In honor of the Sonic 30th anniversary, a Sonic Central event was held that provided insight into the future of the franchise. Among the announcements of a remaster, a collection, and an animated short was the reveal of a new untitled Sonic Team game that, for the time being, is called Sonic 2022. While the trailer provided very few details aside from some flashy visuals, a mistake in a press release may have spilled the beans on the name of the upcoming game.
Sega’s press release named everything that was shown at the event, along with another Sonic the Hedgehog title called Sonic Rangers. Whatever that title is, it was not included in the series of announcements that day… or maybe it was. The press release reads: “Announcing new console experiences, Sonic Colors: Ultimate and Sonic Rangers, further details on Netflix’s Sonic Prime, mobile news, musical events and much more!”
It’s easy to assume that Sonic Rangers is the title of Sonic 2022 since the press release also named everything else that appeared at the Sonic Central event. However, Sega has stepped in to say that that press release was an old version and was shared incorrectly. The company could simply be covering its hide since it wasn’t ready to formally announce the title, or the name could be referring to another project altogether. Either way, Sonic Rangers doesn’t reveal any more than the trailer itself, so all that can be done is to wait until Sega officially addresses the title’s origins.
While that particular announcement has become a topic of discussion in the community, with the more curious pouring over the trailer for clues about the game, the rest of the event was more clear-cut. A collection of classic Sonic games is releasing next year under the title Sonic Origins. It includes the first Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic the Hedgehog CD. Beyond the release year, no further details were expanded upon, such as additional content or features.
Additionally, a Sonic Colors Ultimate trailer also made an appearance at the event. This will be a remastered version of the original side-scrolling platforming Wii title and it will be released on Nintendo’s newest console, the Switch, as well as several other platforms on September 7. A trailer for Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps, an animated short based on the game that expands upon its story, was also shown. The short will release this summer.
Sega celebrated Sonic’s 30th anniversary in style, showing off several projects that should get Sonic fans excited. The real star of the show, though, was Sonic 2022, which will hopefully be the next major title for the franchise that sets the bar. There have been a lot of highs and lows for the series, so if Sega is thinking big, there’s a lot that Sonic 2022 could learn from Sonic Adventure 2 if it wants to be a success.
Sonic 2022 is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Eurogamer (via Twitter)
