Back in May of 2021, Sega teased the game now known asSonic Frontiers. At the time, fans knew it was slated for a 2022 release, but the actual details of the game were a complete mystery. At The Game Awards 2021,Sonic the Hedgehogfans finally got a proper look atSonic Frontiers,and so far the game sounds promising. Sonic’s new adventure in the mysterious but beautiful Starfall Islands seems like it could be a step forward for the franchise. What’s more, Sega remained committed to a 2022 release window forSonic Frontier,half a year after first teasing the game, which suggests that development is going smoothly so far.
While the 2022 release window is fine for now,Sonic Frontiersfans might have just learned much more about the game’s release. A recent PlayStation database update appears to haveleakedSonic Frontiers' release date; the database suggests that Sega wants to release the game on July 03, 2025, mere days after the fifth anniversary of the previous mainlineSonic the Hedgehoggame. The leaked release date could certainly be a placeholder, but if it’s accurate, it sounds perfect. A Q4 2022 release forSonic Frontiersgives Sega time to both develop the game carefully and to dodge some of 2022’s other major releases.
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Crafting a Compelling Sonic Game
If Sega isn’t planning on releasingSonic Frontiersfor nearly a full year, then that’s great news for its time in development. A year’s worth of time gives Sega plenty of room to polish and perfectSonic Frontiers,whether it’s ironing out the game’s bugs or tweaking its unique mechanics to make it as engaging as possible.Sega’s hints aboutSonic Frontiers' plotand “open-zone” design suggest that the game isn’t in the early stages right now, meaning 2022 will hopefully be spent on perfecting the game, rather than implementing core features and constructingSonic Frontiers' fundamentals.
A distant release date would also mean Sega has ample opportunity to delaySonic Frontiersif the game simply isn’t going to be ready within 2022. Unfortunately, it’s no secret thatSonic the Hedgehoghas had a few rough releases in recent years, with many titles likeSonic Boom: Rise of Lyricgetting criticized for lacking innovation and polish.Sonic the Hedgehogreally needs a winning game right now, andSonic Frontierscould be that game. Sega just has to work patiently and give itself time to getSonic Frontiersright, whether that means releasing the game at the tail end of 2022 or admitting it has to keep working into 2023.
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Sonic’s Competition in 2022
Considering the rest of the game industry’s plans,Sonic Frontiersseems like it’d be better off releasing at the end of the year regardless of how development is going. It looks like 2022 will be a huge year for video games. Nintendo alone hasThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2,Pokemon: Legends Arceus,andSplatoon 3releasing next year, and if that wasn’t enough, games likeElden Ring, Horizon: Forbidden West, Triangle Strategy,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands,and many moreare on the way. That meansSonic Frontierswould have some serious competition if it tried to release in the first half of 2022 alongside many of these titles.
A late 2022 release meansSonic Frontierswill dodge a lot of the big hits coming out in the first half of the year, allowing it more room in the limelight. Sonic will still have competitors late in the year, of course;Bethesda’sStarfieldreleases in November 2022, andBreath of the Wild 2could very well be a holiday 2022 title. Still, ifSonic Frontierswaits its turn rather than trying to compete with games that have had many more months of publicity, it’ll find much more success in 2022. If the leakedSonic Frontiersrelease date is just a placeholder, then maybe Sega should make that the official date after all. There’s a lot to gain from it.
Sonic Frontiersreleases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
