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No particular lore drops this time, but TailsTube returns once again to... mostly remind you about classic Sonic characters leading up to the release of Sonic Superstars. With Tails and company together in person this time (or whatever you call four vTuber rigs occupying a single video frame), they wax nostalgic on the friends and foes of the classic era, including Mighty (better Sonic), Ray (better Tails), and Fangnack the Sniping Jerboa Weasel Hunter. Again, no major clarifications, confirmations, or the like, but it has brief reminders that the classic series does consider Bark and Bean part of Fang's "gang," and... everyone just sort of assumes that Mighty is out there somewhere in the modern world traveling, exploring, and doing Sonic-esque heroics.

SEGA’s confirmed appearance at Gamescom 2023 has sent pockets of the Sonic fanbase into a frenzy, with many assuming that the publisher will announce a remaster of Sonic Heroes at the event. This particular rumour is based off of zero hard facts and information, of course. There have been no clues that SEGA will be bringing anything other than what it has already publicly announced to the Cologne game show. Which means, we assume, Sonic Superstars (although SEGA has not yet shared a list of games it will be bringing to the expo). But Sonic Twitter has taken it upon itself return to a recent TailsTube sketch on last month’s Sonic Central showcase, in an attempt to find some clues to support the latest rumour. The screenshot above, taken during the 23 June Sonic Central, shows a distorted screenshot of a cutscene from the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox classic. It was shared by Twitter user ‘DTBROS’, who highlighted the fact that SEGA’s Sonic social channels have a habit of hiding teasers of upcoming games in plain sight. To be honest, the TailsTube ’glitch’ is a pretty sound theory to support the idea that something is cooking at SEGA. But it’s not proof that anything will be announced at Gamescom - a show that has not traditionally been a venue for significant reveals by AAA publishers (with one or two exceptions). Of course, the vast majority of fans who are frenetically wishing for a Sonic Heroes remaster on Twitter just seem to be doing so at random. Which honestly sounds like Twitter in general, to us. All of this is to say that nobody truly knows what Sonic Team and SEGA have planned down the road. They may well surprise us all and announce a Sonic Heroes remaster - if that happens, you’ll be sure to find out about it first here.

Tails is a Vtuber now, apparently! Via an announcement on Twitter, SEGA has revealed “TailsTube,” a new “informative” web series about all things Sonic. This series will be hosted by a Vtuber avatar of Tails voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey. Beyond what’s revealed in the tweet, not much else is really known about the show. Will there be announcements? Interviews? Game presentations? We’ll just have to see. You can check out the brief announcement video below. The show will launch sometime next week. This isn’t the first time Sonic characters have become vtubers. Last year, SEGA of Japan turned Sonic into a vtuber for the franchise’s 30th anniversary. Tails later joined him in a stream in December. This is the first time this will be done in English, though.

If you hadn't caught it, the official Sonic YouTube channel teased bringing the Sonic Vtuber models stateside in the form of a Tails "streaming" series, TailsTube. The first episode premiered today, and it came with some answers to a longstanding question in the modern franchise. Tails lays out the nature of how Sonic & co. are able to hang out with both human people and anthropomorphic animals. The world represented in the games contains a number of major continents (such as the ones featured in Sonic Unleashed) and many, many smaller islands (like West Side Island, which Tails reminds the audience he's from). It's also stated that the human people and animal people settle in different places: This pushes against previous theories and statements that the anthropomorphic animal characters live on an entirely different world from the human characters that appear from Sonic Adventure through Sonic Unleashed (though it doesn't give clear guidance on the split between "modern" and "classic" Sonic quite yet). It should come as no surprise that the show itself was workshopped by Jasmine Hernandez (production manager), Tyson Hesse (animator), Ian Flynn (writer), Mike Cisneros (licensing manager), and Aaron Webber (strategy, studio/community relations), given the amount of direct detail given to a long-standing fan question. Though the whole unified world thing was the biggest bombshell, the video contained several other questions and references to savor: Q&A immediately kicks off with a SATAM reference: Sonic gives his old chestnut, "Let's do it to it." The checkerboards and loop-de-loops in the landscape are naturally occurring formations, as far as Sonic and Tails know. Why does Sonic use a racecar? "Because it's cool." Neither Sonic nor Tails know the origins of the Chaos Emeralds, nor does Sonic always have a consistent way to find them. It's also unclear if Tails can become Super Tails outside of the Classic series, given his reaction to Sonic discussing his Super Sonic form. (I'm sure some will argue times when Tails has gone super haven't been canonical versions of those stories, but trust me when I say I'm not the person to spend that time and energy convincing.) What's Sonic's relationship to Amy? Well, she "is just a really good friend." Tails reacts with skepticism. One message sent by a "viewer" uses a Tangle the Lemur avatar. So hey, not saying the IDW comics will play a role in the games, but they're at least fair game to reference beyond the mobile game! Among the little details on Tails' Mac-like desktop, the screen looks like his handheld Miles Electric computer seen from Sonic Unleashed onwards, complete with handle. It runs on chaOS with a little Omochao icon, and Sonic-styled parody icons of major applications in the tray (as well as a Chao transfer terminal). Icons on his desktop include his Tails Heal card from Sonic Battle, and folders titled "Extreme Gear Concepts," "Tornado 3," and "Chao Dinner Recipes." There's some unknown person in the lineup of human characters. The rest are directly taken from existing Sonic Unleashed concept art; however, this woman does not appear in that game, and is drawn in a slightly different art style than the Unleashed concept art characters. In a Twitter reply, Flynn alludes to knowing who she is, but doesn't provide any other context. If the Sonic marketing staff wanted to ensure people would continue following this YouTube series, they sure did start strong, between confirming vague bits of the Sonic brand bible and seeding small mysteries into it. The video was a brief and cute delight, even to a cold, jaded, fan like myself who long abandoned any interest or concern about the concept of "canon." And through its run, I think we can all hope for an answer to the biggest Sonic mystery of them all: which characters did they actually see fit to invest Vtuber models and voice acting time for? Thanks to @josiahblaze for the Ian Flynn tweet, and site writer @nuckles87 for additional research.

Sonic YouTube's official lore-dump series continues with yet another entry as Tails and Amy explore the yet more corners of how Sonic's world functions. The video is linked below, but jump farther down for the summary: After a brief intro, the duo reminisces about their Sonic adventures, old foes, and Amy's brief origin (per Origins), but quickly get to business. When asked where Sonic lives, both confirm that Sonic... doesn't really have a home. He travels, camps, and mooches off of his young friend, stowing his plane and raiding the fridge. Following this, Knuckles and his good friend Knuckles ask about the nature of multiple Sonics and yet further Sonics beyond. Referencing back to Generations, Amy confirms that Classic Sonic (whom she calls "Classic Sonic") is indeed Sonic's younger self from the past. Meanwhile, Tails speculates that, in other universes, there could potentially be any number and variations of Sonics, such as one that wears lots of athletic tape, or one in a rock band. (One must assume there's a Sonic out there that talks like that one character from Parks & Recreation.) And, of course, it wouldn't be a TailsTube without a moment of "Is this a quick gag or an actual tease for something?" Throughout the video, Tails' desktop has a "Lego Ideas" folder. Is it teasing the rumored upcoming sets? is it referencing 2022's LEGO Ideas Green Hill Zone set? Is it just a throwaway gag? Is it related to that woman who appeared in the first one that we still know nothing about? Are we waiting for yet another #KnowingSmile? Is this a dense tapestry of deceit and misdirection with the single-minded goal to thoroughly complicate the lives of those documenting the canon of the series? IS THE LEGO DIMENSIONS MULTIVERSE ONE OF THE SHATTER SPACES WITHIN SONIC PRIME!?! Probably not, but at least we know that LEGO the brand exists in Sonic's world, and that Cindy Robinson can perfectly replicate a Knuckles voice.