This early Sonic the Hedgehog design is giving me nightmares

Sonic the Hedgehog character designs
(Image credit: Sega)

Amid the success of Sonic 3 in cinemas, I've been pouring over old Sonic the Hedgehog character designs recently. Our favourite blue Erinaceidae has evolved over the years, from the original 1991 platform game to the comics, games and movies of today. But I'm stunned to learn that back in the late 90s, Sonic could have looked very different.

A major watershed in Sonic history was Sonic Adventure, which was released in 1998. And early designs for the 3D game show that Sonic could have looked kinda scary – and could even have been a different colour (see our pick of the best game development software if you're working on designs for your own indie title).

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Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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