2021 marks the 30th anniversary of Sega’s famous mascot character, Sonic the Hedgehog. Surely then, the company will have big plans for the series next year, as most characters don’t retain his level of sustainability. It appears that one of the celebrations will be an all-encompassing encyclopedia, which launches June 2021. Titled the Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia, the 256-page book from Dark Horse Books and Sega will look back at the character’s storied game history. Preorders are live on Amazon, for those of you who want to get in early before next summer’s release.
The description for the book makes it sound pretty comprehensive, for the games at least:
Celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary with a full-color hardcover historical retrospective that explores nearly every one of the blue speedster’s video game appearances!
Dive deep into the extensive lore and exhaustive detail of each game in Sonic’s ever-expanding universe–from the beloved SEGA Genesis to the most bleeding-edge video game consoles. This tome leaves no stone unturned, showcasing in-depth looks at the characters, settings, and stories from each exciting installment!
Last week, we reported on some of Sega’s other plans for the blue hedgehog’s anniversary, as a European product guide revealed Sega’s plans for 2021 include “new games, digital content, events, major announcements and a tailored licensing programme” for Sonic The Hedgehog. Note the use of “games” pointing toward multiple releases next year. We’ll see if Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia includes these alleged new releases.
Of course, Nintendo is celebrating a big anniversary of its own this week. This culminates on Friday, when Super Mario 3D All-Stars brings three classic Mario games to Nintendo Switch for Super Mario Bros.‘ 35th anniversary. Could Sega do something similar? Let’s see what 2021 brings.
Dark Horse Books’ Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia launches June 1, 2021, retailing for $49.99.
