The Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka announced that a brand new Sonic the Hedgehog game will be launched in 2017 in celebration of the world's fastest hedgehog's 25th anniversary.

On June 25, Sega celebrated its 25th anniversary in Tokyo, and the company revealed that Sonic the Hedgehog game will be launched in 2017. Iizuka mentioned the game will be officially announced at a special event at San Diego Comic Con on July 22, Gematsu reported.

On June 24, Iizuka unveiled that Sega was developing a new Sonic game after months of fan rumors and hints given by the developer's Twitter accounts about a possible new addition to the legendary long-running series. In the same day, Sega's official Twitter page hinted about the new Sonic game in in the works in a video featuring Sonic and his arch-nemesis Doctor 'Eggman.'

Japanese magazine Famistsu asked Iizuka about the future of the Sonic franchise (translated by Soah City), and he answered that the team is currently working on a "completely new" Sonic game, and they are also busy developing a full movie, and animation on Sonic Boom. He added that his team is ready to improve sponsor ties, and they aiim to add something new and overcome any potential hardships.

Since the game is scheduled to be released next year, there is a possibility that it could be developed for the Nintendo NX, which is set to launch in March 2017. It could very well be an exclusive, since there have been a number of Nintendo-exclusive Sonic games launched over the years.

Last year, the CEO of SEGA Hajime Satomi told Famitsu that the company betrayed its fans with its last few projects, and now, he wants to win back their confidence and trust of fans by improving the quality of its releases and bringing back the classic franchise to its former glory. Satomi said that the company did their best to build a relationship of mutual trust with older fans of Sega.

More details about the latest installment in the franchise will be announced in this years San Diego Comic Con on 22 July. For the moment, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is set to release on 27 September on the Nintendo 3DS platform.

Topics Sega, Sonic the hedgehog