Sonic the Hedgehog, SEGA’s mascot, has been going strong for over 20 years. He’s been in games, TV series, comics and the like. Now, SEGA is planning to launch a new line in the Sonic series with Sonic Boom.
The main part of Sonic Boom is a brand new animated series, centered on the adventures of Sonic and his friends against Doctor Eggman, and will be debuting on Cartoon Network this fall. The all-CGI cartoon, being developed by French animation studio Ouido, will consist of fifty-two 11-minute long episodes, and will have a massive push and support from toy developer Tomy, who will release action figures, playsets and other toys in conjunction with the show.
In addition, SEGA has announced a new video game, acting as a prequel to the TV show. Being developed by Big Red Button Studios for the Wii U and Sanzaru Games for the 3DS, and overseen by Sonic Team, the game promises to take Sonic and friends into new gaming territory, including exploration, combat and a new Enerbeam tether system, as players utilize Sonic’s speed, Tails’ flying and gadget skills, Knuckles’ might, and Amy’s hammer and agility, as they explore a new land. And with people who’ve worked on games like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted and Sly Cooper, it should make for one of the most interesting entries in the Sonic series.
SEGA has gone on record that this is a separate franchise from the main Sonic games, so fans should relax. That said, the new designs are interesting, and seem to highlight the characters’ individual skills and abilities more (love the Tails redesign a lot), and it’s going to be nice to have a game where you can play all four major heroes at the same time while in a self-contained story. More will be revealed as they develop. In the meantime, enjoy this gorgeous trailer for the game.
