Sonicthe Hedgehog 4is confirmed.Varietybroke the news that Paramount Pictures has a spring 2027 release set for the next installment.
Momentum seems strong for the franchise, asearly reviewshaveSonic 3faring far better than its release competitor,Mufasa: The Lion King.Box officeprojections also haveSonic 3at $60-$70 million opening weekend andMufasaat (a still respectable) $50 million.
As of right now, there are no details about the story or who will or won’t return. The studio may want to continue the universe as is, or could view the end of the first trilogy as an opportunity to revamp the characters, setting, etc.
The History of Sonic the Hedgehog
Back in the 90s,Sonicwas one of the most popular characters in media. At the time, home console gaming was just starting to become mainstream. TheSega Genesis, along with theSuper Nintendo, led the way for the normalization and popularization of the medium.
While Nintendo had Mario as its established star, Sega sought one of its own. They landed on Sonic. The first game,Sonic the Hedgehog, came packaged with the system, which helped associate the character with the system and ensured people played the game.
Genesis immediately beat the incumbent Nintendo, which led toSonic the Hedgehog 2,3, and, my favorite,Sonic & Knuckles. The blue guy was so popular that he even had two cartoons that aired simultaneously:Adventures of Sonic the HedgehogandSonic the Hedgehog.
However, the arrival of Sony’s Playstation elevated gaming from 16-bit to 32 and shifted the entire industry. A few years later, in 2001, Sega decided to exit the console business. Because of that, for most of the 21st century, Sonic has been a legacy character with niche appeal, as opposed to a leading figure.
10 Best Sega Genesis Games, Ranked
For a time, Sega did what NintenDon’t, and history could’ve progressed very differently. This list breaks down the best games on the Sega Genesis.
Sonic’s Modern Comeback
The firstSonicfilm found the right combination of nostalgia and modern appeal to reboot interest in the red-shoed racer.
We then hadSonic Frontierspiggyback off that momentum to become thebest-sellingSonic game of the 3D-era.
Netflix also launchedSonic Prime, a new animated show based on the story from the video games. It received general praise from critics, and did well-enough that Netflix made three seasons (though it seems like afourth is unlikely).
Just as Sonic helped video games find a foothold across the world, he’s now leading the way in elevating video game-related movies and TV. This has been a notoriously difficult, seemingly impossible thing to do, as most video game movies have failed horribly.
It will be exciting to see what new horizons are in store for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and friends.
