Sonic SXSW 2018 Panel ~ It's happening again ~

[NikoS]

South by Southwest will be having a panel dedicated to the blue speedster for the third year in a row, it will be held on March 16th at 4:30PM (ET), the full description from the SXSW Website below:

Quote

Sonic is back, and ready to take 2018 by storm. Join the official team from SEGA who are building Sonic’s future as they give you an update on last year’s strong performance of Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, as well as the world-exclusive first look at what comes next for the fastest blue hedgehog. Speakers include Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, Sonic PD Director Austin Keys, Sonic Mania Animation Director Tyson Hesse, and Sonic Social Media Manager Aaron Webber. You won’t want to miss this!

So, what do you guys think it will be about? Some info on the Sonic movie maybe? I don't see a game tease/reveal so early, maybe a spinoff, but i don't know...

[Betz]

Just now, NikoS said:

South by Southwest will be having a panel dedicated to the blue speedster for the third year in a row, it will be held on March 16th at 4:30PM (ET), the full description from the SXSW Website below:

So, what do you guys think it will be about? Some info on the Sonic movie maybe? I don't see a game tease/reveal so early, maybe a spinoff, but i don't know...

Being that Forces took only a year of full development and all, I wouldn't be surprised to have a new game. Colors and Gens came out like a year apart and all. There's most definitely a game, but 2D or 3D remains to be seen.

[Stasis]

World exclusive, huh? Maybe a teaser trailer for the movie? It's not the comics and a game may be too soon.

[Dee Dude]

Didn’t think we’d get one so soon.

Anyway, as early as it would be, it would be pretty hype for another game reveal for 2019, but I’ll keep my expections low.

Hesse being there may possibly hint the future of Mania so everyone who hates ST has something to look foward to lol but I still look foward to whatever ST has and hope they improve.

The movie also seems pretty likely.

But it could be anything really...

As long as it ain’t another sub-series.:U

[Stasis]

Random guess but Sonic Boom was rumored to be ending, so maybe Tyson is working on a TV series in the style of Mania.

[Blue Wisp]

Hope they announce a new Storybook game.

...

A wisp can dream. 

[Bobnik]

I think March 16th is too early to announce a game IMO. I am interested in what this "first-look" might be. My bets are on a movie teaser

[Red Hot Jack]

A spin-off sounds more likely. But what is Sonic PD? Some kind of codename, perhaps?

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Sonic killed Pink Diamond.

[RedFox99]

I'm curious about what they'll announce especially after last year.

[Soniman]

As someone who wants Sonic Team to go on probation for a half decade before they think of making a new Sonic game again (or, just not let them make one at all anymore would be good too), cant say im thrilled at what could be revealed here if its not Mania 2

[Dee Dude]

I do wish for one thing:

To never see this miniature sized, pot-bellied, black eyed, soleless shoe wearing, short spined, physics poisoning, non speaking, friend-stealing, nostalgia pandering, half-assed, momentum murdering, time-wasting, pointlessly added, last minute motherfucker in a 3D game ever again. >:U

[Strickerx5]

I'm going to be frank here, really hoping it isn't another mainline game; for two main reasons. 1, I'm personally fucking tired and need a longer break before this forum jumps back into one of those cycles again. Two, Sega needs time to think hard about their next move. Whether it be for a Mania 2 or whatever ST is doing next they need to look at their situation. They need to know what worked and what didn't and not just scrap every little thing like they often love to do. Also, even if the game is slated for 2019 I don't even want to hear about it till then. Speculation in itself is a nightmare at this point.

There are several things I am expecting from this though. They're definitely going to talk in length about the comic with Hesse being there. Though, the little label of "Animation Director" there might imply something more along those lines. Honestly, I'd be down for some more 2D animation in whatever form it takes (hopefully).

I also half expecting them to give some details about the movie (or whether it's even happening at this point). A teaser poster or something.

 

Personally, if there's one thing I do want out of this it'd be a non-mobile spin-off game (that isn't another Olympic game). Bring back Riders or something else new and fun.

Spoiler

oh, and fucking port unleashed to pc you gd----

 

[Wraith]

It's Sonic Mania 2

they got the tools and the knowledge

the first game was made in about a year and it will be 6 months since Mania released in march

Tyson Hesse is attending

they need the damage control

It's Sonic mania 2

 

[Salamander]

17 minutes ago, Dr. Jack said:

A spin-off sounds more likely. But what is Sonic PD? Some kind of codename, perhaps?

It stands for "Product Development".

[Graystripe2000]

If there’s ANYTHING related to Mania there, it’s probably going to be related to that “Project Plus” thing that appeared on the Steam DB Page. In that case,I doubt it’ll be a sequel.

[blueblur98]

expect mania 2 or a spinoff.

next main 3D modern sonic game likely won't come until the 2020s.

[DaddlerTheDalek]

Maybe we get some early info about the movie.

[Diogenes]

Hoping for Mania 2. Expecting a teaser of the movie and it looking bad. Alternatively hoping for something laughably bad.

[Tracker_TD]

I don't expect Mania 2. 

It has been 6 months since Mania - but half the dev team went to Japan for a month immediately afterwards, I'd imagine they won't want to get hit by burnout, and Hunty (who IIRC was one of the project leads, if my memory from the post-launch stream serves) has already said he's looking for work elsewhere in a few months. 

However - "a few months" has me thinking it's more likely that "Project Plus" branch of SteamDB could turn out to be something. Would be a reasonable timeframe for some kind of update or DLC, innit. 

I certainly don't expect a new Modern game this year - the "Forces only took a year" comment is taken out of context a lot, and rather the game was more likely in active dev for at least 2 years. 

[Salamander]

I am coming around to the view that some sort of Mania expansion pack - a kind of "& Knuckles," if you will - is quite plausible; a rational response to the popular success of Mania, and a useful distraction from the unenthusiastic reception of Forces.  It may be a little while until we see another 3D Sonic game, and leaving the franchise in a state of goodwill during that hiatus is probably a sensible idea.

[Kellan]

21 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

Hoping for Mania 2. Expecting a teaser of the movie and it looking bad. Alternatively hoping for something laughably bad.

Well, I’m going to continue to hope for good things, but you do you, I guess.

[Blueknight V2.0]

I kind of figured Sega would be attending again this year with Sonic. Actually I had a topic about this already. but anyways I kind of expect news or a trailer for the Sonic movie, mostly because they really ain't got nothing else to discuss except IDW comics (which seem to continue Sonic Forces story, I guess we finally know what happened to Eggman) and possibly Sonic Boom season 3. Other than that a new 3D Sonic game featuring Hedgehog Engine 2 is very unlikely, unless they have been working on it for a while then I can see it releasing in 2019. They could be working on 2 or 3 games for all we know, I mean they would need one for the film, another 3D Sonic game to continue the main series and possibly another Mania style game. Now a 4th Sonic Boom game at this point is very unlikely, unless Season 3 is announced for release this Fall. But if another 3D Sonic game is in the works it should have 4 playable characters, Modern Sonic, Shadow, Silver and Blaze, utilize the Hedgehog Engine 2 further along the lines of Unleashed. As for plot, the plot could be about Sonic's and Blaze's worlds collide as a result of Eggman's plan and will be destroyed if they don't put a stop to it. Infinite a and the Phantom Ruby could return as well as the Chaos and Sol Emeralds, as well as Super forms for Sonic, Shadow and Silver and bring back Burning Blaze.

That's just what I think could get revealed, could be something else though. But ``World Exclusive First Look", that tells me the movie, because it ain't the new comics because they already got solicitations out for them, also that term hasn't been used for any of the games before and Sonic Boom Season 3 wouldn't fit that term all that much. World Exclusive First Look sounds to me a big hype build term for a big event in the Sonic franchise, in this case the Sonic movie.

[TheOcelot]

Wow, u guys really want ya Mania 2 XD

The panel will likely focus on promoting the new IDW Sonic comics. Maybe a teaser for the movie, and reflection on how well Mania has done and how shit Forces has fared.

As for Mania 2 it's a bit too early to expect another new game announcement.

Knowing SEGA they'll probably decide to capitalise on Mania's success by...

Spoiler

bringing the mobile remasters to consoles. 

 

It terms of a possible game announcement, ports or Mania being bundled with the remasters is the most likely thing (still very unlikely) we can expect.

 

[Graystripe2000]

23 minutes ago, TheOcelot said:

and reflection on how well Mania has done and how shit Forces has fared.

 

Uhhh, you probably should have read the thing. 

“Join the official team from SEGA who are building Sonic’s future as they give you an update on last year’s strong performance of Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces”. 

https://schedule.sxsw.com/2018/events/PP99104