'Sonic Mania' Launch Moved to Summer May Be a Good Thing
Nostalgia truly is the name of the game as SEGA re-introduces Sonic the Hedgehog back in its roots with "Sonic Mania." There is news, however, that fans will have to wait a little longer before they get their hands on the famous blue mascot, and probably for good reason.
According to GameSpot, SEGA has announced during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference that it will be holding off "Sonic Mania's" release from spring to summer 2017. While a specific date wasn't shared during the said announcement, they did tease information about additional enemies, preorder bonuses and a whole lot more.
Considering SEGA didn't provide any reason, one can safely assume that it is still trying to polish flaws of the game and ensuring a smooth comeback. It can be recalled that the franchise has had a tough downward slope for quite some time now, and this may be its shot at redemption.
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If anything, the decision to revive the first Sonic adventure and add improvements to make it more current is a stroke of genius. Former SEGA America CEO Tom Kalinske tells Polygon that Sonic was the reason why SEGA Genesis was a huge success, attributing over 50 percent of the success to the character.
After all is said and done, Kalinske witnessed the rise and fall of the game, and is remaining optimistic now that it is being reintroduced as "Sonic Mania." He believes that the company now knows what went wrong and will exhaust all efforts to make it right. And if the delay is part of that cleanup, then it is certainly a welcome adjustment.
The last revelation fans have seen about the title is during a gameplay commentary with PR head Aaron Webber, revealing the Green Hill Zone and new improvements. With more time in their hands, it may just be what it needs to soar back to the top.
"Sonic Mania" can be expected to arrive on PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC by summer 2017.
