Sonic the Hedgehog x Angry Birds Crossover Detailed

Following a teaser image revealed yesterday, Sega has pulled back the curtain on a crossover between Sonic the Hedgehog and Angry Birds. The crossover will span across five existing mobile games: Sonic Forces, Sonic Dash, Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds Dream Blast, and Angry Birds Friends. Players can unlock Red and Chuck as playable characters in Sonic Dash, while the other games will feature things like limited-time events and tournaments. All of this content will be available today, and will last through March 21st. In a press release, Sega of America CEO Shuji Utsumi talked about the company's first collaboration with Rovio content. 

"Throughout the years, Sonic the Hedgehog and Angry Birds have exemplified the expansive reach of video games into diverse media landscapes," said Utsumi. "With our inaugural crossover collaboration with Rovio, we aspire to unite devoted fans from both IPs while welcoming fresh audiences into the fold."

Sonic x Angry Birds: What to Expect

As previously noted, the Sonic Dash crossover will allow players to unlock Red and Chuck as playable characters. The duo will also appear as playable characters in Sonic Forces, but that game will feature a more substantial limited-time event, which will include missions and free items. Meanwhile, the three Angry Birds games will each feature Sonic-themed content, including exclusive levels based on the series. 

Unfortunately, the limited time nature of this event means that players will have to hurry up to check out the content while it's available. It's a little unclear why Sega chose to hype content that will only be available for such a limited window, particularly since it owns both of these IPs. Regardless, it should be a fun way for existing players to see some new content, and it just might convince Sonic fans to try an Angry Birds game, or vice versa. 

Sega's Rovio Acquisition

Acquisitions have been a big part of the video game industry over the last few years, with PlayStation buying Bungie, and Microsoft purchasing Activision Blizzard. Sega announced an acquisition of its own last year, when the company purchased Rovio for $770 million. The move came as something of a surprise, but the deal was meant to help Sega appeal more to casual audiences. Rovio certainly has a lot of success when it comes to mobile gaming, and it will be interesting to see if additional Sega collaborations are announced in the future. At the very least, Sega of America's Mike Evans thinks audiences will be happy about the company's characters being playable in the same universe. 

"Through this crossover with Rovio, we wanted to create something special for fans of both Sonic the Hedgehog and Angry Birds," said Evans. "This event provides players with the memorable experience of seeing iconic characters like Sonic and Red playable in the same universe."  

Are you excited about this collaboration between Sonic and Angry Birds? What other Sega franchises would you like to see appear in games together? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!