Sonic booms: more titles in 2005

Sega has confirmed that multiple Sonic games are slated for release in 2005, including a PSP title, according to website 1UP.

The news follows Sega's recent announcement that Shadow the Hedehog, a new adventure starring Sonic's darker alter ego, will be out in the US by Christmas.

Speaking to 1UP, Sega Studio section manager Takashi Iizuka said that the new game was designed "to bring both the old users and the new users together.

"Basically we're trying to capture a new kind of audience, but we're not trying to throw away Sonic. We're trying to expand his world to a more broad user audience," he said.

"What we can say is that this new title is one of a number of Sonic titles that you can anticipate in 2005," added Sega representative Ethan Einhorn.

"The current philosophy behind what we're building in our games is for all the current games systems," said Takashi. 1UP says this includes PSP.

There was also talk of taking Sonic online for the first time: "In order to expand the Sonic franchise, we're offering Shadow and moving in a new direction, but we're also considering other options - maybe online," said Takashi. "That's one of the probable areas that we may investigate moving forward."

Einhorn also hinted that the 2005 titles could explore new genres, observing that "Sonic has not just been a platformer in the past, and he will continue to do interesting things this year."

Sega also seems set to continue reviving some of Sonic's previous outings: "We recognise the popularity of titles that have not yet been released - especially Sonic CD - and we're always interested in satisfying our fan base," said Einhorn.

Shadow the Hedgehog will be on show at this year's E3, with a European release expected some time around next February.