Earlier this year, Sega hosted a celebratory stream announcing a litany of future projects and promotions for Sonic’s 30th birthday, in which the next Sonic game was teased. Fans did not get to see too much, the trailer showing the blue blur running through a forest as turquoise energy flows off of him, and ending with a cryptic symbol without any official name or logo. Sega trademarks and movements on Steam in the past months have pointed fans towards a title for the game, Sonic Frontiers, as well as the growing suspicion of an incoming announcement. The last major release in the series was 2017’s Sonic Forces, which received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike.

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After much teasing between Sonic the Hedgehog and The Game Awards, the series’ next game is going to be at the show on December 9. This announcement comes from new tweets by Geoff Keighley and The Game Award’s Twitter accounts, both drumming up fan anticipation of an already announcement-filled The Game Awards lineup. The Game Awards writes, “Celebrate @sonic_hedgehog 30th anniversary with the world premiere of the #sonic2 movie trailer and your first look at the next Sonic game,” it being a “Sonic doubleheader,” as Keighley puts in his post.

As mentioned, Sonic’s presence at The Game Awards 2021 was heavily teased in advance of the show. In another exchange on Twitter, the official Sonic the Hedgehog account asked Keighley if he had any extra tickets for this year’s show, to which he obliged, with Sonic returning, “Thanks, we’ll see you there!” It has been many years since Sonic has stepped into the formal gaming spotlight, with many of the series’ announcements and developments having been conducted through Sonic Central broadcasts and other community-driven events.

There is no better way to send off Sonic’s 30th Anniversary than how Sega is currently proceeding. With The Game Awards’ ever-growing audience, the worldwide success of last year’s Sonic the Hedgehog movie, as well as its crossovers, like with Monster Hunter Rise, the franchise is capitalizing on its recent successes and setting the stage for the next Sonic game to get a lot of attention. Whether it’s another CGI trailer or a full-blown gameplay presentation, it is exciting either way to know that Sonic the Hedgehog news is nearly here after going so long without any.

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