Sega has announced an all-new animated short based of its iconic mascot Sonic the Hedgehog. TitledSonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps, the animation looks to expand upon the story of 2010’sSonic Colors.
The announcement comes as part of today’sSonic Central stream event. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the blue blur, Sega gave fans a peek at the various upcoming media releases for the franchise over the course of the next year or so, which included multiple games, shows, and more.
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Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wispsis the first installment of a two-part animation series set to debut this summer. As can be seen in the trailer, the short looks to possibly be a retelling of the plot ofSonic Colors, albeit with full dialogue and a fully voiced cast, including the return of two legendary franchise voice actors. Kate Higgins, who voiced Miles “Tails” Prower inSonic Colors, is reprising her role for the first time since 2013. Additionally, and more significantly, fan-favorite Sonic voice actorRoger Craig Smith will be returning to his roleas well. Smith just yesterday revealed his return after announcing he was stepping down earlier this year.
Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wispscomes in tandem withthe announcement ofSonic Colors Ultimate. A remaster of the original game,Sonic Colors Ultimatewill include upscaled visuals, an additional game mode, and refined controls among other improvements. While the original 2010 version was exclusive to the Nintendo Wii and DS, the remastered version will launch for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, in addition to Switch. WhileRise of the Wispshas yet to receive a specific release date beyond the vague “summer” window, it stands to reason that it would be late in the season, likely dropping shortly before the launch ofSonic Colors Ultimate.
One of the Sonic Central presentation’s biggest focuses was on the re-release of olderSonicthe Hedgehogtitles. In addition to announcing the new content surroundingSonic Colors,Sega also revealed itsSonic Originscollection. The retro lineup ofSonictitles includesSonic the Hedgehog 1-3,Sonic & Knuckles,andSonic CD,with a release window of 2022. Fans hoping to see the blue blur in a new title were given just a tidbit in the form of a vague teaser trailer, showing the Sega mascot running through a forest with a pixelated trail. While fans hoping for the much-rumoredSonic Adventureremake were left disappointed, there’s still a chance a reveal could be made at next month’s E3.
The presentation does mention it is the “first” Sonic Central, leaving the door open for future installments to announce more content. With plenty of gaming industry events happening over the next few months, and the fact thatRise of the Wispsis part one of a two-part series, it should be interesting to see what else Sega may have up its sleeve for theSonic the Hedgehogfranchise.
