How many new fans has Sonic Boom brought in? And how have they regarded the broader series?

[Scritch the Cat]

So this question is for any who apply; people who have been with Sonic longer, and met some people who got into Sonic because of Sonic Boom, or even the people who themselves got into it with Sonic Boom.  I have quite a few things I'm wondering, like how those recruited by the series regard past incarnations of Knuckles and Eggman.

[Zers Editor]

I got into it with Sonic Boom the TV show.

l was following Boom since the first episodes, and later, I got interested in the main canon on which (as I thought then) it was based. By that moment I was on episode 35. I've been watching cutscenes and playing the games, whenever I had the free time.

About the old incaranations: this is what I got from playing the old games about Eggman and Knuckles personally:

Eggman - a cunning and powerful evil genius, who tries to conquer the world and build his own empire in which he wants to rule.

Knuckles - a last-of-the-kind warrior and protector of the powerful ancient relic called the Master Emerald. Most of the time he never leaves Master Emerald alone and does not allows anyone to abuse it's powers. Believes in truth and honesty.

[Mad Convoy]

I got into the franchise with Colors, but I used to be a mod some Facebook Sonic groups so I did meet people who got into the franchise through Boom. I won't give out names but I do have some stories to tell.

1. Pretty much every person I've spoken to that got into Sonic through Boom cites Eggman as a favorite or on a list of favorite characters. Many point to him as being the one that got them into Boom in the first place.
2. One person was introduced to the series with Colors, but didn't get into Sonic until Sonic Boom came out and is mostly interested in Boom. Far as I'm aware he only owns Colors and Shattered Crystal, and was planning to purchase Fire and Ice. I remember me and the other mods recommending other titles after he asked about what other Sonic games are like. We especially recommended Unleashed, Rush, and Generations since he showed interest in the boost, and he did indeed think those games sounded good. However, he ultimately decided to stick to his collection. He really didn't have much interest in mainline Sonic beyond Colors, and I don't know if he'd buy Forces or Mania, or even any other Sonic product after Boom ends. He liked pretty much all Sonic characters that he was familiar with.
3. I remember my time on a Sonic Boom facebook group as well. I once did a poll asking which part of Sonic Boom was your favorite, with the options being the TV show, the comic, Rise of Lyric, Shattered Crystal, or the merchandise. While the TV show got the most votes, Shattered Crystal actually managed to get the second most amount of votes when I had expected it to be maybe fourth. Rise of Lyric got third, which also surprised me. Now, I can't tell which ones got into Sonic through Boom or another game because some never said what got them into the franchise, but a lot of the fans struck me as newer ones if nothing else. One guy in the comments even mentioned that Rise of Lyric was his favorite games to play. I felt bad for him because he also mentioned that he's had trouble expressing that he likes the game because a lot of people on the internet stop being accepting of him once they know that about him, and he's a really nice, easygoing guy who isn't disrespectful in the slightest. Another person who liked RoL said that he wished people would at least give the game a chance before deciding that they don't like it, and I know this is a controversial topic so I will refrain from commenting on the validity of that.
4. Actually, openness in general is pretty common in the Boom fandom. A lot of the Boom fans want people to give Boom a chance-- they don't necessarily require people to like it but would at least like the public to get to know it before dismissing it entirely. Most fans introduced to the franchise through Boom tend to be open to other gameplay styles, different tones, and hearing how other fans got into Sonic, but as you might imagine they get pretty upset when their own way of getting into Sonic and their opinions on what they like about Sonic are invalidated.
5. ... but on the flip side, a lot of the fans that got into Sonic through Boom are adolescents and/or aren't accustomed to dealing with Sonic fandrama. So you do get a vocal minority of obnoxious fans. Boom fan obnoxiousness usually comes through the usual flavor of insulting games they have never or barely played and glossing over glaring flaws in Boom media that they like. The hostilities tend to be particularly directed toward Adventure games and fans, as I found that SA3, its affiliates, and some of its followers tended to be the most vocal in insulting Boom fans and media in the way that reflected poorly on themselves and the games they were trying to promote. Also, while this alone is not indicative of an obnoxious newbie, expect an obnoxious Boom fan to say that they like Knuckles and Eggman the most. No, they may not necessarily be telling the truth but they say it to rile up fans who they perceive as being too salty or entitled and need to be taken down a peg.
6. A lot of newcomers who came through Boom are inclined to prefer Knuckles and Eggman as they are depicted in Boom, as that's often their first experience with characters beyond just Sonic. However, they are open to other interpretations of the characters, even if they do view them as being less entertaining due to the mainline characters being perceived as somewhat bland or overly serious.

I have more insights if you want to ask more questions.