Has there been a soft reboot of the series?

[ShadowSJG]

I saw someone mention this in regards to how characterization has been changed so much  due to sega's mandates and past games/events aren't mentioned so much.

[Diogenes]

I'd call it a shift in direction rather than a reboot of any sort. You can still trace a pretty clear line through all the main series games, even if it's a crooked line. The series now isn't where it was a decade ago, but the series a decade ago wasn't where it was a decade before that, either; it's only to be expected when it hasn't had much stability or consistency past its first few years.

Also I question the bit about past games not being mentioned much. The series never spent much time calling back to previous stories, but we've all gotten tired of seeing GHZ and CPZ lately. If anything they've been making more references to past games than ever, just not in terms of the story.

[Big Panda]

There’ve been about three. Sonic Adventure, 06, and Unleashed.

[ComeAsYouAre]

1 hour ago, Forgetful Panda said:

There’ve been about three. Sonic Adventure, 06, and Unleashed.

Sonic Forces too kinda

[DabigRG]

That's what people have been saying, anyway.

1 hour ago, Diogenes said:

I'd call it a shift in direction rather than a reboot of any sort. You can still trace a pretty clear line through all the main series games, even if it's a crooked line. The series now isn't where it was a decade ago, but the series a decade ago wasn't where it was a decade before that, either; it's only to be expected when it hasn't had much stability or consistency past its first few years.

Also I question the bit about past games not being mentioned much. The series never spent much time calling back to previous stories, but we've all gotten tired of seeing GHZ and CPZ lately. If anything they've been making more references to past games than ever, just not in terms of the story.

That's my thought as well.

25 minutes ago, ComeAsYouAre said:

Sonic Forces too kinda

Eh, not really. SonicTeam would be out of their mind to continue off of that game's story for a myriad of reasons.

For one, it's not like it really starts up anything.

[MetalSkulkBane]

If every small change in Sega's policies is reboot, Sonic is less stable than Spider-man's love life, during earthquake, if he lived in Middle East.

So short: not really.

[Osmium]

If slight changes in characterization from game to game are now considered reboots, then the word has lost all its meaning. 

Quote

There’ve been about three. Sonic Adventure, 06, and Unleashed.

Doesn't Adventure mention the events of CD? @Forgetful Panda

[BaronGrackle]

28 minutes ago, Osmium said:

Doesn't Adventure mention the events of CD? @Forgetful Panda

And S3&K. Sonic Adventure is sort of a borderline between the classic and dreamcast eras.

[Shadowlax]

I say yes, actually. Some people are suggesting comic characters change all the time , this is different.

I think they have been trying to split off, outright reboot or soft reboot the more adventure era of sonic since 2014 with sonic boom. They aren't trying to soft reboot all of it. Classic sonic doesn't need it and modern sonic is kind of its own thing. But sega is aware that nostalgia sells , and they have been trying to get back into the adventure for a few years, while trying to change what that is.

So I guess my answer is , they are trying to soft reboot the adventure era. There are a lot of people who are now adults with potential to pay money into that and they see it. However I think they are just strait up going to reboot it at some point, and I think adventure remakes are gonna act as a vessel for this. IIzuka said " If we make sonic adventure it wouldn't be the same " I don't think he was just talking about gameplay stuff, I also think he was taking about this. Someone at sega somewhere has been trying to figure out a way to monetize that area of sonic again for years now, and this feels like a transitional period. While they figure out what exactly they wish to do, and while they are figuring that out they are instituting changes.

[Your Vest Friend]

Mentioning past games doesn't mean it isn't a soft reboot. 

[Dr. Detective]

There's a shift in the direction they want to take. Which happens every now and again because of something or other. I'm sure there will be another one next December or whatever.

[Wittymations]

6 hours ago, Your Vest Friend said:

Mentioning past games doesn't mean it isn't a soft reboot.  

Doesn't a soft reboot mean that it takes far away enough from the old story (either in terms of time, physical location, alternate reality, etc) that the old continuity doesn't really matter?
If that's the case, then I'm not sure 3&K-Adventure counts as that. It's near Angel Island, which is the last game (so that's both physical location and same dimension), and far as time, well... there's no definite idea of when it takes place, but Sonic's still a teenager.

Mass Effect Andromeda takes place in a new Galaxy 600 years from Mass Effect 3. Fallout 3 takes place on an entirely different coast than 1 and 2.

Now, if we're counting gameplay, tone, and art styles, I can kinda see that. But from a purely 'canon' perspective, eh?