It looks like the Sonic the Hedgehog reboot, Sonic Boom, is introducing a new sidekick for the already established team of Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles. The new character is Sticks, a boomerang-wielding badger who has lived on her own and is kind of a crazy shut-in. This is interesting because you don't often see female characters who happen to be nutso conspiracy theorists, especially in kid shows/games, but...Sega, you're playing with fire again here.
I mean no disrespect to voice actor Nika Futterman, who seems genuinely funny in this role, or even the writers who are developing the TV show and the upcoming Wii/3DS exclusive game. But...guys? Really? We've seen this go horribly wrong before. Remember how the Sonic Adventure games got so clogged with annoying, extraneous one-note characters? Is the one thing the Sonic franchise needs another wacky wise-cracking animal sidekick? They're adding characters to this reboot before it's even off the ground, and that makes me nervous.
SEGA INTRODUCES ALL-NEW CHARACTER STICKS TO SONIC BOOM?? FRANCHISE
Wild Jungle Badger with Trusty Handmade Boomerang Joins The Team in New Multiplatform Franchise Strategy
SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (May 29, 2014) ?? In advance of the highly-anticipated launch of Sonic Boom??, the newest branch of the Sonic the Hedgehog?? universe announced earlier this year, SEGA is pleased to unveil Sticks, a brand-new character that will play an integral role across all Sonic Boom platforms. Sticks, a jungle badger who has spent most of her life living alone in the wilderness, will appear in the Sonic Boom TV series, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS video games, and merchandise, forming a common thread across all iterations of the new Sonic Boom world. Sticks joins Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy to form the core ensemble featured throughout the Sonic Boom franchise.
??Sticks is a significant addition to the Sonic Boom universe and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise,?? said Hiroyuki Miyazaki, Chief Content Officer for the Sonic Brand, SEGA of America. ??She brings a quirky personality and perspective to the team dynamic, and we look forward to sharing this energetic and funny new character with the world.????
Sticks is new to Sonic??s circle of friends-- actually new to friends in general-- and as the most primal character in the Sonic universe, she is a force of nature in every way. Sticks is wilder than the other members of Sonic??s team with unparalleled animal instincts and extremely sharp survival skills. She??s a fearsome combatant and a tenacious hunter who??s armed with handmade weapons at all times, most notably a handmade boomerang that she keeps in tow.
Her wildness means that her social skills need plenty of work and she??s not the most trusting individual. Full of outrageous suspicions, Sticks?? instincts often prove to be accurate. While the concepts of sharing, compassion and friendship are foreign to her, Sticks has a good heart and a genuine desire to get closer to her new friends, particularly Amy, who helps Sticks adapt to civilization. Sticks and Amy quickly become best friends, with Sticks willing to go to extremes to protect her new pal, a quality that will play out through new Sonic Boom content. Her eccentric character adds an endless amount of humor and surprise to the Sonic team.
The Sonic Boom television series, coproduced by SEGA of America Inc. and OuiDO! Productions, will debut on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and on CANAL J and GULLI in France during the 2014/2015 season. Every episode starts from a small character-driven story and explodes into an epic tale of saving the world, robot battles and more.
Serving as a prequel to the stories revealed in the TV series the Sonic Boom video games will deliver a totally different experience to previous Sonic games with collaborative gameplay at its core. Developed in the U.S by California based Big Red Button Entertainment (Wii U) and Sanzaru Games (Nintendo 3DS) in collaboration with Sonic Team, this is the third title to be released as part of an exclusive deal with Nintendo. Sonic Boom will take advantage of the innovative hardware of both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, with traditional elements of Sonic games, such as speed, also featured. The videogame will also introduce exploration, combat and a new Enerbeam tether mechanic that will allow the Sonic Boom world to be discovered in totally unique ways.
Sonic Boom will be supported by a robust global licensing and merchandising program, anchored by master toy partner TOMY. TOMY??s line will showcase the new character looks, stressing interaction between core characters, and will feature new play patterns based on both the new games and TV series. TOMY will develop a comprehensive toy range across a broad number of categories including plush, action figures, RC, role play, vehicles and novelty. Sonic fans can expect a high-quality, collectible toy line fueled by TOMY innovation and energized with speed, lights, sounds, motion-activation and action-performance.
Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared as a videogame character in June 1991 and instantly became an icon for a generation of gamers. Defined by his super-fast speed and cool attitude, in the years since he first raced on to videogame consoles Sonic has become a true global phenomenon with over 140 million videogames sold or downloaded worldwide across consoles, PC??s, mobile phones and tablets. SEGA??s iconic blue blur has also gone on to enjoy incredible success in many licensed areas, such as toys, apparel, comics and animation.
Executive producers on the Sonic Boom TV series are Evan Baily, Donna Friedman Meir and Jane McGregor on behalf of SEGA, and Sandrine Nguyen and Boris Hertzog from OuiDO!. Bill Freiberger is Co-Executive Producer. Other partners involved in the TV series include Lagardère Entertainment Rights for distribution for TV and Video and Lagardère Active TV Licensing & New Business for licensing and merchandise in France.
F
