VG Update #5: Sonic The Hedgehog: New Look, New Game, New TV Show

The Sonic franchise hasn't had the best of luck ever since the late 1990s. With dozens of attempts to try fresh ideas with each new game, Sega has not been able to strike the formula for success with its iconic, blue hedgehog for years. Now that he's recently turned 20 years old, the company is giving Sonic and his friends a makeover. With redesigned character models, a completely new direction, a complimentary CGI TV show and a toy line, the "Sonic" franchise is going for an all-or-nothing approach.

This is the concept art for "Sonic Boom" with the finalized character model revisions. (Photo courtesy of Big Red Button Entertainment)

There are several new design changes to take note of here. From left to right, Tails is now a mechanic with goggles and tools, Knuckles is taller and brawnier, Sonic has a brown scarf and Amy sports a hammer. All of them also have athletic tape on their arms and/or legs. Although reactions to these changes have been mixed, Sega is not kidding around this time. The publisher means business to attract new fans and appease longtime fans.

The game these characters will star in is "Sonic Boom," which will be released on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS later this year. It's being developed by Big Red Button Entertainment, a Western game developer led by Bob Raffei, who previously worked for Naughty Dog. He calls the game a “real solid character-adventure story” with third-person combat in an open world setting that can be traversed at high speed (the last thing being the hallmark of all "Sonic" games). It will also sport a cooperation mode with the option to play with up to four players.

The TV show is directly tied to the game's story, which is a direct prequel to it. Beautifully animated in CGI and aiming to be a humorous, action-packed show, it takes inspiration from cartoons like "The Regular Show" and "Spongebob Squarepants" according to Sega. The TV show will also emphasize character development with a strong reliance on the unique personalities of the characters. Evan Bailey, the head of production, believes this will appeal to younger audiences while throwing in some things that older audiences can appreciate, too.

Lastly, TOMY will be manufacturing the toy line with a line of plushies, action figures and other toys that compliment the game and TV show. This company is known for its partnership with Nintendo to produce Pokémon toys, so it's no stranger to the game industry and a natural fit for what Sega is trying to accomplish.

The ambition that Sega has to pull this off is admirable in itself, but will the publisher end up tripping over itself by doing all of these new, bold things, or will this propel Sonic the Hedgehog to new heights of fame and profit? Activision's similar, risky move with the Skylanders property proved to be a roaring success for them, so Sega might be creating the next sensation as well if everything falls into place.