Get a job, Sonic! (Sega)
A seemingly harmless bit of Sonic trivia has made enough waves for an official Sega manager to publicly stress it’s actually not true.
For a series all about a blue mammal that runs fast, Sonic The Hedgehog fans are fiercely particular about its ongoing continuity and lore.
Sega has recognised that enough people care about it to try and tidy up 30+ years’ worth of Sonic lore, with recent games like Sonic Frontiers and Sonic X Shadow Generations chockful of references and call-backs to older titles.
The company is so dedicated to keeping things consistent that, following the release of a new Sonic The Hedgehog annual for kids, it’s had to issue a correction regarding Sonic’s living situation.
As shared on X, one page in the annual offers a simple profile on Sonic himself, and it mentions he lives in Green Hill Zone. Seems innocuous enough and makes sense considering that’s the iconic introductory level in the first ever Sonic game.
However, as this detail gained traction, associate Sonic lore manager (yes, that is an actual job title for someone at Sega) Chris Hernandez took to social media to stress that this isn’t true at all and Sonic is actually homeless.
‘This was something we caught early on, but it looks like an older draft got through on accident,’ explained Hernandez. ‘Sonic doesn’t have a home, he’s still a drifter.’
For such a harmless detail, fan responses have been bizarrely positive and suggest fans take this matter quite seriously. ‘Thank you, it’s pretty obvious but not for everyone so it’s nice to have an official statement,’ replied X user Zoom.
Others like Rubber duck and CoralReefee are especially enthusiastic about the idea of Sonic being homeless. Who would’ve guessed that Sonic’s lack of a house was so pivotal to his character, but there you go.
One fan, childishgamzeno, was especially surprised to learn of this info, with Hernandez replying with the ‘always has been’ meme.
So, Sonic’s been living on the streets for over 30 years? You’d think he’d have enough to buy a house with all the rings he’s picked up. Either rings aren’t legal tender or house prices are stupidly expensive in Sonic’s world.
Some fans, like Musicedge2 and DWN_Infinty, however, have brought up how Sonic has been shown living in houses in other games. These are the arguments Sonic fans have nowadays, apparently.
It’s such a strange thing to get hung up on when other media, like the Sonic Boom cartoon and the live action movies, have given Sonic a house to live in (he even has adoptive parents in the latter) and nobody had an issue with those. Or maybe people did, and we’ve just mercifully avoided those social circles.
Whatever the case, this shows that Sega is trying to take Sonic lore just as seriously as the fans do. It doesn’t seem like everyone is entirely satisfied with whatever answers the company gives, but when have Sonic fans ever agreed on anything?
What if Sonic isn’t even blue?! (X)
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
ArrowMORE: New Lego Sonic The Hedgehog sets pay homage Sonic Adventure 2
ArrowMORE: Sonic Team boss wants to make a Sonic RPG: ‘That’s just a dream right now’
ArrowMORE: Mario & Sonic games cancelled thanks to Olympic Committee reveals source