It's fair to say that Sonic has had his ups and downs over the decades. That the character has starred in some legendary games isn't up for debate, but he's also had his low points – so much so that Sega was apparently even considering retiring the franchise at one point.

That's what current Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka claims, at least. The lead producer for the Sonic the Hedgehog series at Sega has been speaking to the media during Tokyo Game Show (thanks, One More Game), and reveals how he had to "fight" to keep Sonic going:

"There had been good times, and there had been bad times… during the worst times, I was told by the higher-ups that we should cancel the entire franchise. I had to fight within the organization to keep the franchise as long as possible.”

Iizuka says the battle has become somewhat easier since the release of the first live-action Sonic movie in 2020, an event which elevated the character's standing in popular culture. "The biggest milestone for me was the first movie," he says. "That had been a great hit and definitely changed the course of this franchise."

He points out that Sonic's cross-media future is very bright indeed, with the subsequent movies and TV show spin-offs establishing the Blue Blur as one of the most instantly recognisable faces on the planet.

However, Iizuka insists that, irrespective of his success elsewhere, Sonic will always be "rooted" in interactive entertainment. "The franchise itself is rooted in video games. We’re just going to base everything upon the video games. That’s our core principle."

Sonic debuted in a 1991 Genesis/Mega Drive title, and the series has since sold over 1.5 billion copies.