Back in 1993, Sonic CD included two animated full motion video sequences starring the blue hedgehog, as well as the enemies he faces to save the world from evil. A few months ago, it was announced that Sonic Mania would include a brand new animated opening sequence directed by Tyson Hesse, who previously worked with SEGA to produce the Sonic Mega Drive comic saga. The video was planned to be launched the day before Sonic Mania comes out, but following a series of events out of SEGA’s control, they have decided to release the animation via their social media networks from today.
The event in question relates to an early unlicensed stream of Sonic Mania, which revealed several unannounced zones and features which had been kept secret by the development team. The source is reported to be from an early copy of the Nintendo Switch version of Sonic Mania, as the Nintendo eShop is not restricted by the same time and date restrictions enforced by Steam, PSN and Xbox Live when it comes to redeeming download codes for retail versions of their software.
Although there were several attempts to shut down the rogue hacker, we can regretfully confirm that most of the game has now been leaked as screenshots and video footage. Here at VGU, we do not endorse the leaking of confidential or unreleased information, so we will not be showcasing any of the leaked content until the release date of the game has passed. The official Twitter feed of SEGA’s PR representative Aaron Webber has announced that there will be a live stream at 8 am Pacfiic Standard Time concerning some important information, which will likely inform us of the consequences of the streamer’s actions.
If you would like to see the opening animation for Sonic Mania, with a wonderful soundtrack accompaniment provided by Hyper Potions, be sure to watch the video that we have provided below, courtesy of the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube page. Sonic Mania will be released on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on August 15th 2017. If you are interested in seeing more about the game, be sure to visit the official game page on the SEGA website, or visit the previous coverage we have written regarding Sonic Mania.
