the internet this week is that Parks and Recreation and White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza is being heavily considered for a villain role in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
The news comes from Giant Freakin Robot, which claims that – according to “trusted and proven sources” – filmmakers behind the Paramount Pictures sequel have Plaza as their “top choice to play a villain in Sonic 3.”
Of course, no other details were offered on what particular role the actor would be taking on or even if she has been approached to sign on to the movie. So take all of this with the largest pinch of salt that you can find. A handful, if you like. Chuck it over your shoulder, just like that.
Despite the lack of information, there is room for speculation here. If this rumour ends up being true, odds are that Rouge the Bat would be a possibility, given the suggestion that Sonic 3’s storyline (of which we also know nothing about right now) would follow that of the Sonic Adventure 2 video game in some way.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
SEGA executives have expressed an interest in adapting other company IPs and brands into big-screen movies, following the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog Paramount films.
VGC reports that, during an investor Q&A that has just been translated into English, SEGA Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa were asked about the possibility of making non-Sonic movies to “improve their brand power”.
In response, the company said, “We would like to take on challenges outside of the Sonic IP should the opportunity arise.
“If we can match the timing of game launches to the release of movies, it would be extremely effective from a marketing perspective and there are also significant benefits, such as increasing awareness of our IP and increasing the number of touch points for customers, as we achieved with the Sonic movie.”
It’s no wonder that SEGA is keen to explore this. Sonic the Hedgehog was produced by Paramount Pictures, released in 2020 and grossed around $320 million at the box office – while its sequel premiered last year and generated over $400 million. As a result, a third movie is planned for release in December 2024 and a Knuckles TV show is in production for streaming service Paramount Plus.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Well that was quick! IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog Issue #60 has barely been on store shelves for a day or so, and already preview pages are appearing for Issue #61.
The above page was spotted by a keen-eyed social media account, as most likely an advance leak from the usual original comic preview sources such as Previews World (which currently doesn’t have pages for this issue lined up yet).
As a reminder, Sonic #61 is set to be the finale of the current arc, so it’s probably fair that IDW wants to get preview pages out sooner rather than later so they can wrap things up for the next storyline.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
We love good music here at Stadium Towers. It’s not all just Crush 40 and Tomoya Ohtani either – sometimes we listen to good old ‘normie’ bands as well. Like Tenacious D, a rock comedy duo featuring frequently topless middle-aged men that sing acoustic melodies about karate and dodgy sex acts and… hm.
Anyway, the double-act of Jack Black and Kyle Gass have recently released a new song, all about video games! And not only is it a banger, it also features Sonic the Hedgehog references!
Watch it below:
The Sonic cameo appears at the 0:20 mark, and involves Black and Gass assuming the roles of Sonic and Tails respectively. The pair also insert themselves into a number of other video game series, while they sing about not really being interested in the hobby (although they secretly kind of are).
It’s a great short song, with some brilliant animation, and we wanted to post it here and help brighten up your day ahead of the weekend ahead. Happy Friday!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
In addition to the 13″ plush toy and 5″ action figures already announced, Jakks Pacific has revealed that it will be also using its merchandise licensing deal with SEGA to release waves of smaller 2.5″ figures, as well as a replica of Knuckles the Dread’s Angel’s Voyage pirate ship as seen in the Sonic Prime TV series.
First, the small 2.5″ figures. Unlike their 5″ bigger brothers, these are sold in packs rather than individually. In the Wave 1 set you get little cute versions of Sonic, Rusty Rose, Tails Nine and the Prism Shard with a base to display it with. This multipack is ‘New Yoke City’ themed, which suggests that future Waves will focus on other Shatterverse worlds. The set goes on sale in July for $19.99.
Now this is really cool! Jakks is also releasing a toy vehicle replica of the Angel’s Voyage pirate ship, seen on Netflix’s Sonic Prime show. And it looks massive – there’s storage space for other 2.5″ figures (so you can hide away your Wave 1 multipack toys in there), three launching cannons, rolling wheels and even a trap door! The set comes with a Knuckles the Dread 2.5″ figure, so even if you don’t have Sonic in you can at least sail the seven seas with Knuckles. This also goes on sale in July for $39.99.
What do you think? And who do you want to see in future multipacks? Let us know in the comments below!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
SEGA and Jakks Pacific have announced a new licensing deal that will see the launch of a series of Sonic Prime toys to coincide with the continuation of the Netflix animation series. Among these is a new 13″ Sonic the Hedgehog plush toy and the first wave of Prime-themed 5″ articulated figures.
The Sonic the Hedgehog 13″ plush toy is posable, and “made from super soft fabrics and stuffing” (as per the press release we received for these products). Looks like you could give him a huge cuddle for days, to be fair. It will be on sale for $19.99.
QAQAQAQAQAQA
Meanwhile, the first set of 5″ action figures will offer over 12 points of articulation, so you can really go for it and recreate some creative scenes from the TV show (or from your own imagination). Wave 1 of the figures includes Sonic, Tails Nine, Thorn Rose and Mr. Dr. Eggman, and will be available individually for $14.99 each.
All of these products will be available in physical stores and online retailers in “North America, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa” (so practically everywhere, then) in July. Just in time to start playing along with the new episodes when they air on Netflix.
Which ones are you getting?
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Netflix has announced a release date for the continuation of its ‘Sonic Prime’ animated series. The ongoing series run – which is being dubbed ‘Season 2’ by fans – will premiere on the streaming service on July 13, 2023.
A new image has been released by the company, along with a synopsis reminding everyone of the overall plot of the show. You can see both below.
Synopsis: The action-packed adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog go into overdrive when a run-in with Dr. Eggman results in a literal universe-shattering event. Desperate to piece his prime reality back together and save his old friends, Sonic races through the Shatterverse, discovering strange worlds and enlisting new friends in an epic adventure of a lifetime!
The first batch of Sonic Prime episodes launched on Netflix back in December 2022, and only contained eight episodes. We hope this next set of episodes is larger and fully fleshes out Sonic’s journey across the Shatterverse worlds. For instance, how does Shadow play into the proceedings and how do the pair work together to help fix the broken dimensions?
We’ll have a good couple months to wait and figure it all out. Who’s excited!?
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
SEGA may be showing something new next month, as the publisher has been announced as a participating partner for the upcoming Summer Game Fest showcase on June 8th.
The live event, which has grown in recent years and has seemingly replaced the cancelled E3 2023 convention originally planned for this year, will feature over 40 game companies “that plan to update fans” on current and new projects.
Last year, SEGA was in full attendance of Summer Game Fest where it used the event to reveal more about Sonic Frontiers. The company also offered demos of the game to press at SGF’s associated ‘Play Days’ hands-on event.
It’s not clear what kind of “updates” SEGA will bring this year – the showcase will run close to the release of Sonic Origins Plus, so there may be some last-minute reveals relating to that (although it is unlikely as we probably know everything there is to know about that DLC pack now). Sonic Frontiers is also due some additional expansion content, so we could get an update on that (Sonic’s Birthday DLC will be coming soon).
Of course, there’s every chance that SEGA may just be revealing non-Sonic projects and updates too – or, if we were to cross our fingers really tightly, maybe a new Sonic project announcement of some kind?
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Fancy getting some funky new footwear to show off this summer? Well, fashionable shoemaker Crocs will have you covered. In a brand new collaboration with SEGA, you will soon be able to buy a set of Sonic-themed clogs, as well as a variety of character charms to decorate them with.
The clog design itself is classic Crocs all over – with the colour of the shoes matching Sonic the Hedgehog’s iconic red sneakers. The kicks also feature a white trim to suit Sonic’s red-and-white footwear, too. It looks like the Crocs come complete with a set of charms in the box – you can see chili dogs, rings and Chaos Emeralds adorning the shoes in the image above there.
Crocs’ Sonic clogs come in three different sizes – Toddlers ($44.99), Kids ($49.99) and Adult ($59.99) – so everyone in the family can wear matching shoes while on the beach.
And if you wanted to give the shoes even more flair, you can purchase additional charms – known as ‘Jibbitz’ for some reason – for the princely sum of $4.99 a piece (or $19.99 for a set of five). That way, you can push Sonic to one side and decorate your Crocs with your actual favourite character.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
If you’re enjoying the 16-bit remake of Game Gear classic Sonic Triple Trouble, then you’ll be happy to hear that the fan game’s developer, Noah Copeland, has announced that more content is coming soon – alongside a Mac and Android version of the game.
Copeland shared the above image on his social media account, highlighting an upcoming reveal event where details of the content update will be shared. The event will take place on May 26th at 7pm CDT on Copeland’s YouTube channel.
Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit was completed and released to the world in August 2022, and has been a fan favourite ever since launch due to its creative translation of the Game Gear original into Mega Drive/Genesis hardware. We’re super excited to see what kind of content is being planned for this new release, so we’ll make sure to update you as soon as we know what it is!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Cook and Becker, the art company behind the incredible Sonic the Hedgehog 25h Anniversary Book, is teasing a brand new project on its social media channels – and it appears to be a print run of a Classic Sonic art piece.
The above image was shared on the publisher’s Twitter account yesterday, with the text “Get ready, Sonic fans! Something fast and exciting is coming your way.”
Some keen-eyed fans have already discovered the full image – a huge Sonic the Hedgehog 2-inspired piece created by artist Dave Rapoza. Rapoza previously shared the image on his own social media back in January, and even sold his own prints of the artwork for a short while. It seems like he’s made a deal with Cook and Becker to make a bigger print run.
We’ll wait and see what Cook and Becker’s full reveal for this is, but even if it’s a print run of the above piece, we’re all for it. Would you buy this artwork and frame it for your wall? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Take this with an extremely huge vat of salt, but an image purporting to be an official banner image of a new upcoming Sonic x Minecraft crossover DLC pack has begun circulating around the internet.
The above image, according to a number of social media gossip accounts, was apparently pulled from the Marketplace API from within Minecraft itself. As you can see, it illustrates a new set of Sonic the Hedgehog-themed textures for the block-building sandbox game, allowing the ability for players to create accurate depictions of various characters and Badniks from the Sonic game universe.
While we’d be careful of fully believing this until something is officially announced, the image does look pretty authentic, and it wouldn’t be beyond the realm of possibility for additional Minecraft DLC to become a reality soon. With the original Sonic DLC released back in 2021, SEGA and Microsoft have since worked together to launch updated packs, with the most recent appearing last year.
Regardless of whether it’s true or not, do you want to see more Minecraft Sonic DLC? Let us know in the comments section below!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
The 60th issue of IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog series is right around the corner, and to entice fans further the comic publisher has revealed a special variant cover that is only available online.
The below cover has been created by artist Gigi Dutreix, and makes a big deal out of the number ’60’ (which is a bit off as it’s not exactly a milestone issue number for comics). It looks pretty cool though, so if you want to get a copy you’ll have to do it via IDW’s website (pre-order price is $10).
It’s reported that a special foil version of this very cover will also be released as a Convention Exclusive, meaning you’ll have two ways to get this new variant. The foil version sounds like it’ll probably be very good indeed.
We’ve covered this already but in case you need a reminder, here’s the synopsis for the upcoming issue.
The battle rages on! But how do you fight a city?! Sonic and friends race to stop Eggperial City from expanding, badniks from attacking, and Dr. Eggman from…doing whatever it is Dr. Eggman does.
Sonic #60 is set to be available from 17th May.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Sonic Frontiers has seemingly become the fastest-selling mainline 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game ever, as SEGA casually announced yesterday that its latest open-zone adventure has sold 3.5 million units. This puts it above the last officially-released sales data for Sonic Heroes (in 2007), which previously held the title with around 3.4 million units.
The new milestone means that Sonic Frontiers has sold an additional 300,000 units since the start of April 2023, and puts it on a course to be one of the franchise’s best-selling titles. SEGA confirmed that they will be seeking to keep the momentum of the game’s sales going by continuing its strategy to develop cross-media products, merchandising and a regular game release cadence.
Things were interesting on that front as well, with a slide and mention that plans were in place to establish cross-media collaborations between a number of SEGA and Rovio IPs. While the company stopped short of outright announcing a Sonic x Angry Birds crossover, you can see from the slide image above that the publisher is undoubtedly looking at ways to further expand fanbases of both brands in similar ways.
We’ll wait to see what happens on that front. For now, it seems like there’s enough celebrating to do with Sonic Frontiers’ newly-found title as fastest-selling 3D Sonic game! Congratulations SEGA and Sonic Team.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
What do you do when you start to run out of alt characters for your mobile game? Make alts of the alts, of course! SEGA HARDlight is getting creative with this latest tease of a new Sonic Forces: Speed Battle runner. Meet ‘Dragon Hunter Lancelot’!
The above image was shared on the mobile developer’s Discord server, with more information published on Sonic Forces Mobile’s news feed. We’re assuming the design is a Shadow-based take on the Monster Hunter crossover designs that we recently saw in Sonic Frontiers, only using Sonic and the Black Knight’s Lancelot character as a base.
As you can see, this new alt character’s stats are a little different to the regular Lancelot – you can see the skills that you can use once you unlock this character in the image above too.
If Dragon Hunter Lancelot tickles your fancy, you should be able to unlock him during a new upcoming event called ‘Dragon Slayer’, which will run from 18th May until 25th May.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
UK-based pop culture art outlet Moor-Art Gallery has launched a new set of official Sonic the Hedgehog prints, based on concept artwork developed by Sonic Team for the open-zone adventure Sonic Frontiers.
Each set contains four selected pieces, each 10″x 8″ inches in size (25.4cm x 20.3cm) and printed on Mohawk Superfine Eggshell art paper. The prints each highlight a significant scene in Sonic Frontiers, that helps tell the story of Sonic Team’s planned concept for the final game; Sonic exploring vast open worlds, battling monster-sized enemies and encountering mysterious foes.
You can’t get these prints individually, so if you like one you’re going to have to get them all. Which is fine because they all look fantastic anyway. Each set is hand-signed and numbered, with only 150 sets available for purchase, so if you want to frame some awesome-looking Sonic Team art on your wall you better be quick.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
In what has become a monthly tradition, SEGA’s Japanese Sonic Channel team has opened a poll to ask fans which character they would like to see in the next Isekai ‘Fantasy Artwork’ episode due later this month. This time around, Tails will be the star of the show, but only Wave the Swallow or Marine the Raccoon can ultimately join him.
Just like many of the previous polls, both options feature side (or minor) characters that would benefit from some new official artwork. Wave the Swallow made her debut in the spinoff racing series Sonic Riders, while Marine the Raccoon’s only appearance has been in the Nintendo DS sequel Sonic Rush Adventure.
It is probably the latter fact that explains why Marine is currently pulling ahead in the poll at time of writing, which is now taking place on a Google Form rather than directly on Twitter. There are many fans that want to see more of Marine, it seems!
As for the scenario, as per usual that is mostly a mystery but we do have some clues. According to machine translation of the Sonic Channel’s social media accounts, Tails will be presented as a “prince of the entertainment world”, and whoever wins this next poll will join him as his “princess”.
Who would you like to see win the poll? Let us know in the comments section below!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Because Japan is about to observe Golden Week, a national holiday, these Wallpapers have come in a little earlier than usual, but it maintain the same high-energy and quality that we’ve come to expect from these stylish art pieces. Here we see Rouge kicking into high gear with a ferocity that can only be described as, ‘Give Me My Jewels Back Energy’.
Check out high-resolution Desktop and Mobile wallpapers on Sonic Channel’s website, and find some details (machine translated) from Sonic Team’s designer Tomoko Hayane on this piece below.
Unusually, it’s a Rouge that feels intense and powerful! You can almost hear the sound of her beautiful legs kicking up.
Come to think of it, Rouge played a big role in kicks in her debut work, Sonic Adventure 2!
You even had a one-on-one battle in space with Knuckles over the Master Emerald. The exchange between Knuckles’ powerful punches and Rouge’s kicks was a heart-warming battle!
Rouge’s mysterious and slightly sexy appearance is also attractive, but I think this kind of wild and cool scene is also wonderful.
By the way, it seems that Rouge is fighting with something in this wall illustration, but who exactly is the opponent that Rouge kicks so seriously? Is it a very formidable enemy, or is it a peer in the same industry aiming for the same jewel… I can imagine various things ♪
… Well, the latest game you can play with Rouge is Team Sonic Racing! Although there is no kicking figure, you can see the same mysterious charm and cool figure driving a racing car. Please give it a try!
See you soon! See you in the next wall illustration~!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Sonic Channel has posted a new episode of its ongoing ‘Sonic Pict’ series today, ahead of Japan’s national ‘Golden Week’ holidays – this time focusing on Rouge the Bat, who is enjoying a little bit of alone time admiring one particularly precious gem.
Posted on the official Sonic JP Twitter account, the wonderfully-coloured and incredibly stylish scene is accompanied with flavour text that suggests that the sometimes-secret-agent has just completed some work for the government, with some kind words of appreciation from the President. We can see the scenery of Radical Highway in the background, along with a billboard featuring Big the Cat and a NiGHTS themed tower across the night sky.
Here’s the short story that accompanies the piece (machine translated):
“You did a great job, didn’t you? President Arigato”
After a certain big incident, there was a figure of Rouge enjoying the vacation in the suite while enjoying the beautifully shining “reward”.
The finest brilliance weaves the happy moments of the night…
From tomorrow #GoldenWeek! Have a nice vacation everyone!
Happy vacation, Japan!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
While a formal corporate response is still forthcoming, Curran’s words in the letter could be interpreted as positive. The exec stated that “Union matters are new to me and SOA and we are investigating and considering the options available to the company” – however, he later made clear that “No SOA employee will be treated any differently whether they support or do not support unionization.”
The letter, published by Axios journalist Stephen Totilo on social media, added: “Some of you may support unionization and some not. That is your legal right… We have a wonderful culture at SOA with a strong commitment to working together as a team. In my mind, it is the SOA employee culture that makes us such a successful company.”
Next steps, as Curran is said to understand it, is for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to conduct a secret ballot of employees – in job positions selected by the NLRB – to determine if unionization will go ahead in a special vote.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
If you ever wanted to have the chance to create something Amy Rose-y in pixel-perfect proportions, then SEGA Japan has you covered. The company released a reference sheet of the Sonic series heroine, for fans to get crafty ahead of the release of Sonic Origins Plus.
As you can see, the sprite reference features Classic Amy Rose’s new standing pose and running animation, as seen in trailers for the upcoming compilation pack. A new addition to the Sonic Origins collection, Amy Rose is an extra playable character that can be used in Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic CD and Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Photos courtesy SEGA Japan Official Twitter Channel.
SEGA’s official Japanese social media channels shared a link to the Downloads page where you can find the PDF reference sheet, along with the above photo to show what you can do with it. The company also appears to task fans with an Iron-on Beads art challenge over the coming Japanese ‘Golden Week’ national holiday.
You can visit the downloads page here, there are other characters available to get creative with too, from Sonic to Tails and Knuckles.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Mighty takes centre stage in this new art piece published by the official Sonic Channel team, created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the SEGASonic the Hedgehog arcade game.
Released in 1993 to a limited test audience in Japan, SEGASonic the Hedgehog was a unique arcade game that featured a trackball for movement of Sonic, Ray the Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo (who debuted in this adventure). Players had to dash through isometric stages, bashing through obstacles as quickly as possible in order to outrun Dr. Eggman and his deadly traps.
A commemorative illustration of “Sega Sonic the Hedgehog” celebrating its 30th anniversary since its release in 1993
This arcade game is the debut work of Mighty and Ray who appeared in “Sonic Mania Plus”
Characteristic trackball operation is tricky Mighty seems to be a master
It’s really nice to see Mighty (and Ray, to an extent) recognised again in official artwork/media, after their appearance in Sonic Mania Plus was largely seen as a one-off. What do you think of this art piece? Let us know in the comments below!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Sonic’s differing US and Japanese design throughout the 1990s is well-documented, but Yasushi Yamaguchi appears to have inadvertently added a new piece of trivia into the history books. The original designer of Miles ‘Tails’ Prower recently revealed that, of all the issues SEGA Japan had with SEGA America’s take on the company’s mascot design, one of the most persistent was over Sonic’s little American crooked legs.
But after being shown photos of SEGA America marketing vehicles and materials featuring a brown Tails based on the old design, Yamauguchi decided to let it be known that SEGA Japan was often annoyed that the US office would ignore the Sonic Team’s design notes.
I have no knowledge of the [above] pictures or figures in the photos. At the time, Sega of America ignored the opinions of the development staff. They did not listen to our requests for the number of fingers on Sonic in the package art, or our request to fix his legs to be straight.
SEGA of America’s maverick approach to marketing and game development in the 1990s is well-documented – and it’s no secret that during the 16-bit console gaming era, the US and Japanese SEGA offices often did not see eye to eye, with the former often ignoring style, design and product guidelines from the latter headquarters.
Sonic the Hedgehog was regularly in the crossfire, with package art and various multi-media projects featuring artwork that differed from the original Japanese design. Most infamously, an entirely new backstory to Sonic’s origin was created by SEGA of America, seemingly without the knowledge of Sonic Team or SEGA Japan at the time. This had been made apparent in recent years with former Sonic Team alumni such as Yuji Naka expressing confusion at hearing stories about ‘Dr Ovi Kintobor’ at the Summer of Sonic convention.
Yamaguchi later added that SEGA Japan actually did not have the adequate resources to fully manage the company’s characters until after the release of Sonic CD, which might explain why there was suddenly a lot more cohesion between the East and West markets after in the late 16-bit era.
Despite all this hubbub in the 90s, it turned out that, according to the SatAM Historian, Sonic co-creator Naoto Oshima was apparently a big fan of the bow-legged American rendition of the hero! So, swings and roundabouts, I guess.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
The director of Sonic Frontiers has confirmed that contributing writer (and IDW Sonic universe author) Ian Flynn will return to work on the upcoming story-based DLC for the game.
Morio Kishimoto responded to fan questions on his social media accounts about the content of the third expansion pack, which will come later in 2023 following Sonic’s birthday-themed DLC in the summer. “Of course, Ian Flynn will write it,” Kishimoto wrote in Japanese (English provided by machine translation).
“Although Sonic Frontier has a huge amount of settings, there are many episodes that could not be told,” the Sonic Team director added. “Now that we’ve decided which episode to go with, I’m sure we’ll be able to meet everyone’s expectations!”
The long-awaited story DLC for Sonic Frontiers will include new playable characters beyond Sonic for the first time in the game – heavily rumoured to be Tails, Knuckles and potentially Amy. It is assumed that the additional content will add much-needed context to many of the base game’s remaining mysteries and storytelling snafus, such as the meaning behind the familiar glyph symbol as well as questions raised by the ending (and post-credits) sequence.
“When I became director, the content of the game was changed to something completely different, but the development code name remained the same, so Rangers ended up being something completely unrelated to the content of the game.”
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
![Pix’n Love Announces Sonic Origins Plus Collector’s Edition [U]](https://archive.sonicstadium.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/9CAE0F03-F372-4F28-8DAF-BAD355371358.jpeg)
”
