Sonic the Hedgehog has officially turned 25.
A "Sonic the Hedgehog Anniversary Party" was held last June 25 at Tokyo Joypolis in Japan by Sega, the video game franchise owner.
According to gaming website Gematsu.com, the special celebration of Sonic's 25th anniversary had a main stage event and guests include producer Takashi Iizuka, designer Yuji Uekawa, sound directors Jun Senoue and Tomoya Ohtani, and director Harumasa Nakajima. The party was also live streamed on AbemaFresh, Niconico and YouTube.
Aside from the main stage event, players who attended the celebration had their chance to check out the "Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice" for 3DS. This game will be available on September 27 this year.
Videogamer.com has revealed that Sega is focused in bringing back the blue hedgehog back on track. The company is determined to go across various platforms to lift up Sonic the Hedgehog's status not just as a gaming icon but rather an entertainment icon.
Sega's Chief Brand Officer Ivo Gerscovich revealed that since last year, the company had put emphasis on quality and a proof of this change was "Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice". He added that the recent title was held by Sega for a year before it was released which was an unconventional move for the company. However, it also showed how Sega wanted to bring Sonic back to where it used to be.
In addition, according to Sonic the Hedgehog's Producer and Product Development and Creative Services Vice President Iizuka, who has been involved with the game since its second release, the challenge for them is to release quality titles to players and make sure that their games are great.
Aside from the soon-to-be-released video game, a film featuring Sonic the Hedgehog is also in the works. And Sega is partnering with Sony Pictures to bring into life a movie with live-action and traditional CGI.
A Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Party will also be held on July 22 in the upcoming Comic Con event which will be held in San Diego. The celebration will have a live streamed coverage via Twitch.
Reports say that a new Sonic game which is expected to be released in 2017 will also be announced in the event next month. Special announcements about the new and upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog video game will be made during the said celebration.
Look back at the 25 years of Sonic the Hedgehog by clicking on the YouTube video below.