Sonic the Hedgehog’s 35th anniversary is today

The year is 1991. Movies like Terminator 2: Judgement Day- Hang on! You’ve read this before!

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the launch of the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game on Genesis/Mega-Drive. The game launched first in North America on June 23rd, 1991 and moved Genesis consoles off of retail shelves like no other game before or after. From that moment on, Sega and the rest of the world would be changed forever.

Sonic has gone on to be one of the world’s most beloved and recognizable video game icons, with an unforgettable and way past cool charm and personality that still wins the hearts of many. In all these years, we’ve seen him in platformers, puzzle games, racing games, fighting games, and even an interactive popcorn dispenser and a free mystery visual novel. He’s crossed over into movies, TV, comics, and with many other media franchises. He made many curious enough to try topping their hot dogs with chili, or to figure out what a hedgehog even is. Above all, however, his games are just loads of fun and still as playable now as they were the day they came out.

It’s difficult to imagine what the last 35 years could’ve looked like if Sonic never came into our lives, but can we be certain he’ll stick around for the next 35 years? Honestly, is grass green? Is water wet? Seriously though, go on past the break as we take a brief look at Sonic’s past, the influence he’s had on the world, and whatever the future holds for the world’s most famous hedgehog. Let’s do it to it.

From the dark to the light, it’s a supersonic flight. Gotta keep it going.

It’s tough to imagine if you weren’t alive at the time, or if you weren’t paying any attention to video games back then, but before Sonic, the world of video games was a wildly different world than we’re used to. When you had video games at home by the end of the 80’s, chances are you were playing Nintendo games and that was all you knew about video games, considering how niche arcade games and, especially, PC games were at the time. Sega tried so hard to pitch themselves as the alternative to Nintendo for console gaming, but even as they advertised themselves to the older gamers that Nintendo mostly ignored, Nintendo ruled the roost. That changed when Sonic hit the scene with a fast and frenetic adventure any other game company back then couldn’t deliver if they tried.

Sonic was a character that had never yet been seen in the video game world. He was edgy, rebellious, and stylish and was animated to match with his idle animation of him impatiently glaring at you for not moving him as a popular early example. He pulled off this attitude even as a small cartoon animal, where any artist or marketing team’s first instinct would be to play up how adorable the character is. This played hand-in-hand with Sega’s strategy to target older gamers who weren’t so easily moved by cutesy designs or mannerisms. It also blended perfectly with Sega’s other Genesis games that were designed to convey the same attitude, such as Toejam & Earl, Streets of Rage, and Kid Chameleon. That same attitude would be present throughout Sega during the Dreamcast years as well, with Sonic complimenting the punk attitude behind other Sega hits like Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and The Typing of the Dead.

Sonic famously inspired a glut of cartoon mascots from other companies meant to convey the exact same in-your-face attitude, such as Bubsy, Rocky Rodent, Gex, and (uggh…) Awesome Possum. Some of those characters had okay games sometimes, but where Sonic succeeded above them was that it was apparent just looking at Sonic that he was an awesome guy. Other characters tried too hard to spell it out for you by overdoing their animations and mannerisms or (most egregiously, in Awesome Possum’s case) having to constantly tell you that they’re cool. Sonic could convey his attitude without having to say a word or act out too much. He had nothing he needed to prove and he let you be the judge, so players gravitated to him quite naturally.

Beyond Sonic as a character, though, he marked the beginning of the end of Nintendo’s cold, hard grasp on the home gaming market. Even if Sega wouldn’t always be a threat to them, Sony and Microsoft would later pick up the slack using Sega’s strategy adapted to a changing world and market. Even if Sega was going through with that strategy anyway, Sonic got their feet in the door for the gamers and left it open for others, forever ending Nintendo’s unchallenged monopoly and eventually forcing them to change their strategy in order to remain in the conversation today. Competition is good for any business, and while the gaming industry still has other major problems today, no one can argue that we aren’t all better off without Nintendo as our one and only surefire option to get into gaming.

But as technology advanced, Sonic was now able to do more than just glare at the player for leaving him stationary. Now that he could talk and express emotion, that’s when Sonic’s personality finally opened up. Expanding on the smug and fearless, yet kind, smooth, and goofy character fans saw in Sonic cartoons before Sonic Adventure, Sonic was definitively portrayed within video games as the confident and heroic type who would step up for what’s right no matter what obstacles and difficulties he’d face. Even when smacked down, he’d get up as many times as he needed to to save the day, and he inspired other characters around him to do the same. From that moment on, fans watched throughout the years as he and his closest friends grew alongside them. This, more than the edgy attitude, is what attracts fans to the characters today and inspires generations. It’s also emblematic of the problems the franchise faced in the years since Sega became a third-party game developer and publisher.

I see the chaos for everyone – Who are we? What can we do?

Sonic has had tons of games since the turn of the millennium, and a few were major failures that would permanently destroy most other gaming franchises of Sonic’s status. Sonic the Hedgehog, named Sonic 06 by the public to differentiate it from the Genesis classic that started it all, launched in 2006 to a widespread critical thrashing. In 2014, Sega went all-in on a separate Sonic spin-off series called Sonic Boom for merchandising purposes, but the game that would kick off the launch of this sub-series, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, would receive an even more rough beating than Sonic 06. Its oft-forgotten sister game, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, didn’t fare much better either. Both did so poorly that Sega named both games combined the worst selling in the Sonic franchise’s history and they immediately wasted whatever potential Sonic Boom had. While Sonic Mania would launch to widespread acclaim in 2017 and become one of the best selling Sonic games to this day, its own sister game, Sonic Forces, launched that same year with the exact opposite fortunes. While not bashed as harshly as Sonic 06 or the Sonic Boom games, it was still far below what fans rightfully expected a Sonic game to be.

The years of Sonic Boom and Sonic Forces were incredibly harsh, not just for Sonic fans, but for Sega as well. Sega went through a massive restructuring in 2015 as they sought to cut costs during an rough low period throughout the rest of the decade. This can’t be blamed entirely on Sonic or Sonic Boom’s poor reception at the time, but it didn’t help matters for Sonic or the rest of the company. Beyond Sonic Mania, Sonic’s reputation was still the lowest it had ever been. Very few people trusted Sega or Sonic Team to put out a Sonic game worthy of their time and money. Because of Sonic’s reputation and Sega’s poor financial state, rumors spread that Sega was considering retiring Sonic as a video game franchise entirely, something Iizuka-san has actually just confirmed. Even Sega’s CEO of the time, Haruki Satomi, felt the need to promise to fans that Sega would do better. However, something crazy happened at the start of the following decade.

I know you have been afraid before, but you don’t have to be anymore

2019 saw the debut trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog live action movie, with a new design for Sonic so ghastly that it arguably broke the internet. In a shocking twist of fate, Paramount made the announcement that they would allow for Sonic’s design to be changed to something much more palatable and the movie would be delayed to Valentine’s Day of the following year to give the designers enough time to apply the changes. The movie debuted on that day with a far more pleasant looking Sonic carrying it to worldwide success, becoming the highest grossing movie based on a video game, topped later by its own sequel, and then the Super Mario Bros. movie.

Before the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, films based on games were generally seen as a sad joke. There were tons of them since the 90’s and very few managed to capture the spirit of their source material. In many cases, they barely even resembled the source material, almost as if they were ashamed to be associated with any video game. The 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie is a prime example. While it enjoys a cult following today, it was lambasted so heavily at the time of its release that Nintendo famously turned away all movie deals for any of their franchises for almost 30 years. At first, it seemed like the Sonic the Hedgehog movie would suffer the same fate as the many video game theatrical failures of the past, but when people gave it a chance after the debut of a better looking Sonic as its star, people were surprised to find a genuinely heartwarming and fun film that, even with its changes from the source material, wore its identity on its sleeve. Even with its theatrical run cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a major box office success and a bright spot during such a grim year following its streaming and home video release.

But the movie did more than just entertain fans. it was also a crucial source of inspiration for Sonic Team as they toiled away at their experimental new game we now know as Sonic Frontiers. The movie’s success brought in many new fans from outside the Sonic community. Using this fact, Iizuka-san convinced Sega to give his team an extra year to develop Frontiers and make the best game they possibly could since, again, Sonic might’ve been shelved if this went south. The game finally launched in 2022, and even with as rough as it was, it still left critics and fans, including our own George, impressed and looking forward to the continued development of Sonic Team’s new “Open Zone” concept for 3D Sonic games. It also showcased a new emotional take on Sonic as it pushed his unwavering spirit harder than ever before and showcased the desire of his friends Amy, Knuckles, and Tails to grow as individuals, while also firmly re-establishing how amazingly cool Sonic can be with its now legendary boss battles. Sonic Frontiers since joined Sonic Mania as one of Sega’s best selling Sonic games and left Sonic fans with renewed confidence in Sonic’s future, further cemented by later games like Sonic Racing: Crossworlds and Sonic X Shadow Generations.

And so, I carry on. My time to shine has come. I see it.

From this moment onward, the future of Sonic is up in the air, but we can rest assured that there is a future to speak of. For now, we know about some future DLC coming next year for Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, including content related to Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Sonic Pico Park is also coming soon as cute little co-op game for fans to enjoy with friends. Sonic Frontiers will be re-released very soon in a new “Definitive Edition“. The forth Sonic Movie is also still set to debut next Spring, with the introduction of Amy Rose and Metal Sonic into the movie universe, along with the guaranteed return of Jim Carrey’s entertaining portrayal of Sonic’s longtime rival Dr. Robotnik. Sega has a new Sonic concert tour beginning later this year. IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series is still trucking along, as well. The rest, as of this writing, is up for speculation, but there will always be something for fans, young and old. Even in the unlikely event Sonic suffers another Sonic 06 or Sonic Boom situation, this franchise will get back up and keep trying. Here at SegaBits, we’ll keep our eyes out and report to you whatever comes and we’re just as excited to hear about it as you are.

One thing’s for certain, Sonic will always be an inspiration to all around him. This is all part of his enduring legacy. His captivating attitude and resolve will continue to inspire others and draw people toward him just as it did with the many characters he’s come to know within his universe. As the world marches on through dark times, we all need a roll model we can turn to to keep us marching forward with our heads held high. It could be a friend, a family member, a pet, or even a fictional beacon of hope and positivity like Sonic.

 

You know you have to survive. You gotta keep the dream alive.

The groundbreaking design of his best games and media will go on to inspire all the creative souls out there as well, be they game designers, artists, animators, writers, or musicians. Fans have already set up their own communities for showing off independently developed games inspired by Sonic such as Sonic Amateur Games Expo, which has led to many games there that are detached from the Sonic universe to become commercial products. Musicians create new takes on fan favorite tunes from Sonic’s past all the time, including many at Melodies Zone, who have just debuted a whole new album full of brand new remixes. The much celebrated Crush 40 vocalist, Johnny Geoeli, has even lent his voice to many original songs created by passionate fans with Sonic as their main inspiration.

In a few cases, some creative fans have gone on to work with Sega, such as Christian Whitehead and Simon Thomley, also known as Taxman and Stealth, who were the driving forces behind Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins. Christian Whitehead went on to form his own separate studio, Evening Star, and launch their first and, currently, only game Penny’s Big Breakaway. Former webcomic artist, Tyson Hesse, also went on to work with Sega on several Sonic games and also create the final design for Movie Sonic.

(UPDATE:) Another collaboration between Sega and a talented fan just debuted today. In honor of Sonic’s 35th anniversary, singer NateWantsToBattle, who’s already worked with Sega on Sonic before, has collaborated with jun Senoue on a brand new song.

He can’t stop now. Lock and load. – Don’t stop now. Come on and rock and roll.

With all that said, there’s no better time to revisit your favorite Sonic games and media than today. As luck would have it, Sega is actually hosting a charity stream all about Sonic with a variety of streamers in the Sonic community, such as GamesCage, Sam Procrastinates, and Emzberry, which should be live as this article goes up. (YouTube) (Twitch) If you want to revisit Sonic on your own, there are a lot of Sonic games available on modern platforms, with the Genesis and Game Gear classics available as part of Sonic Origins Plus.  Many of them are currently on sale on Steam right now, in fact. Or, if you have any of the older games and consoles still nearby, feel free to get those hooked up and take them for a spin dash.

All of the Sonic cartoons are currently streaming on Retrocrush and Tubi, while the latter also has all of the anime series Sonic X. Each of the 90’s cartoons are also available for free on the Wildbrain Hero YouTube page, while Sonic Boom is on the NCircle Entertainment YouTube page and all three seasons of Sonic X are on the TMS Animation YouTube page in its English and Brazilian-Portuguese dubs. Even the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie is currently free with ads on YouTube. (North America only, sadly)

Maybe even take some time to check out our own special Sonic content here on SegaBits. The Sonic Weekly podcast airs new episodes each week on all the latest Sonic topics. (Though it’s currently on break for a few weeks) Our latest Swingin’ Report Show episode is all about a fan favorite Sonic classic that just happened to launch during the series 10th anniversary so long ago: Sonic Adventure 2. Or, if you’re a foodie, there’s also Barry’s Fastest Food Alive video series, all about past Sonic the Hedgehog food related promotions.

Walk forward through the cold dawn. Always to new horizons.

As we raise our chili dogs to our boy in blue, let us know in the comments below what your favorite Sonic games or other media are. You can also tell us your favorite moments in Sonic media or how Sonic has affected or inspired you personally throughout the years. Tell us how long ago you were introduced to Sonic as well, or what you’re most looking forward to in Sonic’s future. Maybe even how you plan to spend your time celebrating Sonic today.

And with that, I’m up, over, and gone. See you at the next Sonic related announcement.