In a press release today, Los Angeles-based toy and game company KessCo has announced a licensing partnership with SEGA of America for new Sonic products hitting in 2024. The line is expected to include “tabletop games, card games and outdoor play items.” Though no products have been announced yet, the release does note that SEGA will be at the Licensing Expo next week in Las Vegas.
KessCo boasts a surprisingly diverse lineup of toys, including hobbyist board games, puzzles, and outdoor novelties. While their website immediately shows off bright and colorful hula hoops, sprinklers, foam balls, and jump ropes, they also publish other branded items aimed at an older crowd, like board games based on Contra and Mega Man, and anime puzzles featuring Jujutsu Kaisen and Haikyu. CEO Alex Kessler notes that Sonic will be part of their first releases of licensed outdoor toys, stating, “our customers have been asking for Sonic-branded products from us for years. We look forward to continuing to grow our games category through this recent license acquisition, while introducing licensing to our popular outdoor range for the first time.”
Since 2019, Sonic’s appearance in the tabletop gaming scene has boomed for both kids and hobbyists, from 2018’s Sonic Crash Course published by IDW, through to the recent “Chaos Control Game” published by Lisciani in Italy. With KessCo serving such a broad audience, it’s hard to say whether they hope to focus on the young, old, or both, but if you’re itching to get Sonic back to the table, next year seems promising.