Sonic Frontiers was originally supposed to launch in 2021

By Otto Kratky January 3, 2022

The next entry in the Sonic franchise, Sonic Frontiers, was originally planned to release in 2021 according to a Sega investor Q&A. As spotted by Sonicstadium, Sonic Frontiers, which is currently slated for a holiday 2022 launch, was delayed “to further brush up the quality.”

“Not only for this title, but during the development phase, we have been steadily conducting analysis to improve the quality of the title before release, such as introducing game testing based on external evaluations, and I have a feeling that it will become a good game and have high expectations for it,” reads a response from Sega in the Q&A.

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This isn’t the first time a Sonic game has been delayed to make sure it lives up to expectations; 2016’s Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice was delayed for the same reason.

Sonic Frontiers is also poised to take the franchise in a drastic new direction. The game, which hasn’t had a gameplay reveal yet, appears to be open world, drawing inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The Sega investor Q&A also touched on other parts of Sega’s business strategy going into 2022, including the company’s interest in NFTs. While the company hasn’t committed to anything just yet, Sega is currently trying out “various experiments and we have already started many different studies and considerations but nothing is decided at this point regards P2E (play-to-earn).” Sega even acknowledged that while other studios have announced plans to integrate NFTs into their games, users have shown “negative reactions at this point.” S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 developer GSC Game World recently pivoted away from NFTs, ending all plans to put them into the upcoming game quickly after announcing their integration due to fan backlash.

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Sonic Frontiers and Monster Hunter cross over with free DLC

Sonic, wearing Rathalos Armor, lifts grilled barbeque meat in the air.

Sega announced that Sonic Frontiers will be getting some free Monster Hunter DLC as part of a collaboration with Capcom. It's a costume and item set that looks equal parts stylish and delicious.

The free Monster Hunter DLC will be released at 5 PM on November 14 and gives Sonic two costumes modeled after Rathalos, one of the series' most iconic beasts. The original Rathalos armor covers Sonic from head to toe with scales and horns, while the Felyne Rathalos Armor removes the mouthpiece and scaly trousers. Capcom and Sega released artwork of Sonic wearing the Felyne armor.

Computing

ViewSonic’s new mini-LED gaming monitor looks like 34 inches of curved glory

The ViewSonic Elite XG341C-2K

If you've ever gone down the rabbit hole of trying to find the perfect gaming monitor but always come away disappointed, we have good news for you. ViewSonic released the Elite XG341C-2K ultrawide curved monitor today, looking to end your Goldilocks-like search for the "just right" display.

The XG341C-2K comes packed with features, most notably, the mini-LED backlighting with full array local dimming and VESA DisplayHDR 1400 certification. It also comes with a whopping 200Hz refresh rate and "PureXP blur reduction" to guarantee ultra-smooth gameplay and reduced in-game ghosting. Of course, we'll need to get our hands on this display to test it ourselves, but all the specs seem to be there for great PC gaming performance.

Gaming

Sega is putting all of its chips on the table with Sonic Frontiers

Sonic grinding on a rail.

Back in May, I wrote about how Sonic Frontiers miraculously avoided the controversial Sonic Cycle by keeping updates dry between its first teaser trailer and its official announcement trailer at The Game Awards last year. Now the game is less than two months away from release, and with the reveal of four more trailers, two alternative rock songs taking us back to 2007 (Vandalize by One OK Rock and I'm Here by To Octavia's Merry Kirk-Holmes), and Super Sonic making his triumphant return at the Tokyo Game Show, Sega seems confident that it will be a big deal for the franchise. Hell, I'm feeling more confident about this game than I ever felt for some of its predecessors. And that's saying something.

In fact, Sega is so sure about Sonic Frontiers that it's pricing the game at $60 -- or in the case of the Digital Deluxe Edition, $70 -- and putting it in direct competition with God of War: Ragnarok and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet in November. It's a big gamble to go all in on, but also a sore point for some Sonic fans. Most current-gen AAA games are priced between $60 and $70 due to enhanced graphics, controls, and the engines they run on, but some have balked at Frontiers’ price tag not only because it's "too expensive," but because they can't remember the last time a Sonic game cost that much.