Highlights
- Sonic’s success led to Sega reviving classic games, including Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, and Golden Axe.
- Sega credits the success of Sonic for inspiring the initiative to bring back these dormant IPs and create games with memorable characters and worlds.
- The revival of these classic franchises confirms previous leaks and rumors, with the games currently in development but no release details announced yet.
The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise’s success contributed to Sega’s surprising announcement of revivals of classic games at The Game Awards 2023. While many had tuned in to see what games would win certain awards at the show, many were also watching to see what titles would be announced. Companies like Bandai Namco, Capcom, and BioWare were present to reveal new projects. In addition, Sega teased its presence at TGA 2023, which the publisher delivered in a big way, not only with trailers for upcoming Atlus games like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona 3 Reload, but also a unique “Next-Level” trailer.
Sega’s The Game Awards 2023 trailer showcased glimpses of five new games from classic IPs under the company’s umbrella that have been dormant since the mid-2010s. These include Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, and Golden Axe, much to the surprise of classic gamers who had been asking for reboots of these beloved franchises for a long time. With the reveal of these games, Sega’s COO credits this new initiative to the success of its flagship mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog.
A Brand-New Sonic Game Is Available to Play Right Now
A brand-new Sonic the Hedgehog game is now available to play, capping off an exciting and action-packed year for Sega’s legendary platforming mascot.
In a statement from a press release by Sega, co-COO of Sega Corporation and Sega of America CEO Shuji Utsumi stated that this new initiative on reviving these dormant IPs was thanks to the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in recent years. He specifically states that the franchise was brought to life and reached a new audience. “Building off that success, we are digging into our legacy and reimagining several franchises to bring these games to more audiences around the globe,” says Utsumi, “our ambition will be to create great games with memorable characters and worlds. We hope fans of all ages will look towards our future with anticipation as we release these projects in the coming years.”
The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has had a rather strong period through 2022-2023, where not only did it follow on the heels of Sonic Frontiers‘ sales success, but also an incredibly successful movie sequel. Other strong points include the release of Sonic Origins Plus, Sonic Superstars, and the launch of Sonic Dream Team earlier this December, on top of regular updates for Sonic Frontiers.
Building off that success, we are digging into our legacy and reimagining several franchises to bring these games to more audiences around the globe…our ambition will be to create great games with memorable characters and worlds. We hope fans of all ages will look towards our future with anticipation as we release these projects in the coming years.
Interestingly enough, some of these projects were mentioned in a previous Sega leak that included a Jet Set Radio revival, along with early footage of Sonic Frontiers and a Persona 3 project. With Sega now committing to a proper revival of Jet Set Radio and other classic franchises, it seems those rumors were all correct to a certain degree. These reboots of classic Sega games are all currently in development, though no platforms or solid release windows have been nailed down as of this writing.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog is a prolific game franchise that started life on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Covering both 2D and 3D iterations through the generations, Sonic is known for speedy movements and interesting platforming mechanics.
