It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about Sonic Mania. Announced during last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, SEGA’s retro-inspired side-scroller received a huge amount of positive reception for evoking a period in the Blue Blur’s history that many to consider to be his best, but since then we’ve had but just a few snippets of gameplay showing the Hedgehog in action. I’ve been hopeful ever since its announcement that the age-old saying – no news is good news – is applicable to Sonic Mania‘s ongoing development, and that does appear to be the case, as the developer says it’ll have more news to share next month.
As per GameSpot, SEGA will be attending South By Southwest in March, wherein it plans to “showcase a new reveal” for both Sonic Mania and Sonic 2017 (working title), although what exactly it is that we’ll be seeing isn’t clear. SXSW’s own description of the panel, which will have Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka, as well as the voice actors for Sonic and Dr. Robotnik (Roger Craig Smith and Mike Pollock) present, says the following:
Dive into the world of Sonic the Hedgehog in this exclusive behind-the-scenes look at both Sonic Mania and the upcoming Sonic 2017! With presenters from SEGA and Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka, this panel will answer questions about both games, showcase a new reveal for each title, and will discuss Sonic’s resurgence in the world of gaming since the reveal of both games. Of course, with Sonic involved, who knows what other surprises might be in store?
Considering we’ve yet to see any gameplay for Sonic 2017, I’m honestly not sure what to expect SEGA to reveal, although an official name along with a short teaser would be a good start. As for Sonic Mania, with its original launch window having been slated for spring this year, I’m hopeful that Iizuka will have a firm release date to share, but failing that, a new stage or even the confirmation of a returning fan favorite will surely go down a treat.
The panel is due to take place on March 16 at 6 pm EST/3 pm PST/11 pm GMT, so we’ll find out exactly what SEGA has up its sleeves then. Stay tuned.
