Sonic Mania Delayed Until Summer; Project Sonic 2017 Officially Named

Sonic Mania has suffered a delay to its release date and will now launch during the summer, SEGA has announced. The retro-inspired Sonic The Hedgehog title had originally been slated for a generic spring release date on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC, so while disappointing news, the setback is only a mild one, and if the extra development time means a better final product, then we’re all for it.

But it’s not all bad news. Far from it, in fact. As part of its presence at SXSW, SEGA released some new footage for Sonic Mania (above) that revealed an additional stage, Flying Battery Zone. Originally appearing in Sonic 3 & Knuckles/Sonic & Knuckles, Flying Battery joins Green Hill Zone as the second stage from past Sonic games to be included in Mania, alongside Mirage Saloon and Studiopolis – brand new levels created specifically for the platformer.

In addition to the above, SEGA also finally lifted the lid on its second upcoming Sonic title, Project Sonic 2017. Sonic Forces, as it’s officially called, will, according to Polygon, feature both Modern and Classic Sonic and will follow a 3D format rather than the 2D perspective being covered by Mania.

While it’s not the Sonic Generations 2 that some had perhaps expected, it looks as if SEGA has recognized the praise the original game received for managing to mesh both versions of Sonic together to form a cohesive whole, with Sonic Forces potentially set to continue that trend. The first gameplay reveal, which will focus on Modern Sonic, is due to arrive later today, so we’ll keep you posted.