Sonic Frontiers, the next mainline title in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, will celebrate its world premiere during Gamescom 2022 Opening Night Live. Sega is also assuring fans that despite some negative early feedback, the game will not be delayed.
Gamescom Opening Night Live will be held on August 23, and fans can expect a two-hour show with over 30 games on display. Host Geoff Keighley took to Twitter to confirm that Sonic would indeed be a part of the starting festivities.
It's true: @sonic_hedgehog is coming to @gamescom Opening Night Live!
Tune in live on Tuesday, August 23 for a world premiere new look and news about SONIC FRONTIERS during OPENING NIGHT LIVE!
Stream it anywhere at 8 pm CEST / 2p ET / 11a PT. pic.twitter.com/BqEIUkMD73
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) August 9, 2022
The official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account responded to the above comment, telling fans to expect a new trailer.
Initially, Sega planned to release Sonic Frontiers in 2021 to coincide with the series’ 30th anniversary but decided to delay it to ensure quality. In May 2021, the first teaser trailer was released.
Early reviews for the title were divisive, with some praising the game’s attempt to reimagine the series and others condemning the empty open-world and bland graphics. Fans of the franchise took to Twitter not long after to demand that Sonic Frontiers be delayed. In a new interview, Sega executives Koichi Fukazawa and Makoto Takahashi addressed the matter, stressing that no delay is planned.
“We do not consider postponing the launch at this point,” the translated interview reads. The two note that the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog films will boost sales of future titles. “We have high expectations for Sonic Frontiers, the mainstay title that is scheduled to be launched this winter.”
In an interview with VGC in June, Takashi Iizuka, the studio head at Sonic Team, also maintained that the game would not be delayed.
“We really feel confident in the playtest results that we’re getting,” Iizuka said. “A lot of people are saying they had a lot of fun, they really enjoyed the game. So we realize a lot of people are watching the videos online and making assumptions, but we do feel confident based on the playtest results from the target demographic that are coming in and playing the game from start to finish, they really like the game and we’re confident that we’re making a game that will be satisfying.”
Check out footage from the game shown at June’s Nintendo Direct below.
Sonic Frontiers does not currently have a release date, but the highly-anticipated title is slated to hit shelves in 2022. It will be available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
