Sonic Central Recap

We love speed and so does Sega as their 15 minute presentation, Sonic Central, showcased some exciting news to celebrate 30 years of Sonic. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s grab some rings and head into this recap.

The presentation started out with Sega’s Ivo Gerscivich (Global Chief Brand Operator) and Takashi Iizuka (Creative Officer) starting the show by thanking the fans for their support for the series. They let viewers know that more content will be shown and announce throughout the year.

It was announced that there will be a virtual symphony that will perform various tracks throughout the franchise from a full symphony. Special guest, Crush 40, will also performing music from the games. DJ Tomoya Tani will also partake in some musical performances. There will be more artists to announce at later dates; but for now, June 23 is the official date for the musical performances. It’s also free so tune in and relive your memories through the music of the Sonic franchise. You can tune into Summer Game Fest for a sneak peek of what’s to come.

Tokyo 2020 will include Sonic as a playable character, and you can control him through 18 events. Play as Sonic in Basketball, Tennis, Soccer, and more. You can pre-order the game today, and it will release for PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, and Steam on June 22.

In Two Point Hospital, you’ll be able to be visit a hospital and may be cured with free Sonic-themed, in-game items and customization. You dress up or customize your hospital with some neat Sonic furniture and even arcade cabinets. The Sonic Pack will release on July 30.

This fall, you’ll be able to play Sonic The Fighters in Lost Judgement. Sonic The Fighters, or known outside Japan arcades as Sonic Championship, is a 3-D arena fighter developed by SegaAM2 in 1996. In Lost Judgement, all you have to do is visit an arcade to play this classic fighter. Lost Judgement is set to release September 24 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

The 2010 Wii exclusive, Sonic Colors, is making a comeback, better and more colorful than ever. Titled Sonic Colors Ultimate, the mixture of 2-D and 3-D platforming will be speeding across PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the Epic Games Store on September 7. You can pre-order online now to receive a baby Sonic key chain, early access, exclusive music, Gold & Silver wearables, exclusive player icons, and more. We’ll learn more in the coming weeks.

Roger Craig Smith, who voices Sonic, announced a 2-part animated short called Sonic Colors: Rise Of The Wisp. In Sonic Colors: Rise Of The Wisp, the story takes place in the Sonic Colors universe. Sonic and Tails go to Sweet Mountain and meet up with a new character to the series, the Jade Ghost Wisp. They must adventure out to save the wisp from Dr. Eggman. Will they succeed? We will find out as it debuts this summer.

The most surprising announcement of the show is Sonic Origins. This collection contains Sonic 1-3, Sonic and Knuckles, and Sonic CD. It’s important to know that Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, and Sonic CD haven’t been on the Sega Genesis collections from previous years. The game will have more content and features added to it. More info will come later this year.

Team Sonic Racing and Sonic Mania are coming to Amazon Luna while the same games along with Sonic Forces are coming to PlayStation Now. The PlayStation Now games will release June 1.

Sonic Mobile also got some new content for Sonic Dash, Sonic Forces, and Sonic Racing. You’ll have new events and limited events to race and compete in later this year.

Sonic Prime, coming to Netflix in 2022, had the Joe Kelly from Man Of Action to speak a little on the animated series coming to next year. More info will come later this year.

The last section the presentation focused on was the merchandise coming to stores. Jakks Pacifics will release a Dr. Eggman Robot from Sonic 2; King Ice will be releasing Sonic Jewelry for those hip hop fans of the series; Dark Horse will release a Sonic EncycloSPEEDIA about all things Sonic, and you’ll be able to purchase some exclusive Sonic coins from APMEX. Visit the official Sonic 30th anniversary site for more information.

Last but not least, Takashi Iizuka ending the show with the announcement of a brand new Sonic game coming next year from Sonic Team. At the time of this writing, the short teaser has the blue blur running through a forest, and after he makes a turn in a top-down view, he exited out of frame forming a phrase in Japanese.

There’s a lot of Sonic we don’t know at the moment but with this presentation, we all can celebrate the accomplishment of the Sonic franchise. You can watch the full presentation below.

Did you enjoy the debut of Sonic Central? What are your memories with the Sonic franchise? Let us know in the comments or in our Discord.