The famous blue hedgehog is in the starting blocks. The IOC and SEGA CORPORATION have announced the signing of a new license agreement October 6th. A co-branded merchandising program featuring Sonic and the Olympic rings » will be implemented and from 2026, a range of derivative products will be put on the market. The objective is clear for Elisabeth Allaman, Deputy Director General of Television and Marketing Services at the IOC: " attract an international audience » by allowing « fans of all ages to experience the spirit of sport and the game in a new light ».
A smashing comeback to the cinema
Sonic is no stranger to the Olympic universe. The video game Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, launched in 2007 in the run-up to Beijing 2008, sold more than 11 million copies. The second installment, Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics, had also found its audience with nearly 8 million sales. The plumber and the hedgehog then returned for London 2012, Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, but the machine ran out of steam, to the point that no game was launched for Paris 2024. And where Mario established himself as an unbeatable king in the world of video games, « Sonic has gradually fallen into oblivion ", explains Romain Lebailly, historian and author of a thesis on SEGA. Until the release of Sonic the Hedgehog Movie in 2020.
« It was a success, as video game adaptations hadn't really worked before. It allowed for a complete revival of the character, and we see him much more frequently today. He has become popular with audiences again. " says the historian. Sonic the Hedgehog Movie generated $319 million at the global box office, making it the sixth-biggest hit of 2020. It was so successful that Sonic 2 was released in 2022 ($405 million) and Sonic 3 in 2024 ($492 million, better than blockbusters like Gladiator II). Several video games have maintained this momentum, including Sonic Frontiers (4,5 million sales), Team Sonic Racing ($3,5 million) and more recently Sonic x Shadow Generations, released a year ago ($2,3 million). A return to grace that inevitably makes it an object of desire.
Talking to young people
The IOC is not mistaken in associating itself with a figure at the height of the wave, popular with several generations. Sonic was created at the turn of the 1990s, when SEGA needed a mascot that could match Mario, Nintendo's biggest competitor, and that could speak to everyone., recalls Romain Lebailly. Sonic is not perceived as a Japanese or American game, that's part of the specifications. "Young people around the world can thus identify more easily with this hero.
« The IOC has clearly identified that video games are an essential medium for reaching a very young audience., says Patrick Clastres, who coordinates the activities of the Centre for Olympic Studies and the Globalisation of Sport at the University of Lausanne. The IOC was faced with the problem of young people's disinterest in the late 1990s. Mascots have long been a way to acclimate children to Olympic culture and build loyalty. With video games, we take a step forward, as they are more active and involved, and their heroes identify with Olympic values. This creates a shared culture, with the power of harmless leisure. It's an almost subliminal way of consolidating a global culture around Olympic years. »
In the October 6 press release, Shuji Utsumi, president of SEGA, welcomed " the International Olympic Committee's commitment to championing excellence, unity and perseverance on the world stage, values that Sonic embodies through his speed, determination and resilience " For Romain Lebailly, this alignment of values is less obvious. " Sonic's rebellious side comes up quite often. I'm not incredibly convinced that he represents the Olympic values and that there's a complete alignment. I mostly think it's a good marketing ploy. Everyone wins. "There will be no debate on this, especially since the Sonic 4 movie is already announced for 2027.
