Everyone's favourite blue hedgehog has a shiny new logo, and fans are ecstatic. What's such a big deal about a new look for the spiky blue blur? Well, after a raft of staid static logos, developer Sonic Team has put in a lot more effort and come up with the first animated Sonic logo in years.
The new Sonic logo's been revealed ahead of the release of the new game Sonic Frontiers on November 8, and fans are hoping it's a sign that Sonic Team is pulling out the stops this time. Although Sonic Team's design agency saying it "spent a bit too much time" on the logo, we hope the developer's been spending as much time on its games. Looking for a game you can play now? Take a look at the best NFT games.
Sonic Team has revealed the new animated Sonic logo on YouTube (see above) and on the official Sonic Channel website (opens in new tab). It begins with the classic turning gold rings on Green Hill Zone, before Sonic himself shoots through them in a blur of blue streaks that then trace out Sonic's spiky profile in the air. There are more speedy blurs, and then the Sonic Team text appears.
Sonic Team says the new Sonic logo will appear not only in the forthcoming Sonic Frontiers but in other future content too, with merchandise and social media, collaborations planned. Creative director Kazuyuki Hoshino says the logo reflects the fact that: "The Sonic Team is full of energy and motivation, consisting of veteran team members, who have been here for a long, long time, and newcomers bringing in their own fresh take on things. He added: "We want our fans to know that when they see this logo, they are guaranteed to get a good game from Sonic Team."
Yota Suzuki from design agency Flapper 3 Inc said the team wanted to "emphasize a sense of speed, in order to bring out the Sonic-ness of the blue blur that we all love." and admits that "we spent a bit too much time on this animation" (for some tips on animation see Disney's 12 principles of animation).
Meanwhile, Akira Ito from Marza Animation Planet said: "After reviewing the opening and event videos that we have produced in the past, we came to the conclusion that "Sonic = Speed" was the key element. I believe that we have created an animated logo with a sense of speed that everyone can associate with our beloved blue blur."
Fans love the results. "Best Sonic Team animated logo since the SEGA Saturn," Retro Master wrote on YouTube. "Looks fantastically cinematic," another fan added. Fans are also optimistic that the new logo signals newfound motivation at Sonic Team after a period of "lazy static logos". "What took them so long? When you saw those Sonic Team logo intros on Saturn and Sonic Adventure 1 you always knew you were in for something special," one fan added.
"It gives me the late 2000s sega logo intro and I’m CRAVING IT," one fan said over on Twitter (opens in new tab). "They are NOT screwing around anymore and it SHOWS," someone added."
The big news in gaming this week has been the GTA 6 leak at Rockstar Games, but we've also seen exciting rumours about a possible PS5 disk drive redesign. For top games to play now, see our picks of the best PS5 games and the best Nintendo Switch games.
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