Sonic Prime, the sixth animated TV series adaption of the Sonic video game franchise, has gotten its release date revealed by IGN. The show is now making its streaming debut on Netflix on December 15. A new trailer will be dropping today at 5 PM Pacific Standard Time on Geeked Tiktok and Netflix Twitch.
According to the official description, the TV show is going to have a multiverse theme coined as the Shatterverse, in which Sonic will be discovering strange worlds and enlisting the help of many new friends. While the concept of alternate universes and dimensions was never approached by the video games, it was heavily explored in the comic series under the Archie publishing label, and it might be the basis for what this series is trying to achieve. The parallel world crossovers also involved other IPs such as Megaman, another franchise owned by Sonic's parent company, Sega.
Duncan Rouleau, one the co-writers of the Sonic Prime project, has revealed before on Twitter that Ian Flynn, the American comic writer behind the Archie comic series, had been hired as a consultant on the show, so it makes sense to look back on his work and theorize about its connections to the new story. We shouldn't be looking for anything big in scope though, as the show has been previously confirmed to have eight episodes in total — seven 20-minute episodes with one 40-minute prologue episode — so it will be just a small microcosm of the world portrayed in the comics.
About “Sonic Prime”, we’re not thinking of monetizing by itself. Our stance is to implement the “Sonic Prime” as part of strengthening the IP. - Sega Sammy
The exclusive posters revealed alongside the release date show eight main characters who will be participating in Sonic Prime: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, Dr. Eggman, Shadow, Rogue, and Big the Cat. Flynn is also involved in the writing of the upcoming show, so it's safe to think — in light of Sega's statement during its Fiscal Year 2021 report— that the show will act as a promotional series for the upcoming game. Sega also stated that it has no plans to adapt the show into a game of any sort.
Sonic Frontiers, the latest game in the Sonic franchise, will release on November 8 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch. The game was announced to have finalized its hardware mastering less than a week ago, and is going at a steady pace towards full production.