Anniversary: Sonic Boom Franchise Announcement (10 Years)

On this day in 2014, SEGA gathered a number of mainstream press into the ESPACE venue in New York to unveil a bold new transmedia approach to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise: Sonic Boom.

Initially anticipated to be a new cartoon show following the name's passing mention at the Nuremberg Toy Fair on Feb 1, it was revealed that a line of branded toys, video games, comics and more would also form part of the ambitious strategy.

This new thread in the franchise, which SEGA insisted was not intended to replace the Classic/Modern Sonic universe/s, featured dramatic new designs for Sonic and friends, with whole new approaches to gameplay and tone in the associated video games.

Ultimately, the reception to much of this new era of Sonic the Hedgehog ranged from negative to indifference, and the Sonic Boom project was promptly abandoned after the disastrous launch of WiiU title 'Rise of Lyric'.

However, the cartoon series - perhaps the most/only positively-received element of the franchise - continued for several years before its final episodes aired in 2017.