Everybody’s favorite blue hedgehog has been having a good few years thanks to the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog films and the excitement surrounding the upcoming Sonic Superstars game. Sega recently launched a campaign, called Fast Friends Forever, to celebrate the millions of fans the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has amassed over the decades.
The campaign has kicked off with a promotional video, as well as the launch of a website where fans can expect updates. Fast Friends Forever will last “all year long with a variety of events and activations.”
Sonic and his pals
The Fast Friends Forever site currently promotes a few Sonic-related events. It announces the opening of an official Sonic-themed restaurant in San Diego on August 20. Here, you can enjoy “Sonic’s classic chili dogs, Knuckle sandwiches, Blue Blur slushies, Golden Rings, and more.”
Music has always been an integral part of the Sonic franchise, and Sega has previously celebrated the series with beautiful orchestral recreations of Sonic soundtracks. As the Fast Friends Forever site reveals, The Sonic Symphony Tour will kick off on September 16 in London before heading to several cities including Los Angeles, Boston, Paris, and more.
As part of the campaign, a series of Fast Friends Forever digital comics is planned. These comics have been created by fans from around the world, and the first one, titled “Live Without Regrets!”, is already available. Created by Ian Jones-Quartey, the comic features Tails and Sonic, and it tells a story about never giving up.
Get to know Ian-Jones Quartey, the artist and writer behind the comic, with a quick interview! pic.twitter.com/q4etoQZeJk
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) August 9, 2023
Though plenty of franchises have loyal and dedicated fan bases, Sonic is a little different, as the community has been particularly motivated to create tons of fan-made projects. The focus on friendship is relevant because, as the site highlights, Sonic “knows the importance of friendship, teamwork, inspiration, and loyalty.” This has been demonstrated throughout the franchise, with Sonic becoming great friends with Tails, Amy Rose, and even Knuckles who initially appears as a rival.
Sonic fans also have Sonic Superstars to look forward to. The upcoming game seeks to capture the fun of the classic Sonic games, but it ditches the pixel art style of Sonic Mania. It is set to launch on October 17 on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
