Summary
Back when Sonic was shorter, rounder, and had beady, black eyes, Sonic Team and Sega’s new mascot’s popularity was leading the team to do something far more ambitious. As strange as it may seem, the fourthSonic the Hedgehoggame known asSonic the Hedgehog 3was too large for the development team to finish in time, and what they wanted to do couldn’t fit on one single cartridge. What would become the fan-favoriteSonic the HedgehogGenesis game would be released separately asSonic 3andSonic and Knuckles, withSonic 3being released on February 2.
AsSonic 3 and Knuckleswould become one of, if not the most, popular game in franchise history, its release date was fondly remembered by many as it was marketed back in the 90s - “Hedgehog Day.” This release date would be a clever play on words around the Groundhog Day holiday, and it would continue to be used as agreat day to marketSonic the Hedgehogfor years to come, with fans able to expect anything from cute social media posts to proper announcements on that day with ease. Now, on its 30th anniversary, this date is primed to provide something special.
February 2nd is Knuckles the Echidna’s 30th Anniversary
Throughout the many releases and games the Sonic series has to its name, it’s a common trend that the release date of games that introduce new characters is remembered as the character’s birthday. Whileonly Sonic’s birthdayis the one canon to series lore, other important dates such as the release ofSonic CD(which introduced Amy Rose) andSonic Adventure 2(Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat’s debut) are roughly assumed by fans to be meaningful in the same way. Only a few of these dates have been picked up by theSonicmarketing team, however.
As Knuckles' assumed birthday is also remembered by older fans as Hedgehog Day, this is a date that has hardly been forgotten in the time sinceSonic 3’s release. As a result, it’s fair to say series loyalists can expect some sort of announcement or post on February 2, especially since 2024 marks the 30th Hedgehog Day, and the 30th anniversary of Knuckles the Echidna. Due to how it’s hard to see any prominent game projects coming out in 2024, the best announcement fans can hope for that day is theproper reveal of Paramount Plus’Knucklesminiseries.
Knuckles the Echidna Has to Fight for His Spotlight in 2024
However, despite the fact that after 2022 and 2023 focused on Tails and Amy, it seems that theSonicseries wants to focus on Shadow the Hedgehog rather than the fact that Knuckles has a milestone anniversary this year.Sonic X Shadow Generationswas recently announced at Sony’s State of Play presentation, and the end of the year marksSonic the Hedgehog 3(essentiallySonic Adventure 2as a movie) entering theaters to shine the spotlight even more on Shadow himself.The recent announcement ofSonic X Shadow Generationsmakes it almost certain that an announcement for Knuckles might be a ways off.
Knuckles will likely still get some special treatment for his special anniversary, but it might be smaller compared to what Tails and Amy had, and even compared to what Shadow is getting this year. These will likely be in the form of a dedicated anniversary comic from IDW, 30th anniversary merchandise, and some acknowledgment on Hedgehog Day itself. Whether this nod to Knuckles turning 30 will be anything between a small social media post or the announcement of the TV miniseries for the echidna himself remains to be seen. Even if Shadow steals the spotlight from Knuckles this year, Rad Red will surely have at least one thing of his own, as the Paramount Plus series is currently still slated to come out this year regardless of theotherSonicfranchise marketing plans.
Sonic Superstars
WHERE TO PLAY
Inspired by the franchise’s 2D heyday, Sega’s Sonic Superstars is a co-op platformer that features Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy as playable characters.
