Sega planned to shut down the entire Sonic series, but the first movie saved the franchise

How the movie changed the fate of the iconic franchise

Sonic Team studio head Takashi Iizuka shared unexpected details about the past of the blue hedgehog. According to him, Sega was seriously considering completely shutting down the Sonic the Hedgehog series due to inconsistent game performance.

Everything changed with the release of the first live-action feature film in 2020. The movie not only achieved a great box office, but also attracted a huge new audience across various age groups.

A new breath of life for Sonic

The adaptation's success forced Sega's management to rethink its stance on the mascot:

• The franchise received strong funding to develop large-scale next-generation games;
• The cinematic universe expanded with sequels and TV series;
• Games in the series once again became steady hits on Nintendo platforms and other consoles.

According to Iizuka, the first film "definitely changed the course of the entire franchise" and gave Sonic a bright future.