Sonic would have been axed by Sega if it wasn’t for the movie

| Games News Writer Published September 23, 2026 10:49am Updated September 23, 2026 10:50am A spin dash with death (Sega) Sonic The Hedgehog was almost kicked to the curb by Sega, as a developer teases the sequel to Sonic Frontiers. Sega’s Sonic The Hedgehog is arguably more popular than ever at the moment, but the video games play only a surprisingly small role in that success. The three live action movies, starring Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey, have all been massive box office hits – to the point where the first movie in 2020 largely kickstarted Hollywood’s recent obsession with video game adaptations. Turns out, Sonic’s success in cinemas was a lifeline for the blue hedgehog, as Sega was planning to abandon the franchise prior to the first film’s release. Speaking in an interview with One More Game, Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka mentioned Sonic’s brush with cancellation while discussing the series’ 35th anniversary. ‘It has been 35 years, which means it has been longer than actually my children, so I look upon this franchise like sort of like my own son,’ Iizuka said. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. He went on to explain how the series has had many ups and downs over the years, but one of the lowest points was when Sega wanted to stop making Sonic games entirely. ‘There had been good times, and there had been bad times… during the worst times, I was told by the higher-ups that we should cancel the entire franchise,’ he added. ‘I had to fight within the organisation to keep the franchise as long as possible.’ According to Iizuka, this changed with 2020’s Sonic The Hedgehog movie, which went on to gross $320 million worldwide from a $90 million budget. ‘The biggest milestone for me was the first movie… that had been a great hit and definitely changed the course of this franchise,’ he added. A fourth Sonic The Hedgehog movie is currently in the works, which is slated to come out in cinemas on March 19, 2027. Sonic’s success on the big screen is a pretty unique example of a video game series getting a second wave of popularity via another medium. However, Sega’s mascot has yielded mixed results sales wise in the video game realm since. Sonic Frontiers is the best-selling 3D Sonic ever with over five million units sold, but others, like Sonic Superstars and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, have failed to hit Sega’s internal expectations. Considering the success of Sonic Frontiers, you’d think a sequel would have been announced already. While Sega hasn’t revealed a follow-up yet, Iizuka teased the next major entry in an interview with 4Gamer at the Tokyo Game Show. ‘We’ll be creating a whole new kind of gameplay experience through various approaches – from characters and story to game systems – so please stay tuned and look forward to it,’ he said (via machine translation). It’s still unclear if a follow-up will be a direct sequel to Sonic Frontiers, or simply another 3D Sonic under a different name, but the next best chance of a reveal is at The Game Awards on December 10, 2026. Sonic Superstars was a disappointment (Sega) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: Does Microsoft really want to save Xbox or have they already given up? Arrow MORE: Call Of Duty creators Activision to make next Halo game as Xbox confirm layoffs Arrow MORE: Hellblade developer Ninja Theory and Arkane Studios face closure in Xbox cuts GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.