Sega is celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog’s 35th anniversary this year, but the blue blur almost didn’t make it that long, according to a new interview with the franchise’s head.
Sonic’s creative officer Takashi Iizuka explained that the franchise was under discussions for cancelation within the last decade, but a major turning point took place back in 2020 that re-invigorated everything: the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
“There had been good times, and there had been bad times… during the worst times, I was told by the higher-ups that we should cancel the entire franchise,” Iizuka said in an interview with OneMoreGame. “I had to fight within the organization to keep the franchise as long as possible. The biggest milestone for me was the first movie… that had been a great hit and definitely changed the course of this franchise.”
Since the first movie’s release in 2020, Sega has released the 2D/classic Sonic Superstars and Sonic Origins, 3D/modern Sonic Frontiers, along with Sonic x Shadow: Generations, and even Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds in 2025, showing that there’s room for multiple styles and genres for the IP to stretch out with.
“So we’ve been branching out in these two directions, and modern Sonic has more emphasis on the coolness of Sonic, and it has more appeal to the more recent fanbase,” Iizuka said. “We want to put that more emphasis on modern Sonic as well as the classic Sonic, which has been in front of the franchise from the beginning in 1991. And for the classic Sonic, we want to continue making things like the 2D platformers like Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins, which appeals to the fanbase that has been with us from the very beginning.”
I’m sad to hear that there were cancelation considerations, but I am a huge proponent of the Sonic movies, and I think they’re some of the best video game film adaptations we’ve gotten. I really enjoyed the first one, and I think that they’ve only gotten better with time. Ben Schwartz is awesome as Sonic, and James Marsden plays his part of the friendly human character really well, but obviously, I don’t think the franchise would be what it is without the incomparable Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik.
Carrey’s confirmation to return as the villain in the fourth movie coming out next year, along with new characters like Amy (played by Kristen Bell) alongside other iconic characters like Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessy) will make it yet another must-see for Sonic fans and casual moviegoers alike.
And as for the games, a new mainline Sonic is in the works for an eventual release, and next month will mark the launch of Classic Sonic Collection, containing Sonic Mania, Sonic Origins, and Sonic Superstars in one package.
