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Published Sep 22, 2026, 11:41 AM EDT
Willa Rowe is a contributing writer at Polygon, covering games and entertainment. She is a New York-based journalist and critic whose work has been featured in Kotaku, Digital Trends, the A.V. Club, GamesRadar+, and more. She also co-hosts the Girl Mode podcast.
The 2020 live-action film proved Sonic could still work
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2026 marks the 35th anniversary of the Sonic franchise, an impressive milestone for one of gaming's most iconic mascots. Though the series has had its ups and downs, and at one point that almost meant cancellation. During Tokyo Game Show, Sonic creative officer Takashi Iizuka revealed the struggle to keep the franchise alive and the surprising way the 2020 film adaptation helped turn things around.
Reflecting on the series in a conversation with the press (as reported by One More Game), Iizuka revealed that "during the worst times, I was told by the higher-ups that we should cancel the entire franchise." In response, Iizuka had to "fight within the organization to keep the franchise as long as possible." While he doesn't give details on when Sega was floating cancellation or how long that period lasted, It is only in recent years that the series has regained momentum.
Iizuka noted that the biggest success for the franchise was the release of the first movie in 2020. Despite early backlash to Sonic's original design, the film was eventually released to massive box-office success. This showed Sega that there was still interest in the series while also helping to introduce a new generation of fans to the character. It "changed the course of this franchise," said Iizuka.
Shadow was never meant to stick around
Image: Paramount PicturesIizuka also revealed during the interview that Shadow the Hedgehog, much like the franchise itself, was almost killed off. The edgy counterpart of Sonic, who carries a gun, has become one of the franchise's most beloved characters. He was first introduced in 2001's Sonic Adventure 2, and at the end of the game, Shadow appears to die. According to Iizuka, that was supposed to be the end of Shadow, but he "was just so very popular that we decided to revive him in Sonic Heroes."
Shadow continues to rise in popularity, especially after his introduction in the third live-action movie. That worked out for Iizuka, who revealed that Shadow is his personal favorite character. "I want to have more places where Shadow can appeal," he said, continuing that "I want to focus on him a little bit more." Expect to see more of Sonic and Shadow in future projects; you can even see them currently facing off against Godzilla.
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