Sega has announced its plans to mark Sonic the Hedgehog’s 35th anniversary this year.
Alongside a new anniversary trailer designed to “build hype and rewind through Sonic’s best moments”, Sega has promised “a high-energy slate of anniversary programs” designed to “celebrate Sonic’s legacy while bringing fans together around the world”.
That includes “digital content highlighting Sonic’s evolution across the decades”, fan meet-ups, brand and retail partnerships featuring limited merchandise, museum pop-ups and art exhibits, live concert celebrations, and “a brand-new narrative podcast”.
Additional 35th anniversary-inspired content, partnerships, collectibles, and fan experiences will be revealed throughout the year, it said.
There’s no mention of a new Sonic the Hedgehog video game, but it’s rare for Sega’s mascot to skip an annual release. The last big mainline Sonic game, Sonic Frontiers, however, was released nearly four years ago in 2022.
“We’re incredibly proud to celebrate 35 years of our beloved Sonic franchise with our fans,” said Marcella Churchill, VP of Sega brand marketing.
“This milestone is not just a reflection of our past, but also a look toward the future as we continue to innovate and grow. We want to bring our community together and create memorable experiences for all our fans throughout 2026!”
The original Sonic the Hedgehog was released for the Sega Genesis in North America on June 23, 1991, with releases on the Mega Drive in Japan and Europe the following month.
Sonic himself is a little older – he first appeared as a dangling ornament hanging from the rearview mirror in Sega‘s arcade racing game Rad Mobile, which was released in February 1991.
The game was an immediate success and quickly cemented Sega’s 16-bit console as a real contender in the console war with the SNES.
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