Sonic the Hedgehog may never have gotten another video game if the first Sonic the Hedgehog film adaptation from Paramount Pictures wasn’t the roaring success it turned out to be.
That insight arrives courtesy of Sonic Team lead Takashi Iizuka, who recently told One More Game that management of Sega, at one point, wanted to end the Sonic franchise entirely.
Sega reportedly wanted to cancel Sonic game franchise – quick links
Why Sega wanted to cancel the Sonic the Hedgehog game franchise
For those who’ve long followed the Sonic franchise, the news may not be surprising.
While recent releases including Sonic Superstars and Sonic x Shadow Generations have been warmly received, that hasn’t always been the case for the series. Prior to these releases, there were a string of games that failed both critically and commercially, leaving the franchise’s reputation in the dust.
‘There had been good times, and there had been bad times,’ Iizuka says.
‘During the worst times, I was told by the higher-ups that we should cancel the entire franchise. I had to fight within the organisation to keep the franchise as long as possible.’
While the exact games that inspired these thoughts were not mentioned, fans may point to the failures of Sonic Forces, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric or Sonic Lost World for example, none of which were well-received.
The franchise was reportedly saved unexpectedly by the fervour around the first Sonic the Hedgehog film, which helped to re-spark interest in the series, and attracted a new generation of game players.
Buoyed by the success of Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
According to Iizuka, the commercial success and critical appreciation of Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog film adaptation, which reimagines the story of Sonic for a modern audience, ended up saving the game franchise.
‘The biggest milestone for me was the first movie,’ he says. ‘That had been a great hit and definitely changed the course of this franchise.’
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) was the push the game franchise seemingly needed, with Sega management then convinced it still had legs and that it was worth pursuing new games for new and returning fans.
Iizuka also revealed the films have had further influence on the popularity of the franchise’s main characters, with the third film particularly buoying the popularity of Shadow the Hedgehog, a character who was once destined to be killed off.
‘Now the third movie is out, and the popularity of Shadow has been on the rise,’ Iizuka says.
‘Before that, the most popular characters were Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and it has always been that way. But now, Shadow has been rising up to the same popularity as Sonic.’
He also teased a desire to see Shadow getting even more attention, perhaps in the form of a new game.
‘[Shadow’s] my favourite character,’ Iizuka says.
‘I want to have more places where Shadow can appeal more. I want to focus on him a little bit more.’
With the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise getting a fourth film in 2027, it appears the franchise’s long-term success will only continue, hopefully paving the way for more Sonic games in future.
As Iizuka explains, this is just another example of how film adaptations can synergise with video games, with both mediums buoying the success and interest in the other.
