Sega Shares Update on Sonic Rumble and Sonic the Hedgehog Studios

The last few years have been pretty big for Sonic the Hedgehog. Not only has the character appeared in 3 successful live-action films, Sega has also supported the blue blur with a steady stream of video games. During the publisher’s latest earnings report, Sega addressed upcoming Sonic games, including those in development on both mobile and console platforms. The global release of Sonic Rumble was recently pushed back to this spring, and Sega has elaborated a bit on the reasons for the delay. Apparently, the company has been working with Rovio to iron out some issues.

“As for Sonic Rumble, we are currently discussing areas for improvement with Rovio which were found during the testing process in some regions, and plan to launch the service globally as soon as we can see the path to make improvements,” said Sega.

Sega acquired Rovio back in 2023, in a deal worth roughly $772 million. When the deal was announced, many expressed confusion about the acquisition, citing the lessened popularity of Angry Birds. In an investor Q&A at the time, Sega Sammy noted its desire to acquire “a game studio that develops hyper-casual games and thus possesses strengths that our Group does not.” Now it seems Rovio’s mobile expertise is helping to get Sonic Rumble on track.

In addition to Sonic Rumble, Sega also addressed other releases. In a question about mergers and acquisitions, the company noted that it’s looking to expand the teams working on Sonic the Hedgehog, in multiple different ways. At a time when many other gaming companies are downsizing staff, it appears Sega is looking to bolster the number of developers working on its more successful franchises.

“…the studios involved in the Sonic and Like a Dragon IPs are also short of staff, and we are looking to reinforce personnel through additional hiring and M&A.”

This should be welcome news to fans of the Sonic franchise. Sonic has served as the company’s mascot for more than 3 decades, and Sega has frequently shared its desire to improve the overall quality of the video games. Expanding the staffing on Sonic games doesn’t guarantee success in that regard, but it certainly could help. Over the last few years, Sega has leaned into yearly Sonic game releases, and having a bigger staff could help to maintain that output.

RELATED: Sonic Rumble Developer Says “Many” Limited-Time Cosmetics Will Return After Global Launch

Reception towards 2023’s Sonic Superstars was largely mixed, and sales were deemed “sluggish.” However, last year’s Sonic x Shadow Generations has done a lot better for the company, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide. It remains to be seen how players will feel about this year’s Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, but hopefully Sega can carry over the same level of quality. The game is probably too far into development to see any kind of improvement through hiring or mergers, but this could benefit whatever game Sega has planned for 2026.

How do you feel about the future of the Sonic series? Are you happy to hear about these efforts to improve on the quality of future games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!