While the iconic and well-lovedSuper Mariofranchise is celebrating its 35th anniversaryin 2020, 2021 is very important anniversary for another popular video game mascot. 2021 marks the 30th anniversary ofSonic the Hedgehog, and it looks like SEGA wants to pull out all the stops for Big Blue. And one of the ways it plans on doing that is with a new anniversary encyclopedia exploring the lore of the franchise.
The newSonic the Hedgehogencyclopedia, aptly named theSonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia, is a $50 hardcover book that will delve into the lore and details of everySonicgame over the last 30 years. The encyclopedia is being written by Ian Flynn who is currently the head writer for theSonic the Hedgehogcomic series from IDW Publishing, and has an extensive background working with theSonicIP having written various comics,episodes ofSonic Boom, and some of the stories for the video games themselves.
RELATED:Ninjala Announces Sonic the Hedgehog Collaboration
Unfortunately, while the item description for the encyclopedia mentions that it will explore the lore within theSonic the Hedgehoggames, it doesn’t go into what exactly that includes or how it’s presented. The product page on Amazon shows the cover art of the book but none of the pages inside. So it looks like fans will just have to speculate if their favoriteobscureSoniccharacterwill make an appearance when it releases on Jun 15, 2025.
TheSonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-iais but one of manybigSonic the HedgehogannouncementsSEGA has in store for the Blue Blur’s 30th anniversary. While there hasn’t been any news as to what all these announcements could entail,Sonicfans will likely be happy that their favorite Hedgehog is getting the spotlight in celebration rather than the condemnation of a poorly received game.
The reason for SEGA’s lack ofSonic30th anniversary announcements comes primarily due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, SEGA had planned on giving new details about futureSonic the Hedgehogprojects at a panel at SXSW. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, SXSW was cancelled and thus SEGA’s plans were put on hold for the time-being.
It’s likely that SEGA was planning on providing details for thenewSonic the Hedgehoggame that was announced at SXSWin 2019. This could either be good news or bad news depending on what style of game SEGA decides to go with. If it’s developing a 3D title, players may be a little hesitant to celebrate after being stung bySonic Forces. However if it’s working on a 2D game likeSonic Mania, this could be a wonderful 30th birthday for gaming’s favorite hedgehog.
TheSonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-iawill release on May 26, 2025.
MORE:Sonic the Hedgehog Games That Deserve the Mario 35th Anniversary Treatment
