Andy Collins, an artist who has contributed to the Sonic 3 & Knuckles remaster in Sonic Origins, has published a statement that confirms the presence of fan-made sprites from the ROM hack ‘Sonic 3 Complete’ within the final release of Origins.

“It has come to my attention that several sprites of Super Sonic from Sonic 3 Complete ended up being used in Sonic Origins,” Collins, also known as A+Start, wrote on his Twitter page. “This was an honest mistake on my part. They were used as reference [images] during production and due to my way of working, went unnoticed amongst already completed sprites. I believed they were sprites I’d already started, and kept working them until I thought they were complete.”

“Obviously, this isn’t ideal and doesn’t reflect my work,” the statement continues. “I can only apologise and hope this doesn’t incite any ill will towards myself or Headcannon [the developer of the Sonic 3 & Knuckles remaster within Sonic Origins].”

Collins is a well-known artist within the community, and his sprite and pixel skills are showcased well in the Sonic Origins compilation package – most notably for us, within the intro sequence for the New Blue Spheres game mode, which features an impressive 3D Sonic leaping towards the screen.

The artist published the above statement on April 1, leading some to believe this may have been an April Fools prank. But with no follow-up message and many commentators corroborating Collins’ words about lifted Super Sonic sprites, it seems like this is a genuine notice addressing a genuine mistake.

If there’s any other detail to come from this, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, check out the full statement here.