French retailer Sogamely has listed “Sonic Collection” on its website, sparking more speculation on Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary.
The listing only notes that the game is for PlayStation 4 in Europe; but it is more than likely such a title would be multi-platform and global. A claim from alleged insider “Zippo” had mentioned a new Sonic Collection.
Therein, Zippo claimed eh had heard “multiple times” that the Collection would act as a celebration for the series 30th anniversary; with games that have not been available for several years. “Likely inclusions” include Sonic the Hedgehog Advance, Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, and Sonic R. Zippo also theorized the collection would launch around June, in time for the June 23rd milestone.
Later Zippo updated his post, claiming there “should be a mix of ports and remasters in here. It also should be on everything, including PC and Switch. It should also feature games that have never seen a re-release before,” and “they may also release them separately as an option, for those that just want one or two of them.”
After the leak of “Sonic Colors Remastered” Zippo claimed that it was “one of the remasters I heard about.” He also stated that “the information about the collection is frankly, outdated and I have more interesting details about that one coming up here soon. It’s sounding like a solid collection.”
While initially claiming the collection would feature the original Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2; rather than their Retro Engine counterparts on mobile (also known as the Star Engine as well as Sonic Mania), yet another update by Zippo corrected this. They claim those games will support 60 fps, full widescreen, and added content.
Zippo also claims that Sega of America is in command of the series, via their Sonic Studio department, with Sega of Japan being “fully aware” of how the series is more popular in the west than Japan. However, they are not handing the game’s development, with producers and artists making sure development goes smoothly. Producer and directior Takashi Iizuka and art director Kazuyuki Hoshino are still acting as “stewards” for the series.
The focus for the series will be entirely on “Modern Sonic” rather than Classic Sonic; despite the Collection and the success of Mania. Zippo theorizes this is because Sega “doesn’t want the franchise being ‘defined’ by a 2D sprite based game that was done by fan/indie developers.”
While fans handle Classic Sonic across hundreds of fan games, Sega (who publicly approved of fan works and having no need to make a Mania sequel themselves) would rather they were the “shining beacon” of the official franchise.
Zippo also claimed that the next Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games may be cancelled due to the fears the 2020 Tokyo games would be cancelled (they are now going ahead, without international spectators), and the controversy over China hosting the next Winter Olympics. He also claims a new 2D game is in the works, akin to Sonic Rush or Sonic Advance; launching around Summer of Fall 2021.
The next 3D Sonic game (launching Holiday 2021 or 2022) will allegedly not feature the “boost gameplay” of recent titles, returning to a more traditional platformer or Adventure style. The title will be full 3D (rather than have 2D segments), and the return of the spin dash and character upgrades. There will be playable characters outside of Sonic, and the first game conceptualized by Sonic Studio. Zippo notes “‘Sonic Team’ is literally nothing more than just a brand name now. No idea if it’ll be in the marketing or not.”
Previous collections have included the Sonic Mega Collection in 2002 featuring many classic games, with Sonic Mega Collection Plus in 2004 including two additional Genesis games from the Japanese version and six Game Gear games. The 2005 Sonic Gems Collection included some of the more obscure and less prolific titles.
A business-to-business advert in September 2020 for Sonic the Hedgehog confirmed new games will be revealed in 2021 for the series’ 30th anniversary; along with a wave of new merchandise.
As aforementioned German dubbing studio Iksample listed their work on “Sonic Colors Remastered,” while Sogamely had also previously listed “Sonic Colors Ultimate – Limited Edition” for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One (launching December 31st, though this and other information may be a placeholder).
As previously reported, even mere ports of well-received titles could help win back some much lost faith after the middling reactions to Sonic Forces [1, 2, 3, 4]. A “best of Sonic” for the series anniversary would seem to be a safe bet. However, there are signs there will be a new game announcement.
We previously reported how Roger Craig Smith announced would no longer voicing Sonic the Hedgehog, after voicing the character for ten years. Other major voice actors and actresses also revealed they would not be making the cut; however Mike Pollock as Dr. Eggman remained.
A simple port of the 3D games would likely not need altered voices, meaning Sega would be releasing old and new games with different voice casts; along with the upcoming 3D animated cartoon Sonic Prime on Netflix.
If the Netflix show debuted before any announcement of a brand new game, then Sega would have no need to cut ties with the former cast; waiting to see if the cartoon was well received before implementing the voice actors into the game. This may mean Sega are planning a brand new Sonic game (or re-dub of older games) and are using a new voice cast that compliments both the game and cartoon.
We will keep you informed as we learn more.
Image: Twitter