Sega Celebrates Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th Anniversary with a Virtual Showcase

Sonic the Hedgehog’s legacy continues as Sega announces an online campaign to celebrate the hedgehog’s 30th anniversary. The virtual event Sonic Central will take place on May 27 at 9 a.m. PDT/12 p.m. EST, where fans will get a closer look at future projects, partnerships and events for the franchise.

Originally released on the Sega Genesis in 1991 as a 16-bit platformer game, Sonic the Hedgehog has remained a relevant and memorable character within the gaming world and the defining representative of Sega. The most recent addition to the franchise before this was the film Sonic the Hedgehog, released in 2020. The movie is now getting a sequel that is set to release on April 8, 2022.

A standalone Sonic the Hedgehog platformer game hasn’t been released since Sonic Forces, which was created in 2017 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the franchise. More recently the franchise came out with spin-off Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and racing game Team Sonic Racing in 2019.

The event will feature special guests alongside SEGA’s Sonic team to unveil the news, and will take place on the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitch and YouTube channels. As an additional treat for fans, Sega collaborated with Liquid+ Arcade to create the video campaign “Unstoppable,” which celebrates the franchise and its fans throughout the years. Watch the video below.