Tag Archives: sega

Steamforged Games partners with SEGA for Sonic the Card Game launch

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Steamforged Games, the tabletop gaming specialist behind hit titles like Monster Hunter, Dark Souls, and the Peaky Blinders card game, Faster Than Truth, has set tongues wagging once more, with a tease of a new card game based on SEGA’s iconic Sonic franchise.

The announcement of a new partnership between the games publisher and the video game studio, SEGA, arrived via what it being billed as a ‘stealth drop’, quietly listing the new Sonic title among a long-list of new titles to launch from Steamforged this year.

In fact, so stealthy was the announcement that details of the new title have been kept to just the title itself, as chatter among fans across the globe begins to pick up over just what Steamforged’s Sonic The Card Game will deliver to the playing space.

Fans across the scene have begun speculating what the game may entail, with drawing conclusions that given the nature of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, a racing card game can best be expected, playing into the similar vein of the family-friendly Sonic game, Sonic Crash Course that charges players with racing each other on the tabletop.

“Sonic’s the name, and speed is the game—literally! Join the beloved blue blur in a competitive card racing game where you’ll collect power-ups and rings to win,” read a short description of the game on Steamforged’s website.

Among the list of announcements, Steamforged also released reminders about is catalogue of video game inspired tabletop titles, including PacMan and its several beast-themed expansions for Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game.

Sonic the Hedgehog to join TOMY’s Club Mocchi-Mocchi plush line up

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The global toy maker, TOMY International, has signed a new collaboration with SEGA of America to bring the characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe to retail via the toy firm’s popular collectable Club Mocchi-Mocchi line.

Developed under TOMY’s Micchi-Mocchi brand, the officially licensed range will include super soft, squeezable, and huggable plush versions of characters from the Sonic universe. The range is expected to bow ahead of the arrival of the sequel to the hit blockbuster Sonic the Hedgehog movie and a new Netflix Originals animated series, Sonic Prime, next year.

Sonic the Hedgehog burst onto the gaming scene on June 23, 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the classic Sega Genesis, and quickly became known for his super-fast speed, signature attitude and readiness for all types of adventure. Since his debut, Sonic the Hedgehog has become a prominent figure in pop culture that has captivated fans around the world with an expansive franchise of iconic video games, comics, TV series and more.

“Sonic is an all-time classic video game character that has evolved into a beloved lifestyle brand and we are thrilled to bring these amazing characters to fans and collectors around the world through our unique Club Mocchi- Mocchi- brand,” said TOMY’s director of global brands, Morgan Weyl.

“The signature look and feel of our Club Mocchi- Mocchi- items will even turn Sonic’s quills in the most huggable quills ever.”

Michael Cisneros, manager of licensing at SEGA of America, added: “TOMY has a long-standing reputation for high-quality plush toys not only in the industry but is well revered with Sonic collectors as well. We’re thrilled to re-partner with them to create this unique line for Sonic the Hedgehog.

“Fans have embraced Sonic in so many different mediums, and these super-soft, Club Mocchi-Mocchi- plushies will be ones they can hug and cherish for years to come.”

JAKKS Pacific extends SEGA deal for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie toys and dress up

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JAKKS Pacific has secured the global toy rights for the upcoming Paramount Pictures’ feature film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in a deal that will see the toy maker design, manufacture, market, and sell branded toy lines scheduled for 2022.

The agreement between JAKKS and SEGA of America will include the rights to produce new action figures, play-sets, vehicles, plush toys, and other collectables. Meanwhile, the toy maker’s costume division, Disguise, will be designing and manufacturing costumes and accessories inspired by the sequel film.

The new line of merchandise is an extension of the multi-year, global toy licensing deal forged between SEGA of America and JAKKS Pacific back in 2019, which featured top-selling collectables based on the Sonic the Hedgehog film released last year.

Items based on the first film included the Talking Sonic Plush, Sonic Baby Plush, and Spin Dash Sonic play-set.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is sure to be a runaway hit in 2022. Given the success of the first movie and performance of our current Sonic the Hedgehog product line, we are excited to continue to develop toys that follow along with Sonic’s next great movie adventure,” said Craig Drobis, senior vice president of marketing at JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

“JAKKS brings decades of innovative product development experience to the table and will continue to bring to life these iconic characters in a wide variety of new and unique ways for kids and fans alike.”

Alex gomez, licensing director at SEGA of America, added: “We’ve seen such a great response from fans to the Sonic the Hedgehog products created by JAKKS Pacific, and we’re thrilled to continue working with them to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

“We hope that fans of the Blue Blur will see the collection as a testament of our appreciation and create memorable Sonic experiences with the products for years to come.”

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of toys and consumer products sold throughout the world, headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

Meanwhile, Disguise is recognised as a leading name in the design and development of Halloween costumes and accessories with distribution across the world. With a dedication to quality and detail, Disguise continues to own the licensed costume space with additional lines rolling out each year.

LEGO and SEGA partner to bring Sonic the Hedgehog to brick form

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The LEGO Group has detailed a new partnership with SEGA to bring Sonic the Hedgehog into brick form, thanks to a concept design submitted to the Danish toy maker’s invention platform, LEGO Ideas.

Created by a 24-year-old LEGO superfan, Viv Grannell, the design was inspired by SEGA’s critically acclaimed 2017 platformer experience Sonic Mania and features iconic characters and environments from the game’s Green Hill Zone level.

The design achieved its pre-requisite 10,000 votes from LEGO fans worldwide and has now been given the green light to enter production through a partnership between LEGO and SEGA.

Talking about the winning idea, Viv Grannell, said: “I’ve been invested in the world of Sonic for almost my entire life, and it’s such a perfect fit for the LEGO system that I spent about a year rallying support for it to happen.

“Having 10,000 people back my design was overwhelming enough, even with friends and family behind me, but having it be selected for further development was the most exciting secret I have ever had to keep.”

The Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone LEGO Ideas design will now go into the product development phase, in partnership with SEGA and once finalised will be available worldwide.

Talking about the collaboration, Jason Rice, director of brand licensing, SEGA Europe Ltd, said: “At SEGA, we’ve always encouraged fans to take part in the legacy of the Sonic franchise through their own creations and it’s wonderful to see the tradition continued through the LEGO Ideas program.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Viv and the LEGO Group, and hope to inspire fans to continue creating their own unique Sonic the Hedgehog experiences for generations to come.”

The Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone LEGO Ideas design is the ultimate embodiment of Sonic the Hedgehog’s past and future as the franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary this June. Featuring a wide variety of elements inspired by Classic Sonic, the set will provide LEGO collectors and Sonic fans alike a truly supersonic LEGO experience.

Sonic the Hedgehog will charge onto Netflix in new animated series in 2022

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A new animated series of Sonic the Hedgehog called Sonic Prime will be tearing onto Netflix with a worldwide premiere scheduled for 2022.

The 24-episode animated adventure is the product of a triple-threat deal between Netflix, SEGA of America, and WildBrain. Aimed at kids, families, and long-time fans of the franchise, Sonic Prime promises to draw upon the keystones of the brand as it follows Sonic on a new adventure in both a race to save the universe and find redemption.

The series will be animated at WildBrain’s Vancouver studio, and SEGA and WildBrain will jointly participate across production, distribution and licensing. Man of Action Entertainment, creators of Ben 10 and the characters and team in the Academy Award-winning feature Big Hero 6, have been brought on as showrunners and executive producers for the series.

Dominique Bazay, director of original animation, Netflix, said: “Sonic is a beloved character and holds a special place in everyone’s heart including my own. I spent many hours with the blue blur as a kid and it’s a privilege to be able to bring this character everyone knows and loves on a brand new adventure with Netflix – one that a generation of loyal fans and brand new fans around the world can enjoy.”

Ivo Gerscovich, chief brand officer at SEGA, added: “Sonic the Hedgehog is a global entertainment icon that has captivated audiences since its video game debut in 1991. With over 1.14 billion game units sold and downloaded to date, an exciting feature film, a robust licensing program and more, SEGA’s iconic hedgehog continues to surprise and delight audiences worldwide.

“We’re thrilled to partner with WildBrain, Man of Action Entertainment and Netflix to speed into this new, animated chapter in the Sonic franchise.”

Josh Scherba, President, WildBrain, said:”With generations of devoted fans around the world, Sonic the Hedgehog is more popular today than ever before, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Netflix, SEGA and Man of Action to deliver all new Sonic adventures for audiences worldwide.

“This premium franchise is ideally suited to WildBrain’s capabilities and it’s already inspiring great things from our talented creative teams. We’ve witnessed first-hand the enduring popularity of this brand from the strong and steady global demand for our library of legacy Sonic series. We look forward now to bringing fresh and exciting Sonic content to fans both new and old.”

Building on the momentum generated for Sonic in 2020 – and as the brand celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2021 – Sonic Prime aims to captivate the imaginations of audiences ages six to 11, as well as legacy Sonic fans of all ages, and will match the scale and scope of the epic adventures synonymous with the Sonic franchise.

In 2020, the theatrical feature Sonic the Hedgehog, took the number one spot worldwide on opening weekend and remained on top globally for weeks while breaking domestic box office records. Producers SEGA Sammy and Paramount Pictures have announced a sequel to the feature is in development.

Crunchyroll and Adult Swim partner for anime series based on SEGA video game franchise Shenmue

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It’s been a busy weekend for the global anime brand Crunchyroll who spent the past two days rolling out a roster of new announcements and partnerships as part of its Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, including the renewal of its partnership with Adult Swim for the production of the original anime series Shenmue, based on the SEGA video game franchise.

The year’s expo was the first time Crunchyroll had brought the annual offering to the digital space, taking the opportunity to detail a slate of new partnerships, that also included a new deal with Loot Crate, a home video partnership with Sentai Filmworks, and news of the return of Dr Stone to Crunchyroll.

Leading the announcements, the anime brand will once again partner with Adult Swim for the production of Shenmue. The new anime series will stream worldwide outside of Japan and mainland China on Crunchyroll and will air on Adult Swim’s Toonami in the US.

“The first Shenmue video game was released more than 20 years ago and we’re so excited to be working again with Adult Swim to bring this franchise to life through anime,” said Sarah Victor, head of development, Crunchyroll. “We’re eager to show our fans more of this action-packed adventure series as we move through production.”

Shenmue is an anime series with 13 episodes, following the journey of Ryo Hazuki. After he witnesses his father’s murder at the family dojo, Ryo dedicates his life to finding the man responsible – a mission that takes him from the streets of Yokosuka, Japan to the sprawling metropolis of Hong Kong, and beyond. Soon he’ll learn that larger, mystical forces are at play as he trains to become the ultimate martial artist in his quest for revenge.

“The world of Shenmue is fascinating and unique, and we are so excited to partner with Yu Suzuki to bring his epic creation to anime- and make a kick-ass martial arts epic,” said Jason DeMarco, svp/creative director on-air for Adult Swim.

Shenmue, a Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Production, is being directed by Sakurai Chikara (season two of One Punch Man, Naruto) with animation production by Telecom Animation Film, and production management provided by Sola Entertainment.

Video game creator Yu Suzuki is also onboard as an executive producer.

Meanwhile, Crunchyroll and Loot Crate revealed more details behind the partnership to bring fans more from their favourite anime series. Crunchyroll is curating two different crates with Loot Crate: the Crunchyroll Crate and the Limited Edition Mobile Suit Gundam Life Crate.

The monthly Crunchyroll crate will include items from a lineup of anime titles, including the upcoming Crunchyroll Original series Noblesse, alongside fan-favorites Mob Psycho 100, Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, alongside the brand’s beloved mascot Crunchyroll-Hime.

Also detailed was Crunchyroll’s new home video and electronic sell-through partnership with Sentai Filmworks. The global supplier and distributor will handle four titles to kick off the partnership, including Food Wars! The Fourth Plate, Ascendance of a Bookworm, Granbelm, and World Trigger. These series will appear as a mix of subtitled and English-dubbed content.

“We are delighted to expand Crunchyroll’s partnership with Sentai, and look forward to working closely with them to bring even more anime to fans in the US and Canada,” said Alden Budill, head of global partnerships and content strategy, Crunchyroll.

“Since at least 2011, Sentai and Crunchyroll have collaborated to bring exciting content to anime fans in new and innovative ways,” added John Ledford, Sentai CEO. “Through this latest content partnership, Sentai is thrilled to empower fans to own their favorite Crunchyroll shows on select Blu-rays and our award-winning Premium Box Sets.”

Crunchyroll has a global community of more than 3 million subscribers and 70 million registered users that enjoy the world’s largest collection of anime, including more 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes.

 

Australian sleepwear brand Peter Alexander celebrates Father’s Day with Sonic the Hedgehog

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The Australian sleepwear brand, Peter Alexander has launched its first Sonic the Hedgehog branded men’s and boys’ collection, thanks to a new partnership with the home of the iconic video game, comic book, and TV series character, SEGA.

In a partnership brokered by SEGA Brands’ Australian and New Zealand licensing agent, Merchantwise Licensing, the new on-trend sleepwear collection features Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles across a range of men’s t-shirts, trunk pants, baby onesies, boys and junior boys pyjamas, men’s waffle PJ pants, scuffs, and 3D Sonic slippers.

“Sonic the Hedgehog continues to be a truly global franchise spanning games, film, TV, animation, merchandising, mobile and major brand partnerships so following its recent big screen action-adventure comedy release this year, it was perfect timing for the dads and sons range to launch in Peter Alexander – ahead of Father’s Day in Australia and New Zealand,” said Merchantwise Licensing’s general manager of licensing, Kerryn McCormack.

“We look forward to continuing to expand Sonic’s presence in both countries and rolling out further great licensing campaigns for the brand.”

Sonic the Hedgehog races to set new video game adaptation record at global Box Office

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Paramount and SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog movie has set a new record for a video game-big screen adaptation, ringing in a three-day domestic opening of $58 million in the US.

The film’s projected four-day gross of $70 million is among the best showings for a Presidents Day long weekend opening.

The record previously belonged to 2019’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu which boasted the top North American debut for a video game adaptation with a three-day start of $54.3 million. The Blue Blur has now sped past the former top performer.

On an international level, Sonic the Hedgehog launched to a strong $43 million from its first 40 markets for a global total of $101 million through Sunday, and $113 million through Monday. The UK is ranked among the top markets for the film where it has so far brought in $6.2 million.

Sonic the Hedgehog is based on the popular SEGA video game franchise, and sees Sonic – voiced by Ben Schwartz – team up with a small town sheriff – James Marsden – to battle Jim Carrey’s evil genius Dr. Robotnik.

The film has launched with better than expected results following a rocky start for the film that underwent a re-design of its titular character, following an outcry from fans unhappy with the CG animated Sonic’s look in the first look trailer. The revision meant pushing back back the film’s release date, but has not damaged its Box Office appeal.

SEGA joins forces with Puma to launch latest Sonic sports style collection

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SEGA is once again joining forces with the sports brand Puma to bring Sonic, the world’s fastest hedgehog and the video game maker’s flagship character to the world of sports style fashion.

Launching ahead of the release of the upcoming blockbuster Sonic the Hedgehog movie, SEGA’s famous character will feature in a new collection that plays with the designs and graphics that appear in both the game series and film.

The Puma x Sonic collection consists of the RS-X³ Sonic sneaker in two new colourways with a semi-transparent white or black grid look, bright colour pops and gold accents, available in adult and kids sizes.

The collection is supplemented with the Puma x Sonic hoodie in bright blue or sleek black, and the Puma x Sonic tees with graphics on the front and back as well as a tee with AOP print.

Completing this Puma x Sonic drop, the new collection also offers matching apparel, footwear and accessories for kids, adorned with cool prints and hints of the Sonic universe.

Disrupting the speed of sound with style, the collection hits the shelves globally on Puma.com, at Puma stores and selected retailers on February 7th, while the kids’ collection arrives on February 15th.