Emphasis on “Mania.”
Continue reading Sonic & Tails Guest in Animated Banana Mania Launch Trailer
Sonic 2 and Other Genesis Titles Coming To Nintendo Online’s Expansion Pass
You want MUSHA? Then you better pay up.
Continue reading Sonic 2 and Other Genesis Titles Coming To Nintendo Online’s Expansion Pass
Graded Sonic 1 Breaks Goldin Auctions Sales Records
Your sealed copy of Outback Joey weeps.
Continue reading Graded Sonic 1 Breaks Goldin Auctions Sales Records
Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony Album Now Available
If you liked it on YouTube, you can now get it for your music library.
Continue reading Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony Album Now Available
Sonic Colors Ultimate Music Heading to Tokyo Game Show
The Tokyo Game Show will be holding a concert featuring video game music called “Tokyo Game Show FES” to commemorate its 25th anniversary, and Sonic Colors Ultimate will be among the games featured.
The Sonic Colors Ultimate portion of the concert will take place at Stage 01 at 5:00 PM JST on October 2.
Sonic & Tails Roll Into New Super Monkey Ball Trailer
We already saw this coming, but we now have official footage of Sonic and Tails in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, celebrating both Monkey Ball’s 20th anniversary and Sonic’s 30th!
Continue reading Sonic & Tails Roll Into New Super Monkey Ball Trailer
UPDATE: Roger Craig Smith Pushes Back on “One last job” Rumor.
Smith’s return was “one last job” according to Monkey Ball voice actor.
Continue reading UPDATE: Roger Craig Smith Pushes Back on “One last job” Rumor.
Report: SEGA Japan Plans To Turn Sonic into a VTuber, Wants to Open a Sonic Theme Park
We’re not ones to push rumours and hearsay on the blue blur’s birthday, but according to a frequent Famitsu and Weekly Shonen Jump leaker, SEGA Japan appears to have plans to turn Sonic the Hedgehog into a VTuber.
Continue reading Report: SEGA Japan Plans To Turn Sonic into a VTuber, Wants to Open a Sonic Theme Park
SEGA Joypolis Could Be Heading to Europe and the US
Last year, SEGA sold their Joypolis amusement business to the China Animation Cultural Technology Group. Now CA Joypolis, the company created by that sale, is exploring expanding the SEGA-branded indoor park into overseas markets. The news comes from YouTuber and former Sonic Stadium staffer Dave “Badnik Mechanic” Luty.
According to a report CA Joypolis released, “the Group has entered a [memorandum of understanding] with another international partner to select a location for launching theme park in the UK within approximately half a year and explore the possibility to launch theme parks in Europe, North America and elsewhere.”
At the moment, there are three Joypolis locations, all in Asia, with a fourth now planned to open in South China. It’s been a long time since western markets have seen a proper SEGA theme park, with the only serious attempt SEGAWorld, which launched in the UK and Australia back in the 90s, and only lasted a few years. Sonic’s presence at the current Joypolis locations doesn’t tend to be that large, due to the character’s lack of popularity in Asia. One wonders whether or not a UK version of the park would feature the character more prominently.
We may have a better idea of whether a UK Joypolis location will happen, and perhaps what form it will take, by the end of the year.
via Badnik Mechanic
Sonic 30th Anniversary Website Launches
The official Sonic 30th anniversary website has now launched, and it looks to be everyone’s one stop hub for all info regarding events, merchandise, and games coming out this year.
The website has a list of recent and impending events, including yesterday’s Sonic Central stream, the upcoming Sonic symphony on June 23, and something called a “Ring series,” which appears to be a series of videos focusing on both Sonic fans and creators. The Ring series doesn’t currently have a date.
The website also has sections devoted to Sonic Colors Ultimate, merchandise, his mobile games and game tie-ins, and a download gallery with a few wallpapers.
You can check it out here.
“You’re Already Dead” in Sonic x Fist of the North Star Mobile Collaboration
Sonic will experience the post-apocalypse this June in Fist of the North Star LEGENDS ReVIVE.
Continue reading “You’re Already Dead” in Sonic x Fist of the North Star Mobile Collaboration
New Sonic collaborations coming this year
During the Sonic Central event this morning, it was announced that Sonic would be guest-starring in other game series in different forms.
First up. is “Tokyo 2020” where Sonic, in mascot form, will be playable in several events including baseball, basketball, football (soccer), and more. Coming June 22nd
Next up is Sonic DLC for “Two-Point Hospital” The hospital staff will be able to swap out their scrubs for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles costumes. You can then add Sonic decorations to your hospital as well. The free DLC comes July 30th
The classic arcade game, Sonic the Fighters will appear in “Lost Judgment”. The sequel to the 2018 “Yakuza” spinoff. Lost Judgement comes out on September 24th.
There was also a hint of Sonic DLC for Minecraft, but no details were given outside of a tiny snippet of video.
We Have Our New Sonic Voice Actor, and It’s… Roger Craig Smith?
In a tweet, Smith confirms he has returned to the role of Sonic after [checks watch] four months from his public departure.
Continue reading We Have Our New Sonic Voice Actor, and It’s… Roger Craig Smith?
Unstoppable for 30 Years: Check Out Sonic’s Anniversary Video
We’re almost there! Sonic’s big 30th celebration is under way, and SEGA is kicking things off with a rather motivational video showcasing how Sonic has inspired fans old and new!
Continue reading Unstoppable for 30 Years: Check Out Sonic’s Anniversary Video![SEGA Reveals Sonic Announcement Stream for May 27th [Updated Again]](https://www.sonicstadium.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/30thStream-1-895x375.jpg)
SEGA Reveals Sonic Announcement Stream for May 27th [Updated Again]
Just prior to Sonic’s anniversary month, the Sonic Twitter account has announced a YouTube and Twitch stream on May 27th promising “upcoming projects, partnerships, and events.”
While “projects” does not inherently mean new game announcements, there are several rumors and leaks from the past month for some form of Sonic game collection, and a remaster or remake of Sonic Colors. We also know of Dark Horse’s Sonic Encyclo-Speed-ia this November, IDW’s anniversary comic, and the previously approved LEGO Ideas Sonic Mania set.
We at Sonic Stadium will be tuning in Thursday to cover any news and announcements from this stream!
UPDATE: The HARDlight’s Twitter is teasing mobile game announcements during Thursday’s stream.
SECOND UPDATE: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (best known for the Yakuza/Judgment series) posted a cryptic reply. It’s unclear if this is them telling you to save money for upcoming games, suggesting there’s some sort of new Sonic arcade game, suggesting Sonic will have some sort of cameo in a future Yakuza/Judgment game, or that the studio itself will be involved in a Sonic game. Luckily we’ll know very soon:
Dreams Come True Promote Japanese Green Tea With A New ‘Green Hill Zone’ Arrangement
Japanese green tea company ITO EN has launched a brand new TV commercial for its popular range of bottled ‘Oi Ocha’ drinks, leveraging a new partnership with pop group Dreams Come True. As part of this collaboration, DCT’s Masato Nakamura appears to have introduced a new arrangement of Sonic the Hedgehog’s ‘Green Hill Zone’ for the commercial’s music.
Continue reading Dreams Come True Promote Japanese Green Tea With A New ‘Green Hill Zone’ Arrangement
Sonic and the “Super Game” Show Strong in SEGA SAMMY 2020 Investor Briefing
Who likes financial briefings! Now, don’t raise your hands all at once, I know we’re all really excited to get new financial numbers, but for those of you who aren’t already sifting through the 74-page 2020 Results Presentation on SEGA SAMMY’s investor relations site, here are the highlights.
Although several other sites latched onto the “Super Game” mentioned eight times in the report, the way it appears in the presentation suggests “Super Game” might just be a term they use for a game that they can sell to a global audience. It may include new IP considering they have a separate 3-year plan to globalize their existing IP, but it would be very weird for a 5-year plan to include making some sort of global omni-game containing multiple titles. Not impossible, but very weird.
Other notable bits from the report include:
- The Sonic series led traditional software sales with 4.4 million units sold, followed by Total War (4 million), Football Manager (3.8 million), and Persona (3 million).
- Sonic is used as an example of strengthening the brand through media mix, specifically citing the original Sonic movie, the upcoming sequel, and the Netflix series Sonic Prime.
- Games highlighted for release during fiscal 2021/2022 are Humankind, Shin Megami Tensei V, Total War: Warhammer III, Lost Judgment, and Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis.
- SEGA’s European studio is working on an unspecified FPS project.
- SEGA is instituting an approach of Remaster-Remake-Reboot in regard to current and past/dormant IP. Examples listed under past IP include Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Space Channel 5, Rez, Panzer Dragoon, NiGHTS, Shinobi, Virtua Fighter, Altered Beast, House of the Dead, Streets of Rage, and Soul Hackers, all with the asterisk “*Under examination of which IP to utilize.”
- Game software sales stayed strong, and Free to Play titles were really strong throughout quarantine/social distancing.
- SEGA SAMMY reiterates that they were hit hard by the economic effects of Covid, leading them to restructure (voluntary retirement, sale/restructure of arcade divisions). Spaces most prominently affected were the arcade business, arcade machines, pachinko/pachislots, and their resorts.
- If you’ve ever wanted to know how much SEGA SAMMY is worth, they report having 367.6 billion yen in liquid assets as of March 2021 (or roughly 3.4 billion USD, 2.4 billion GBP, or 2.8 billion EUR). This amount is just liquid assets, and does not include the value of property the company owns or the IP it holds.
- SEGA SAMMY acknowledges responsibilities regarding environmental sustainability, diversity, job satisfaction, and addiction prevention.
Oh, and hey, they’re working on a Gamera pachislot machine, which I personally like for esoteric reasons.
Sonic Game Announcement Might be Imminent, SEGA to Release More Console Games, Says SEGA’s Chief Strategy Officer
It sounds like the long wait for the next Sonic game announcement may soon be over, if a statement by SEGA Chief Strategy Officer Shuji Utsumi is any indication. In a recent interview with Famitsu Magazine, he talked about SEGA and its upcoming software limit. On the subject of Sonic, he said the new an announcement for a new game “might be coming soon.” Noncommittal language aside, there are a few reasons to expect it will happen soon, since both E3 and Sonic’s anniversary are next month month, and Sonic Colors Ultimate was leaked roughly a month ago now.
In that same interview, Utsumi also commented on people pointing out that SEGA was releasing more mobile games then console games. According to him, the company has been going through an organizational shift, and that there will be more console games starting from 2022 onwards.
It’s been a long while since the last Sonic console game, Team Sonic Racing, was announced. It’s been even longer since the last console Sonic game was released. Whether its with a Sonic Colors remake, or something else, that appears likely to end soon. What are you hoping for this year? Let us know in the comments!
via Ryokutya2089
SEGA To Be At E3, Will Hopefully Announce Something
E3’s Twitter account finally confirmed a bunch of companies for their digital event, including SEGA. As things stand, we currently know nothing about SEGA’s E3 presence, but their presence does mean they should have something to show from one of their many franchises. Will it be Sonic? Who knows. But that’s at least a possibility now. It should be noted that SEGA’s presence is never a sure thing: they skipped E3 2015.
As usual, we should be on hand to cover it. We’ve qualified as press for every E3 since 2010, so assuming that streak holds, you can tune into us for whatever digital press-only coverage E3 will be providing this year.
‘Robotnik Finally Wins’ – SEGA Announces Blockchain Partnership to Sell NFTs
SEGA Japan today announced that it will be entering the blockchain business this summer, by partnering up with Japanese game company Double Jump.Tokyo to sell NFTs “related to its classic IP”.
Continue reading ‘Robotnik Finally Wins’ – SEGA Announces Blockchain Partnership to Sell NFTs
Do the Chaos Emeralds Have a Canonical Origin? Ian Flynn Can’t Tell Us
Do you know who created the Chaos Emeralds? Chaos? Solaris? Dark/Light Gaia?
Continue reading Do the Chaos Emeralds Have a Canonical Origin? Ian Flynn Can’t Tell Us
SEGA Opens New Sonic Twitter Accounts for Brazil and Latin America
Sonic Social Media Manager Katie Chrzanowski has revealed that Sonic’s Twitter presence will be expanding to both Brazil and Latin America with two new accounts.Though neither account is verified yet, that will be incoming.
Chrzanowski confirmed that anyone who follows these channels may be seeing content they are already familiar with for a little while. This is to ensure these new channels have the right “voice,” though new content will eventually be incoming and they will be synchronized with the main @sonic_hedgehog account.
via Twitter
Sonic 30th Anniversary Statue up for pre-order in the UK and US
The UK Sega Shop and Justgeek.com have announced a new Sonic 30th Anniversary statue, which is now available for pre-order. The statue pays homage the very first boss fight from Sonic 1. The statue will retail for £69.99 UK and $69.99 US. It will be available in August 2021. Here’s the full statement from the Segashop website.
Celebrate more than 30 years of the world’s most iconic blue blur, Sonic the Hedgehog as we bring you this super exclusive statue! Boasting an action-packed scene of Dr. Eggman and Sonic in the midst of an intense fight, this statue stands at a mighty 9” tall and comes with high-level details. If you’re a huge Sonic enthusiast, this is one collectible you definitely don’t want to miss out on!
Official SEGA product
Designed by and engineered by Numskull Designs
Exclusive statue featuring Sonic and Dr. Eggman in battle
Depicts a detailed scene in the style of the classic Sonic games with retro style grass base.
Made from high grade vinyl and PVC
Dimensions: 9 inches (22.86cm) x 8.6 inches (21.84cm) x 7.4 inches (18.79cm)
PLEASE NOTE – IMAGES ARE OF A PROTOTYPE – FINAL PRODUCT MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY
UK Sonic fans can order from the official website at segashop.co.uk and follow them on Twitter @SegaShopEurope, while American Sonic fans can order from us.justgeek.com.
Sonic Station Live! Is Making a Return This Month (Don’t Expect Any Game Announcements)
Last year, SEGA held a series of monthly Japanese streams featuring Sonic content called “Sonic Station Live!” The streams mostly focused on merchandise, though would also feature various Sonic creatives as hosts. Though the streams came to an end at the end of last year, they appear to be getting a special revival this month so that they can feature a special guest: voice actress and “Sonic lover” Aoi Yuuki. Yuuki voiced the female avatar in Sonic Forces, and Sticks the Badger in both the Japanese dub of the Sonic Boom cartoon, as well as her numerous game appearances.
As the headline notes: do not expect a game announcement from this. This is a Japanese-centric stream, and these streams never featured especially major news items. Going by a translated version of the stream’s program outline, Yuuki will be talking about her favorite Sonic characters, and will be playing various games. Jun Senoue and Kazuyuki Hoshino will be hosting.
The stream is scheduled for Sunday, and is embedded below:
Team Sonic Racing Now on Luna. Quick Hands-On Report
In a statement made earlier today, Sega announced that Team Sonic Racing is now available on Amazon’s cloud-gaming platform, Luna. This makes the second Sonic game to be available on Amazon’s new service, along with Sonic Mania.
For those interested, I am currently in the Luna beta and have checked out TSR on its streaming platform. The game looks and plays exactly like its HD counterparts on PS4 and Xbox, however, I did notice occasional dips in framerate from 60 down to 40 or less at times. I tested the same tracks on my Series S and it runs at 60 fps without any issues. That said, the issue pretty minor and the game still runs very well on Luna.
Here’s hoping for more Sonic on the Luna platform in the future. After all, the more Sonic folks can play, the better.
Sonic 30th Anniversary Concert Revealed in Licensing Magazine
It seems that SEGA is preparing to organise a special music concert to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th Anniversary, according to a recent report in a licensing trade magazine.
Continue reading Sonic 30th Anniversary Concert Revealed in Licensing Magazine
Mike Pollock to continue playing the role of Dr. Eggman
He’s still here!! While the Sonic voice-acting talents have changed many times over the years, one actor has managed to consistently keep his role since 2003: Mike Pollock as Dr. Eggman.
Continue reading Mike Pollock to continue playing the role of Dr. Eggman
Yuji Naka Had Trouble on the Official SEGA Test – Because of ‘Mr Needlemouse’
To celebrate SEGA’s 60th anniversary, the game company hosted a special public exam to test fans’ knowledge of its history. We missed it too, we’re upset about that as well. But spare a thought for Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka, who revealed that he actually had trouble knowing the answer to one particular question relating to his blue creation. And, as most things, it all comes down to a decades-old case of mistranslation.
Continue reading Yuji Naka Had Trouble on the Official SEGA Test – Because of ‘Mr Needlemouse’
Puyo Puyo 2 Goes On Sale in Time For Sonic
Thinking of getting Puyo Puyo 2, now that Sonic has been confirmed as a playable character in the game? Well, you’re in luck because SEGA’s bubble-popping, line-clearing puzzler is currently on sale in the US.
Continue reading Puyo Puyo 2 Goes On Sale in Time For Sonic
Sonic Gets Stackin’ in the First Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Content Update
For all those loving the chocolate-and-peanut-butter of puzzle games, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 gets a big content update tomorrow Jan. 14th in Japan (there is no Western confirmation at time of writing), including a bounty of Sonic content.
Continue reading Sonic Gets Stackin’ in the First Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Content Update
Adobe Flash Dies January 12, Taking Many Sonic Games With it, Some Are Already Trying to Preserve Them
On January 12, Adobe will be killing Flash Player after more than two decades of support, when they officially begin to prevent the player from running anything. When this happens, hundreds of Sonic animations and video games will become inoperable in their original form, including more than a dozen official games from SEGA itself.
Continue reading Adobe Flash Dies January 12, Taking Many Sonic Games With it, Some Are Already Trying to Preserve Them
Eggman Haunted by the Ghosts of Sonic Characters in New Sonic Holiday Short
SEGA has released a new Sonic holiday short on the Sonic youtube channel, “An Eggman Carol.” It’s a spoof of Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol,” of course, starring Eggman in place of Scrooge. A narrator tells the story alongside a series of still images. Check it out below!
Continue reading Eggman Haunted by the Ghosts of Sonic Characters in New Sonic Holiday Short
SEGA’s 60th Celebration Continues with NEW Interview
The celebration is on! SEGA has quite a bit lined up for this week of their big 60th anniversary, and today they just released their interview with the SEGA of America staff that were in charge during their 16 bit glory days!
Continue reading SEGA’s 60th Celebration Continues with NEW Interview
Sonic Moves More Than 1 Billion Games
According to SEGA’s latest annual report, Sonic has now moved roughly 1.14 billion games. That’s a 200 million unit increase since 2018, demonstrating that the blue blur still hasn’t slowed down despite the lack of games.
Continue reading Sonic Moves More Than 1 Billion Games
SEGA 60 Kicks Off Week of Content With Wallpapers, Avatars,
SEGA’s 60th anniversary website is having a weeklong celebration of Sonic this week, and they’re starting things off with some Sonic avatars and wallpapers. The wallpapers utilize the 30th anniversary render released earlier this year, while the avatars use Sonic Mania stock art. To download them, you can either sign up over 60th anniversary website (which nets you a free copy of NiGHTS for Steam), or check them out below:
Continue reading SEGA 60 Kicks Off Week of Content With Wallpapers, Avatars,
New Sonic Channel Art Shows What Blaze Does in Her Downtime
Ever wonder what Blaze the Cat gets up to when she isn’t searching for the sol emeralds or going on high seas adventures? Well, the Japanese Sonic 20th Twitter account and Sonic Channel gave us a look and it’s…paperwork and tea, apparently!
Continue reading New Sonic Channel Art Shows What Blaze Does in Her Downtime