Highlights
- Sega has filed an application for "Sonic & Friends" and speculation is rampant about what it could be, including a kid's show, game, or YouTube series.
- The logo for "Sonic & Friends" has a design similar to a character from the 3DS Sonic theme, suggesting what the other characters might look like.
- It is likely that "Sonic & Friends" will be a TikTok shorts series, as it aligns with previous announcements and would avoid overlapping with Sonic Prime.
As per the Trademark Watch website, Sega filed an application for "Sonic & Friends" on June 23 and included a logo on July 18. Something new in the world of Sonic is on the horizon, but nobody knows what--a kid's show, another game, a YouTube miniseries, a spiritual successor to Sonic Shuffle (or even a direct sequel)... theories are abundant.
While most are little more than guesses, @thechiefofsonic found an interesting connection to the logo. They shared a picture of the 3DS Sonic theme which has a character design strikingly similar to the Sonic face. That doesn't tell us exactly what it is but it gives us an indication of what the other characters in Sonic & Friends might look like, such as Shadow, Eggman, Amy, Tails, and Knuckles.
Given the design and name, which is fairly close to the Disney Junior series Spidey and His Amazing Friends, the kid's show theory has some weight. Especially if they're pulling from the 3DS themes' smaller, chibi-like designs (just look at Eggman, practically a baby with a moustache).
However, it doesn't look like it's a traditional kid's show that would air on any streaming services or television channels. Instead, it's likely that Sonic & Friends is the TikTok shorts series that Sega talked about on Sonic Station Live a month ago.
The artwork looks a lot like the logo as well, with a Chibi blue blur sitting and waving at the audience. You can see it below.
Sonic & Friends being a TikTok series lines up with the announcement and would avoid clashing with Sonic Prime which is already geared toward children. With how big TikTok is, it was only a matter of time before Sega tried to capitalise on its potential with its biggest mascot.
Sega hasn't officially announced Sonic & Friends, so until it does, we can only speculate based on other promotional material and the name. And because of that, some fans are keeping their hopes high, such as those wishing for some kind of sequel or successor to Shuffle, a party game launched for the Dreamcast in 2000.
Essentially, it was Sonic's answer to Mario Party, even enlisting help from its developer Hudson Soft. Shuffle saw four players on a board moving their characters along tiles that could trigger random events, some of which were competitive minigames. Sounds familiar, eh?
Given the other evidence that has surfaced, this theory seems unlikely, but maybe one day Sonic will get a new party game. After all, we are returning to 2D with Superstars.