Sonic the Hedgehog Actor Roger Craig Smith Seemingly Departs Role

Sonic the Hedgehog will apparently no longer be voiced by Roger Craig Smith, the actor who’s extended his talents to the character for the past decade. Smith tweeted about his departure from the role on Thursday with a tweet that said “it’s been an honor” and included a blue, fractured heart. While Sonic the Hedgehog was never explicitly mentioned in the tweet, it was apparent from the wording what the actor was referring to given his legacy as the character’s voice.

Smith shared the tweet below with his followers on Thursday that served as his apparent exit from the role of Sonic the Hedgehog. The circumstances of his departure are unclear, but it’s been received by everyone so far to be his announcement that he’ll no longer voice the character.

Again, Smith didn’t directly mention Sonic in his farewell tweet. But the use of the hedgehog emoji, the reference to how long he held the role, and the “onward to new zones” part all indicate that he’s referring to the end of his time as the blue blur.

The responses from people across social media were quick to praise Smith’s efforts as Sonic over the past 10 years. Sonic has had different voices at times throughout his many appearances across all imaginable mediums, but Smith’s performance as the character has been the one that stood out for most. Given how long he’s been voicing Sonic, there’s a good chance people of all ages have heard him play the character in one game, movie, or other project even if you didn’t know it was his voice.

Others who’ve taken on the role of Sonic for different projects have offered similar praise for Smith’s talent. Ben Schwartz, the actor who played Sonic in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, was asked by ComicBook.com ahead of the movie’s release if he’d ever considered playing Sonic in a video game. Schwartz was open to the idea but said there had been some “incredible voice actors that have done that role” while adding that “Roger Craig Smith’s amazing.”

Beyond his role as Sonic, Smith’s credits extend far beyond just the character with roles in animations, video games, and more. It’s unclear at this time who will take on the role of Sonic the Hedgehog in future projects or if the character will be voiced by a number of people.