title: Slavs

text: Ancient Roman sources refer to the Early Slavic peoples as Veneti, who dwelt in a region of central Europe east of the Germanic tribe of Suebi, and west of the Iranian Sarmatians in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, between the upper Vistula and Dnieper rivers. The Slavs under name of the "Antes" and the "Sclaveni" first appear in Byzantine records in the early 6th century. Byzantine historiographers under emperor Justinian I (527–565), such as Procopius of Caesarea, Jordanes and Theophylact Simocatta describe tribes of these names emerging from the area of the Carpathian Mountains, the lower Danube and the Black Sea, invading the Danubian provinces of the Eastern Empire.


title: Slavs

text: Jordanes, in his work "Getica" (written in 551 AD), describes the Veneti as a "populous nation" whose dwellings begin at the sources of the Vistula and occupy "a great expanse of land". He also describes the Veneti as the ancestors of Antes and Slaveni, two early Slavic tribes, who appeared on the Byzantine frontier in the early 6th century. Procopius wrote in 545 that "the Sclaveni and the Antae actually had a single name in the remote past; for they were both called "Sporoi" in olden times". The name "Sporoi" derives from Greek σπείρω ("I scatter grain"). He described them as barbarians, who lived under democracy, believed in one god, "the maker of lightning" (Perun), to whom they made a sacrifice. They lived in scattered housing and constantly changed settlement. In war, they were mainly foot soldiers with shields, spears, bows, and little armour, which was reserved mainly for chiefs and their inner circle of warriors. Their language is "barbarous" (that is, not Greek), and the two tribes are alike in appearance, being tall and robust, "while their bodies and hair are neither very fair or blond, nor indeed do they incline entirely to the dark type, but they are all slightly ruddy in color. And they live a hard life, giving no heed to bodily comforts..." Jordanes described the Sclaveni having swamps and forests for their cities. Another 6th-century source refers to them living among nearly-impenetrable forests, rivers, lakes, and marshes.


title: Slavs

text: Menander Protector mentions a Daurentius (c. 577–579) who slew an Avar envoy of Khagan Bayan I for asking the Slavs to accept the suzerainty of the Avars; Daurentius declined and is reported as saying: "Others do not conquer our land, we conquer theirs – so it shall always be for us as long as there are wars and weapons".


title: Slavs

text: According to eastern homeland theory, prior to becoming known to the Roman world, Slavic-speaking tribes were part of the many multi-ethnic confederacies of Eurasia – such as the Sarmatian, Hun and Gothic empires. The Slavs emerged from obscurity when the westward movement of Germanic tribes in the 5th and 6th centuries CE (thought to be in conjunction with the movement of peoples from Siberia and Eastern Europe: Huns, and later Avars and Bulgars) started the great migration of the Slavs, who settled the lands abandoned by Germanic tribes fleeing the Huns and their allies: westward into the country between the Oder and the Elbe-Saale line; southward into Bohemia, Moravia, much of present-day Austria, the Pannonian plain and the Balkans; and northward along the upper Dnieper river. It has also been suggested that some Slavs migrated with the Vandals to the Iberian Peninsula and even North Africa.


title: Slavs

text: Around the 6th century, Slavs appeared on Byzantine borders in great numbers. Byzantine records note that Slav numbers were so great, that grass would not regrow where the Slavs had marched through. After a military movement even the Peloponnese and Asia Minor were reported to have Slavic settlements. This southern movement has traditionally been seen as an invasive expansion. By the end of the 6th century, Slavs had settled the Eastern Alps regions.


title: Slavs

text: Pope Gregory I in 600 CE wrote to Maximus, the bishop of Salona (in Dalmatia), in which he expresses concern about the arrival of the Slavs: ""Et quidem de Sclavorum gente, quae vobis valde imminet, et affligor vehementer et conturbor. Affligor in his quae jam in vobis patior; conturbor, quia per Istriae aditum jam ad Italiam intrare coeperunt." ("I am both distressed and disturbed about the Slavs, who are pressing hard on you. I am distressed because I sympathize with you; I am disturbed because they have already begun to arrive in Italy through the entry-point of Istria.")"


title: Slavs

text: When Slav migrations ended, their first state organizations appeared, each headed by a prince with a treasury and a defense force. In the 7th century, the Frankish merchant Samo supported the Slavs against their Avar rulers and became the ruler of the first known Slav state in Central Europe, Samo's Empire. This early Slavic polity probably did not outlive its founder and ruler, but it was the foundation for later West Slavic states on its territory. The oldest of them was Carantania; others are the Principality of Nitra, the Moravian principality (see under Great Moravia) and the Balaton Principality. The First Bulgarian Empire was founded in 681 as an alliance between the ruling Bulgars and the numerous slavs in the area, and their South Slavic language, the Old Church Slavonic, became the main and official language of the empire in 864. Bulgaria was instrumental in the spread of Slavic literacy and Christianity to the rest of the Slavic world. The expansion of the Magyars into the Carpathian Basin and the Germanization of Austria gradually separated the South Slavs from the West and East Slavs. Later Slavic states, which formed in the following centuries, included the Kievan Rus', the Second Bulgarian Empire, the Kingdom of Poland, Duchy of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Croatia, Banate of Bosnia and the Serbian Empire.


title: Slavs

text: Pan-Slavism, a movement which came into prominence in the mid-19th century, emphasized the common heritage and unity of all the Slavic peoples. The main focus was in the Balkans where the South Slavs had been ruled for centuries by other empires: the Byzantine Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice. Austro-Hungary envisioned its own political concept of Austro-Slavism, in opposition of Pan-Slavism that was predominantly led by the Russian Empire.


title: Slavs

text: As of 1878, there were only three majority Slavic states in the world: the Russian Empire, Principality of Serbia and Principality of Montenegro. Bulgaria was effectively independent but was "de jure" vassal to the Ottoman Empire until official independence was declared in 1908. The Slavic peoples who were, for the most part, denied a voice in the affairs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, were calling for national self-determination. During World War I, representatives of the Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes set up organizations in the Allied countries to gain sympathy and recognition. In 1918, after World War I ended, the Slavs established such independent states as Czechoslovakia, the Second Polish Republic, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.


title: Slavs

text: One of Hitler's ambitions at the start of World War II was to exterminate, expel, or enslave most or all East and West Slavs from their native lands, so as to make living space for German settlers. This plan of genocide was to be carried into effect gradually over 25 to 30 years. The first half of the 20th century in Russia and the Soviet Union was marked by a succession of wars, famines and other disasters, each accompanied by large-scale population losses. Stephen J. Lee estimates that, by the end of World War II in 1945, the Russian population was about 90 million fewer than it could have been otherwise.


title: Slavs

text: Former Soviet states in Central Asia such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have very large minority Slavic populations with most being Russians. Kazakhstan has the largest Slavic minority population.


title: Slavs

text: Proto-Slavic, the supposed ancestor language of all Slavic languages, is a descendant of common Proto-Indo-European, via a Balto-Slavic stage in which it developed numerous lexical and morphophonological isoglosses with the Baltic languages. In the framework of the Kurgan hypothesis, "the Indo-Europeans who remained after the migrations [from the steppe] became speakers of Balto-Slavic". Proto-Slavic is defined as the last stage of the language preceding the geographical split of the historical Slavic languages. That language was uniform, and on the basis of borrowings from foreign languages and Slavic borrowings into other languages, it cannot be said to have any recognizable dialects, which suggests that there was, at one time, a relatively-small Proto-Slavic homeland.


title: Slavs

text: Slavic linguistic unity was to some extent visible as late as Old Church Slavonic (or Old Bulgarian) manuscripts which, though based on local Slavic speech of Thessaloniki, could still serve the purpose of the first common Slavic literary language.


title: Slavs

text: Standardised Slavic languages that have official status in at least one country are: Belarusian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, and Ukrainian. Russian is the most spoken Slavic language, and is the most spoken native language in Europe.


title: Slavs

text: The alphabets used for Slavic languages are usually connected to the dominant religion among the respective ethnic groups. Orthodox Christians use the Cyrillic alphabet while Catholics use the Latin alphabet; the Bosniaks, who are Muslim, also use the Latin alphabet. Additionally, some Eastern Catholics and Western Catholics use the Cyrillic alphabet. Serbian and Montenegrin use both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets. There is also a Latin script to write in Belarusian, called Łacinka and in Ukrainian, called Latynka.


title: Slavs

text: West Slavs originate from early Slavic tribes which settled in Central Europe after the East Germanic tribes had left this area during the migration period. They are noted as having mixed with Germanics, Hungarians, Celts (particularly the Boii), Old Prussians, and the Pannonian Avars. The West Slavs came under the influence of the Western Roman Empire (Latin) and of the Catholic Church.


title: Slavs

text: East Slavs have origins in early Slavic tribes who mixed and contacted with Finns and Balts. Their early Slavic component, Antes, mixed or absorbed Iranians, and later received influence from the Khazars and Vikings. The East Slavs trace their national origins to the tribal unions of Kievan Rus' and Rus' Khaganate, beginning in the 10th century. They came particularly under the influence of the Byzantine Empire and of the Eastern Orthodox Church.


title: Slavs

text: South Slavs from most of the region have origins in early Slavic tribes who mixed with the local Proto-Balkanic tribes (Illyrian, Dacian, Thracian, Paeonian, Hellenic tribes), and Celtic tribes (particularly the Scordisci), as well as with Romans (and the Romanized remnants of the former groups), and also with remnants of temporarily settled invading East Germanic, Asiatic or Caucasian tribes such as Gepids, Huns, Avars, Goths and Bulgars. The original inhabitants of present-day Slovenia and continental Croatia have origins in early Slavic tribes who mixed with Romans and romanized Celtic and Illyrian people as well as with Avars and Germanic peoples (Lombards and East Goths). The South Slavs (except the Slovenes and Croats) came under the cultural sphere of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire), of the Ottoman Empire and of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Islam, while the Slovenes and the Croats were influenced by the Western Roman Empire (Latin) and thus by the Catholic Church in a similar fashion to that of the West Slavs.


title: Slavs

text: Consistent with the proximity of their languages, analyses of Y chromosomes, mDNA, and autosomal marker CCR5de132 shows the gene pool of Eastern (Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians) and Western Slavs (Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks) to be identical and demonstrating significant differences from neighboring Finno-Ugric, Turkic, and North Caucasian peoples. Such genetic homogeneity is somewhat unusual, given such a wide dispersal of Slavic populations, especially Russians. Together they form the basis of the ""East European"" gene cluster, which also includes non-Slavic Hungarians and Aromanians.


title: Slavs

text: Only Northern Russians among East and West Slavs belong to a different, “"Northern European"” genetic cluster, along with Balts, Germanic and Baltic Finnic peoples (Northern Russian populations are very similar to Balts).


title: Slavs

text: The 2006 Y-DNA study results "suggest that the Slavic expansion started from the territory of present-day Ukraine, thus supporting the hypothesis placing the earliest known homeland of Slavs in the basin of the middle Dnieper". According to genetic studies until 2020, the distribution, variance and frequency of the Y-DNA haplogroups R1a and I2 and their subclades R-M558, R-M458 and I-CTS10228 among South Slavs correlate with the spread of Slavic languages during the medieval Slavic expansion from Eastern Europe, most probably from the territory of present-day Ukraine and Southeastern Poland.


title: Slavs

text: The pagan Slavic populations were Christianized between the 7th and 12th centuries. Orthodox Christianity is predominant among East and South Slavs, while Catholicism is predominant among West Slavs and some western South Slavs. The religious borders are largely comparable to the East–West Schism which began in the 11th century. Islam first arrived in the 7th century during the early Muslim conquests, and was gradually adopted by a number of Slavic ethnic groups through the centuries in the Balkans.


title: Slavs

text: Among Slavic populations who profess a religion, the majority of contemporary Christian Slavs are Orthodox, followed by Catholic. The majority of Muslim Slavs follow the Hanafi school of the Sunni branch of Islam. Religious delineations by nationality can be very sharp; usually in the Slavic ethnic groups, the vast majority of religious people share the same religion.


title: Slavs

text: Throughout their history, Slavs came into contact with non-Slavic groups. In the postulated homeland region (present-day Ukraine), they had contacts with the Iranian Sarmatians and the Germanic Goths. After their subsequent spread, the Slavs began assimilating non-Slavic peoples. For example, in the Balkans, there were Paleo-Balkan peoples, such as Romanized and Hellenized (Jireček Line) Illyrians, Thracians and Dacians, as well as Greeks and Celtic Scordisci and Serdi. Because Slavs were so numerous, most indigenous populations of the Balkans were Slavicized. Thracians and Illyrians mixed as ethnic groups in this period. A notable exception is Greece, where Slavs were Hellenized because Greeks were more numerous, especially with more Greeks returning to Greece in the 9th century and the influence of the church and administration, however, Slavicized regions within Macedonia, Thrace and Moesia Inferior also had a larger portion of locals compared to migrating Slavs. Other notable exceptions are the territory of present-day Romania and Hungary, where Slavs settled en route to present-day Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and East Thrace but assimilated, and the modern Albanian nation which claims descent from Illyrians and other Balkan tribes.


title: Slavs

text: Ruling status of Bulgars and their control of land cast the nominal legacy of the Bulgarian country and people onto future generations, but Bulgars were gradually also Slavicized into the present-day South Slavic ethnic group known as Bulgarians. The Romance speakers within the fortified Dalmatian cities retained their culture and language for a long time. Dalmatian Romance was spoken until the high Middle Ages, but, they too were eventually assimilated into the body of Slavs.


title: Slavs

text: In the Western Balkans, South Slavs and Germanic Gepids intermarried with invaders, eventually producing a Slavicized population. In Central Europe, the West Slavs intermixed with Germanic, Hungarian, and Celtic peoples, while in Eastern Europe the East Slavs had encountered Finnic and Scandinavian peoples. Scandinavians (Varangians) and Finnic peoples were involved in the early formation of the Rus' state but were completely Slavicized after a century. Some Finnic tribes in the north were also absorbed into the expanding Rus population. In the 11th and 12th centuries, constant incursions by nomadic Turkic tribes, such as the Kipchak and the Pecheneg, caused a massive migration of East Slavic populations to the safer, heavily forested regions of the north. In the Middle Ages, groups of Saxon ore miners settled in medieval Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria, where they were Slavicized.


title: Slavs

text: "Saqaliba" refers to the Slavic mercenaries and slaves in the medieval Arab world in North Africa, Sicily and Al-Andalus. Saqaliba served as caliph's guards. In the 12th century, Slavic piracy in the Baltics increased. The Wendish Crusade was started against the Polabian Slavs in 1147, as a part of the Northern Crusades. The pagan chief of the Slavic Obodrite tribes, Niklot, began his open resistance when Lothar III, Holy Roman Emperor, invaded Slavic lands. In August 1160 Niklot was killed, and German colonization ("Ostsiedlung") of the Elbe-Oder region began. In Hanoverian Wendland, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lusatia, invaders started germanization. Early forms of germanization were described by German monks: Helmold in the manuscript "Chronicon Slavorum" and Adam of Bremen in "Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum." The Polabian language survived until the beginning of the 19th century in what is now the German state of Lower Saxony. In Eastern Germany, around 20% of Germans have historic Slavic paternal ancestry, as revealed in Y-DNA testing. Similarly, in Germany, around 20% of the foreign surnames are of Slavic origin.


title: Slavs

text: Cossacks, although Slavic and practicing Orthodox Christianity, came from a mix of ethnic backgrounds, including Tatars and other peoples. Initially, the Cossacks were a mini-subethnos, but now they are less than 5%, and most of them live in the south of Russia. The Gorals of southern Poland and northern Slovakia are partially descended from Romance-speaking Vlachs, who migrated into the region from the 14th to 17th centuries and were absorbed into the local population. The population of Moravian Wallachia also descended from the Vlachs. Conversely, some Slavs were assimilated into other populations. Although the majority continued towards Southeast Europe, attracted by the riches of the area that became the state of Bulgaria, a few remained in the Carpathian Basin in Central Europe and were assimilated into the Magyar people. Numerous rivers and places in Romania have a name with Slavic origins.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: Caitríona Mary Balfe (; born 4 October 1979) is an Irish actress, producer, and former fashion model. She is best known for her starring role as Claire Fraser in the Starz historical drama series "Outlander" (2014–present), for which she received a British Academy Scotland Award, an Irish Film and Television Award, two People's Choice Awards and three Saturn Awards. She also earned nominations for two Critics' Choice Television Awards and four Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: At age eighteen, while studying drama at the Dublin Institute of Technology, Balfe was offered work as a fashion model in Paris. For ten years, she was featured both in advertising campaigns and on runways for brands such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Bottega Veneta and Oscar de la Renta before refocusing on acting. She had leading roles in the web series "The Beauty Inside" (2012) and "" (2012–2013), and appeared in the films "Super 8" (2011), "Now You See Me" (2013), "Escape Plan" (2013), "Money Monster" (2016), "Ford v Ferrari" (2019) and "Belfast" (2021).


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: Balfe was born in Dublin and grew up outside the village of Tydavnet, near Monaghan Town, in a family of seven. She is the fourth of five children. Her father was a retired Garda Sergeant. She went to Dublin Institute of Technology to study drama, before being spotted by a model scout.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: Balfe started modelling after she was scouted by an agent while she was collecting money for charity at a local shopping centre. At 18, after working as a model in Dublin for a few months, she caught the attention of a visiting Ford Models scout, who offered her the chance to work for them in Paris.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: Balfe's modelling career highlights include opening and closing fashion shows for Chanel, Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Alberta Ferretti and Louis Vuitton. In a three-year period, she walked in more than 250 runway shows. At the height of her career, Balfe was considered to be among the twenty most in-demand models in the world.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: While living in New York, Balfe played the minor role of an employee of the magazine "Runway" in the 2006 film "The Devil Wears Prada". In 2009, after a decade-long modelling career, Balfe returned to her initial career choice and moved from New York to Los Angeles, spending her first year and a half in the city exclusively taking acting classes, first at the Warner Loughlin Studios and then at the Sanford Meisner Center and the Judith Weston Studios. Balfe has appeared in the films "Super 8", as the protagonist's mother, "Now You See Me", as Michael Caine's character's wife, and "Escape Plan", as the CIA lawyer that hires Sylvester Stallone's character.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: In 2012 she portrayed Alex #34 in "The Beauty Inside", a social film divided into six episodes telling the story of a man named Alex (Topher Grace) who wakes up in a different body every day. In 2013 she starred in the music videos for "First Fires" by British musician Bonobo and for "Chloroform" by French band Phoenix, the latter directed by Sofia Coppola.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: Balfe was part of the main cast of the Warner Bros. web series "" during 2012 and 2013, in which she played Breanna Sheehan, one of the executives of a biotechnology company that develops an implanted computer which allows people to be connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: In September 2013, Balfe was cast as the lead character, Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser, on the Starz television drama series "Outlander", based on the novels written by Diana Gabaldon; the series premiered in August 2014. She plays a mid-20th-century nurse who is transported back in time to the war-torn mid-18th-century Scottish Highlands. Both the series and her performance have received critical acclaim, with Richard Lawson of "Vanity Fair" saying "it helps immensely that Balfe is such an appealing actress, [she] makes Claire a spirited, principled, genuinely heroic heroine." Tim Goodman of "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote that Balfe is "reason enough to watch; she's a confident actress who brings various shades to her character." James Poniewozik of "Time" labelled Balfe's portrayal as "wry, [and] infectiously engaging." Angelica Jade Bastién of "The New York Times" called Balfe "one of the most stunning actresses on television."


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: In December 2014, "Entertainment Weekly" named Balfe one of its "12 Breakout Stars of 2014"; that month she was also voted "Woman Of The Year" at BBC America's "Anglophenia Fan Favorites" tournament.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: In April 2015, Balfe received Best Actress in a Lead Role Drama and Rising Star Award nominations for the 12th Irish Film & Television Awards, and was named one of "People" magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World". She won Saturn Awards for Best Actress on Television in 2015 and 2016. In November 2016, Balfe won the Scottish BAFTA award for Best Actress on Television and in February 2018 she won the Irish IFTA for Best Actress in a Lead Role Drama. Balfe also received four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her role in "Outlander".


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: Balfe co-starred in the film "Money Monster" (2016), directed by Jodie Foster and starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. She played the head of PR of a company whose stock bottoms out, causing a man to lose all of his savings and subsequently take hostages on a live TV show. Eric Hills of "The Movie Waffler" wrote "But it's relative newcomer Balfe who leaves the greatest impression; she's magnetic, stealing scenes even when her character is only glimpsed reacting to the situation on a background monitor. Expect to see a lot more of this Irish actress in the coming years."


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: In 2019, Balfe had a recurring voice role as Tavra in the Netflix fantasy series "". The series, which was a prequel to the 1982 fantasy film "The Dark Crystal" and produced by the Jim Henson Company, was released to critical acclaim. Also in 2019, she had a starring role opposite Matt Damon and Christian Bale in the sports drama film "Ford v Ferrari". Balfe portrayed Mollie Miles, the wife of professional race car driver Ken Miles, a role which earned her an IFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film received universal acclaim upon release and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: In 2021, Balfe had a co-starring role in Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical film "Belfast", for which she received critical acclaim. Critic Richard Lawson of the "Vanity Fair" lauded Balfe for her "modest, affable performance." Her performance earned her nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, and British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards. She has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Actors Branch since June 2022.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: , Balfe was based in Glasgow, having previously lived in Los Angeles where she started acting professionally, and in New York City, Paris, London, Milan, Hamburg, and Tokyo while she worked as a model. In addition to her native English, she is a speaker of the Irish language and is conversant in French.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: On 10 August 2019, Balfe married her longtime boyfriend, Scottish band manager Anthony "Tony" McGill. She announced on 18 August 2021 that she had given birth to their son.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: In an interview, Balfe was asked if she considered herself spiritual. Balfe responded "I would say I'm spiritual, though have long turned my back on institutionalised religion. I definitely believe in the inherent goodness of the universe."


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: She is a patron of the organisation "World Child Cancer". In April 2018, she ran the London Marathon, raising over US$41,000 in support of the organisation.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: She is also a supporter of charitable causes involving refugee relief with ChooseLove, raising thousands of dollars in funds to help aid refugees in crisis globally, as well as a vocal supporter of charities that aid the environment. In October 2020, an annual birthday fundraising initiative called Project CaiTREEna was started by fans to raise money for the environmental charity One Tree Planted. To date over US$150,000 has been raised in her honour, resulting in over 150,000 trees being planted around the world.


title: Caitríona Balfe

text: In August 2020, Balfe launched Forget Me Not, a Scottish-based small batch gin with 25% of the proceeds funding arts programmes.


title: Sam Smith

text: Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they were subsequently featured on Naughty Boy's "La La La", which became a number one single in May 2013. In December 2013, Smith was nominated for the 2014 Brit Critics' Choice Award and the BBC's Sound of 2014 poll, winning both.


title: Sam Smith

text: Smith's debut studio album, "In the Lonely Hour", was released in May 2014 on Capitol Records UK. The album's lead single, "Lay Me Down", was released prior to "La La La". The album's second single, "Money on My Mind", became their second number one single in the UK. The third single, "Stay with Me", was internationally successful, reaching number one in the UK and number two on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, while subsequent singles "I'm Not the Only One" and "Like I Can" reached the top ten in the UK. The album won four awards, at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.


title: Sam Smith

text: For Smith's and Jimmy Napes's song "Writing's on the Wall", the theme for the James Bond film "Spectre" (2015), they won the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Smith's second studio album, "The Thrill of It All", was released in November 2017 and debuted atop the UK and US album charts. The lead single, "Too Good at Goodbyes", reached number one in the UK and Australia and number four in the US. Following the 2018 single "Promises" with Calvin Harris, which peaked at number one in the UK, Smith released "Dancing with a Stranger" with Normani in 2019, which reached the top ten in the UK and the US and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards; and later "How Do You Sleep?", all of which feature on their third album, "Love Goes" (2020). In 2022, Smith's single "Unholy" with Kim Petras, from Smith's forthcoming fourth album "Gloria" (2023), became their first number one single in the US.


title: Sam Smith

text: Smith's achievements include four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three "Billboard" Music Awards, and an American Music Award, as well as a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.


title: Sam Smith

text: Samuel Frederick Smith was born in London on 19 May 1992, to Frederick Smith and broker Kate Cassidy, They grew up in Great Chishill, where they attended Thomas More Primary School. They were bullied for having gynecomastia as a child and underwent liposuction at age 12. As part of Youth Music Theatre UK, Smith appeared in the troupe's 2007 production of "Oh! Carol", a musical featuring the music of Neil Sedaka. Before entering the musical theatre, they had been in jazz bands. While studying singing and songwriting under jazz pianist Joanna Eden for a number of years, Smith attended St Mary's Catholic School in Bishop's Stortford and was a member of the Bishop's Stortford Junior Operatics (now Bishops Stortford Musical Theatre Society) and the Cantate Youth Choir.


title: Sam Smith

text: Smith released two singles before 2010, "Bad Day All Week" from 2008 and "When It's Alright" from 2009.


title: Sam Smith

text: Smith was featured on the Disclosure song "Latch", which was released on 8 October 2012 and peaked at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart. In February 2013, Smith released the first single from their debut album, "Lay Me Down", and later in the year featured on Naughty Boy's single "La La La". It was released on 19 May 2013 and peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. Smith's first EP "Nirvana" was released the following year. The first song on the EP, titled "Safe with Me", is produced by Two Inch Punch and was first broadcast on MistaJam's BBC Radio 1Xtra show on 24 July 2013. The second song on the EP is titled "Nirvana" and is produced by Craze & Hoax and Jonathan Creek. The EP also includes Smith's acoustic solo version of "Latch" and a live version of "I've Told You Now". Smith released the Disclosure, Nile Rodgers, and Jimmy Napes collaboration "Together" on 25 November 2013 as the only single from "".


title: Sam Smith

text: The second single from Smith's debut album, titled "Money on My Mind", was released on 16 February 2014. It was announced on 16 December that Smith's debut studio album, titled "In the Lonely Hour", would be released on 26 May 2014 through Capitol Records. Smith described the album as "all about unrequited love" stemming from personal experience, having never been loved back by any previous love interests. The album reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and number two on the "Billboard" 200, and by 5 November it had become the second biggest selling album of 2014 in the US behind only "1989" by Taylor Swift. In January 2015, "In the Lonely Hour" was named the second best selling album of 2014 in the UK, behind "x" by Ed Sheeran. A live version of album track "I've Told You Now", performed at St Pancras Old Church, was made available as a free download as part of an Amazon.com promotion on 27 December 2013. The album track "Make It To Me", co-written by Howard of Disclosure and Jimmy Napes, was made available as a free download as part of an iTunes Store promotion on 13 January 2014. Smith went on their debut American headlining tour in the second quarter of 2014, with a setlist of primarily new material.


title: Sam Smith

text: On 20 January 2014, Smith made their American television debut performing "Latch" with Disclosure on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon". Smith also performed on "Saturday Night Live" on 29 March 2014, performing the gospel-tinged "Stay with Me" and an acoustic version of "Lay Me Down". "Stay with Me" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. The fourth single from the album, "I'm Not the Only One", reached number three in the UK and number five in the US.


title: Sam Smith

text: In June 2014, Smith first appeared on the cover of "The Fader" in its 92nd issue. In August 2014, their single "Stay with Me" was named Variance Magazine's Song of Summer. Smith performed "Stay With Me" live at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards on 24 August at The Forum in Inglewood, California. On 15 November 2014, they joined the charity group Band Aid 30 along with other British and Irish pop acts, recording the latest version of the track "Do They Know It's Christmas?" at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London, to raise money for the 2014 Ebola crisis in Western Africa.


title: Sam Smith

text: In 2015, it came to light that singer Tom Petty, noting similarities between "Stay with Me" and his 1989 hit song "I Won't Back Down", had negotiated an out-of-court settlement with Smith in October 2014. Petty and co-composer Jeff Lynne were awarded 12.5 percent of the royalties from "Stay with Me", and the names of Petty and Lynne joined James John Napier (known professionally as Jimmy Napes) in the ASCAP song credit. At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, held on 8 February 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Smith performed "Stay with Me" and also received four Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year (for "Stay with Me") and Best Pop Vocal Album (for "In the Lonely Hour"). At the 2015 Brit Awards held at The O2 Arena in London on 25 February, they performed "Lay Me Down", and won the Brit Awards for British Breakthrough Act, and Global Success.


title: Sam Smith

text: In March 2015, "Lay Me Down" was re-released as the sixth single from the album, peaking at number 8 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 (Smith's third US top 10 single). The same month, Smith recorded another version of the song, featuring John Legend, for the British charity telethon Comic Relief, which reached number one in the UK. At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards on 17 May, Smith received three Billboard Awards: Top Male Artist, Top New Artist, and Top Radio Songs Artist. They featured on Disclosure's single "Omen", which was released on 27 July 2015.


title: Sam Smith

text: On 8 September 2015, Smith and Jimmy Napes confirmed that they had composed "Writing's on the Wall", the theme song to "Spectre", the 24th James Bond film. The song was released on 25 September 2015 and became the first James Bond theme to reach number one in the UK. On 19 October, Smith was presented with two "Guinness World Records"—one for recording the first James Bond theme song to go to number one in the UK and another for scoring the most consecutive weeks in the UK top 10 by a debut album, for "In the Lonely Hour".


title: Sam Smith

text: At the 73rd Golden Globe Awards on 10 January 2016, they received the Award for Best Original Song for "Writing's on the Wall". On 14 January, the song earned Smith an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. In the nominations for the 2016 Brit Awards announced on 14 January, the song was among the nominees for Best British Video. Smith performed "Writing's on the Wall" at the Academy Awards on 28 February and, along with Napes, collected the prize for Best Original Song. In their acceptance speech, Smith referenced an article by Ian McKellen published before the awards ceremony that claimed no openly gay man had won an Oscar for Best Actor; Smith misquoted McKellen as saying that no gay man in general had won an Oscar. This was quickly discredited by openly gay recipient Dustin Lance Black, but McKellen mentioned that the error "doesn't detract" from Smith's achievement.


title: Sam Smith

text: Throughout 2016, Smith released footage of themself in the studio working on new music, leading up to the release of their second studio album. In late 2016, Smith was said to be working with Adam Lambert on new material. In early 2017, it was reported that Smith would be releasing their second album in September 2017 and had recorded with constant collaborator Jimmy Napes and Naughty Boy. In April 2017, Smith was said to have been in studio sessions with classical crossover group Clean Bandit, working on a possible "comeback single". Along with Clean Bandit, record producer Timbaland and musician Frances said they had worked on songs for Smith's next album.


title: Sam Smith

text: On 8 September 2017, Smith released a new single titled "Too Good at Goodbyes", which debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. Their second studio album, "The Thrill of It All", debuted atop the UK Albums Chart and the US "Billboard" 200, becoming their first number one album in the US. On 20 March 2018, Smith started The Thrill of It All Tour, which visited Europe, North America, Asia, New Zealand and Australia. On 27 March 2018, they released "Pray" featuring American rapper Logic. On 17 August 2018, the singer collaborated as the main vocalist on Calvin Harris's new track "Promises". The song became Smith's seventh number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and their first top song on "Billboard"'s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. They also released the song "Fire on Fire" as the "Watership Down" soundtrack.


title: Sam Smith

text: In January 2019, Smith released the song "Dancing with a Stranger" with Normani as a single and it reached the top ten in the UK, the US and other countries. In February, Smith performed a medley of songs alongside Calvin Harris, Rag'n'Bone Man and Dua Lipa at the 2019 Brit Awards held at the O Arena in London. On 6 July 2019, New 102.7 radio host Mike Adam announced the song "How Do You Sleep?" on their Twitter account. On 9 July 2019, Smith posted on social media that an announcement would be made the following day. The pre-order link became active on 10 July, and later the same day, they formally announced and shared a clip of the song.


title: Sam Smith

text: In October 2019, in an interview with "The Zach Sang Show", Smith expressed excitement about their upcoming record. The singer also confirmed that their newest offering will feature fewer ballads and plenty of poppier tracks in the vein of their recent two previous singles. "I feel like I have recently shown a side of me which I normally keep to myself or for my family and friends," Smith told Sang. "I showed everyone it and everyone loved it. It's almost given me permission to kinda do what I've always dreamed of doing but I was always scared to do, which is pop music." The singer also described having been spurred on to write new music following a 2018 collaboration with Calvin Harris, "Promises". "I just naturally started getting back into the studio and started to write," they said. "I caught this wind and started riding this wave and I haven't stopped writing since."


title: Sam Smith

text: On 13 February 2020, Smith revealed that a third studio album, then titled "To Die For", was scheduled to be released on 1 May. On 30 March, Smith announced that, due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, they would be delaying the release of their third album and would include a number of changes to the album track list and the title, as they would continue to work on it. However, they did state that it would still be released sometime within 2020. "I'm Ready", a collaboration with American singer Demi Lovato was released on 16 April and charted well in the top 40 of several countries. On 6 July, Smith released their cover of Coldplay's "Fix You". They had originally performed the song earlier in May for the iHeartRadio Living Room Series. On 17 September, they released a new single, "Diamonds", and then announced the new title for their third album, "Love Goes", which was released on 30 October. On 29 September they announced that they would be performing a livestream concert on 30 October from Abbey Road Studios in London, their only live performance of 2020. The concert featured guest appearances by British actress Jade Anouka on "My Oasis" and singer Labrinth on "Love Goes", and included a cover version of "Time After Time", which drew praise from the song's original singer and writer Cyndi Lauper. The concert was recorded and released as a live album, "Love Goes: Live at Abbey Road Studios", on 19 March 2021. The same year, Smith recorded a cover of "You Will Be Found", in collaboration with Summer Walker, for the soundtrack album of the 2021 film adaptation of "Dear Evan Hansen". Their version of the song also plays during the closing credits of the film itself.


title: Sam Smith

text: On 25 August 2022, Smith announced that they had collaborated with German singer Kim Petras on a song titled "Unholy", with Petras calling it "the best song" she has been part of. The first single from Smith’s fourth studio album "Gloria", it reached number one in the UK, the US (Smith’s first US chart topper), Australia and other markets.


title: Sam Smith

text: On 18 November, Smith released the single "Night Before Christmas", which will be added to their EP "The Holly & the Ivy".


title: Sam Smith

text: Smith cited Adele and Amy Winehouse as primary influences. They admire Adele's "honesty in her music" and the way she has handled fame; they expressed a wish to maintain a similar public image. Winehouse's debut album "Frank" was the first album Smith ever bought. Early in their career, Smith received advice from Mary J. Blige and Chaka Khan, both of whom they listened to during their youth; Smith said that this inspired them to offer help to new artists themself. They called Taylor Swift a "role model" and praised her "soulfulness" as well as her "honesty".


title: Sam Smith

text: Smith stated that the story of Lady Gaga's career beginnings encouraged them to move to London in order to start their own career. They also credited her with helping them come out as non-binary. Smith described Robyn as a major influence on "Love Goes" and said that they listened to her "nonstop" while making the album because they "could dance and be sad at the same time and feel empowered". They further cited Beyoncé and Christina Aguilera as sources of inspiration and empowerment. Speaking to "Rolling Stone" in January 2016, Smith named Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey as the greatest R&B voices. Smith's other influences include Britney Spears and Brandy.


title: Sam Smith

text: In an October 2017 interview for "Attitude" magazine, Smith spoke of the impact of their close friend Ed Sheeran's success: "It makes you push yourself. Watching him this past year has just been incredible, but yeah, of course it makes me hungry." They had previously mentioned to "GQ" in January 2015 that they "envy the competition that people like [Frank] Sinatra would have [...] because you could tell he was working off them".


title: Sam Smith

text: A VH1 profile of Smith's vocal coach Joanna Eden noted that their vocal range "can soar from baritone to tenor for dramatic effect". Smith places a lot of emphasis on their voice and stated they tried to make it the main element of their debut album "In the Lonely Hour". Following the release of the album, their vocals were often compared to those of Adele. Jessica Robertson of "The Fader" considers that Smith represents "a return of the virtuosic vocalist in popular music", in the vein of Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross. Jim Farber wrote for "The New York Daily News" that Smith is "utterly unafraid to sound feminine"; Mary J. Blige thought that Smith was a black woman when she first heard them sing on Disclosure's "Latch". Asked about the "diva quality" of their voice, Smith remarked in January 2014:


title: Sam Smith

text: In May 2014, Smith came out to the public as gay and acknowledged a relationship—since ended—with actor and model Jonathan Zeizel. At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards when "Stay with Me" won an award for Record of the Year, they said, "I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year. Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys!" In October 2017, Smith stated that their latest album, "The Thrill of It All", showed "the gay guy I've become". In September 2017, Smith revealed a relationship with actor Brandon Flynn in an interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show". In June 2018, it was announced that Smith and Flynn had split after nine months of dating.


title: Sam Smith

text: In October 2017, Smith came out as genderqueer, saying, "I feel just as much a woman as I am a man" and speaking of a period in their youth where they "didn't own a piece of male clothing and would wear full makeup while attending school". In September 2019, they announced a decision to come out as non-binary and change their gender pronouns to they/them, stating, "After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I've decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out..."


title: Sam Smith

text: Smith is the godparent of close friend and collaborator Jimmy Napes's son. They identify as a feminist. They have struggled with body image issues since their preteen years and have been open about this in interviews.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Sega developed the first "Sonic" game, released in 1991 for the Sega Genesis, to compete with Nintendo's mascot Mario. Its success helped Sega become one of the leading video game companies during the fourth generation of video game consoles in the early 1990s. Sega Technical Institute developed the next three "Sonic" games, plus the spin-off "Sonic Spinball" (1993). A number of "Sonic" games were also developed for Sega's 8-bit consoles, the Master System and Game Gear. After a hiatus during the unsuccessful Saturn era, the first major 3D "Sonic" game, "Sonic Adventure", was released in 1998 for the Dreamcast. Sega exited the console market and shifted to third-party development in 2001, continuing the series on Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation systems.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: While "Sonic" games often have unique game mechanics and stories, they feature recurring elements such as the ring-based health system, level locales, and fast-paced gameplay. Games typically feature Sonic setting out to stop Eggman's schemes for world domination, and the player navigates levels that include springs, slopes, bottomless pits, and vertical loops. Later games added a large cast of characters; some, such as Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Shadow the Hedgehog, have starred in spin-offs. The franchise has crossed over with other video game franchises in games such as "Mario & Sonic", "Sega All-Stars", and "Super Smash Bros."


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic the Hedgehog" is Sega's flagship franchise and one of the bestselling video game franchises, selling over units and grossing over . Series sales and free-to-play mobile game downloads totaled . The Genesis "Sonic" games have been described as representative of the culture of the 1990s and listed among the greatest of all time. Although later games, notably the 2006 series reboot, have received poor reviews, "Sonic" is influential in the video game industry and is frequently referenced in popular culture. The franchise is known for its fandom that produces unofficial media, such as fan art and fangames.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: By 1990, the Japanese video game company Sega wanted a foothold in the video game console market with its 16-bit console, the Sega Genesis. Sega's efforts had been stymied by the dominance of Nintendo; the Genesis did not have a large install base and Nintendo did not take Sega seriously as a competitor. Sega of America CEO Michael Katz attempted to challenge Nintendo with the "Genesis does what Nintendon't" marketing campaign and by collaborating with athletes and celebrities to create games. These efforts did not break Nintendo's dominance, and Katz was replaced by Tom Kalinske, formerly of Mattel.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Sega president Hayao Nakayama decided Sega needed a flagship series and mascot to compete with Nintendo's "Mario" franchise. Nintendo had recently released "Super Mario Bros. 3", at the time the bestselling video game ever. Sega's strategy had been based on porting its successful arcade games to the Genesis; however, Nakayama recognized that Sega needed a star character in a game that could demonstrate the power of the Genesis's hardware. An internal contest was held to determine a flagship game, with a focus on the American audience. Among the teams working on proposals were artist Naoto Ohshima and programmer Yuji Naka. The gameplay of "Sonic the Hedgehog" (1991) originated with a tech demo created by Naka, who had developed an algorithm that allowed a sprite to move smoothly on a curve by determining its position with a dot matrix. Naka's prototype was a platform game that involved a fast-moving character rolling in a ball through a long winding tube. Sega management accepted the duo's project and they were joined by designer Hirokazu Yasuhara.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: After Yasuhara joined Naka and Ohshima, their focus shifted to the protagonist, who Sega hoped could become its mascot. The protagonist was initially a rabbit able to grasp objects with prehensile ears, but the concept proved too complex for the hardware. The team moved on to animals that could roll into a ball, and eventually settled on Sonic, a teal hedgehog created by Ohshima. Naka's prototype was fleshed out with Ohshima's character design and levels conceived by Yasuhara. Sonic's color was chosen to match Sega's cobalt blue logo, and his red and white shoes were inspired by the cover of Michael Jackson's 1987 album "Bad". His personality was based on Bill Clinton's "can-do" attitude. The antagonist, Doctor Eggman, was another character Ohshima had designed for the contest. The team thought the abandoned design was excellent and retooled the character into a villain. The team took the name Sonic Team for the game's release.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Sonic's first appearance came in Sega AM3's racing game "Rad Mobile" (1991) five months before the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog", as an ornament hanging from the driver's rearview mirror. The "Sonic" developers let AM3 use Sonic because they were interested in making the character visible to the public. Although Katz was certain that "Sonic" would not be popular with American children, new CEO Kalinske arranged to place "Sonic the Hedgehog" as the pack-in game with the Genesis. Featuring speedy gameplay, "Sonic the Hedgehog" received critical acclaim. It greatly increased the popularity of the Sega Genesis in North America, credited with helping Sega gain 65% of the market share against Nintendo.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Naka was dissatisfied with his treatment at Sega and felt he received little credit for his involvement in the success. He quit but was hired by Mark Cerny to work at the US-based Sega Technical Institute (STI), with a higher salary and more creative freedom. Yasuhara also decided to move to STI. STI began work on "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (1992) in November 1991. Level artist Yasushi Yamaguchi designed Sonic's new sidekick, Tails, a flying two-tailed fox inspired by the mythological kitsune. Like its predecessor, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" was a major success, but its development suffered from the language barrier and cultural differences between the Japanese and American developers. While STI developed "Sonic 2", Ohshima led a team in Japan to create "Sonic CD" for the Genesis's CD-ROM accessory, the Sega CD; it was conceived as an enhanced port of "Sonic 2", but evolved into a separate project.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Once development on "Sonic 2" concluded, Cerny departed and was replaced by Roger Hector. STI divided into two teams: the Japanese developers led by Naka, and the American developers. The Japanese began work on "Sonic the Hedgehog 3". It was initially developed as an isometric game using the Sega Virtua Processor chip, but was restarted as a more conventional side-scrolling game after the chip was delayed. It introduced Sonic's rival Knuckles, created by artist Takashi Thomas Yuda. Due to an impending promotion with McDonald's and cartridges size constraints, the project was split in two: the first half, "Sonic 3", was released in February 1994, and the second, "Sonic & Knuckles", a few months later. The "Sonic & Knuckles" cartridge contains an adapter that allows players to connect it to "Sonic 3", creating a combined game, "Sonic 3 & Knuckles". "Sonic 3" and "Sonic & Knuckles", as with their predecessors, were acclaimed. To release a "Sonic" game in time for the 1993 holiday shopping season, Sega commissioned the American team to make a new game, the spin-off "Sonic Spinball". While "Spinball" received poor reviews, it sold well and helped build the reputation of its developers.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: A number of "Sonic" games were developed for Sega's 8-bit consoles, the Master System and the handheld Game Gear. The first, an 8-bit version of the original "Sonic", was developed by Ancient to promote the Game Gear and released in December 1991. Aspect Co. developed most of the subsequent 8-bit "Sonic" games, beginning with a version of "Sonic 2". Other "Sonic" games released during this period include "Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine" (1993), a Western localization of the Japanese puzzle game "Puyo Puyo" (1991), "SegaSonic the Hedgehog" (1993), an arcade game featuring isometric gameplay, and "Knuckles' Chaotix" (1995), a spin-off for the Genesis's 32X add-on starring Knuckles.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Following the release of "Sonic & Knuckles", Yasuhara quit Sega and Naka returned to Japan, having been offered a role as a producer. He was reunited with Ohshima and brought with him Takashi Iizuka, who had worked with Naka's team at STI. With Naka's return, Sonic Team was officially formed as a brand. Sonic Team began to work on a new intellectual property, "Nights into Dreams" (1996), for Sega's 32-bit Saturn console. In 1996, towards the end of the Genesis's lifecycle, Sega released "Sonic 3D Blast", an isometric game based on the original "Sonic 3" concept, as the system still had a large install base. It was the final "Sonic" game produced for the Genesis, and was developed as a swan song for the system. Since Sonic Team was preoccupied with "Nights into Dreams", "3D Blast" was outsourced to the British studio Traveller's Tales. While "3D Blast" sold well, it was criticized for its gameplay, controls, and slow pace.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Meanwhile, in America, STI worked on "Sonic X-treme", a 3D "Sonic" game for the Saturn intended for the 1996 holiday shopping season. Development was hindered by disputes between Sega of America and Japan, Naka's reported refusal to let STI use the "Nights" game engine, and problems adapting the series to 3D. After two lead developers became ill, "X-treme" was canceled. Journalists and fans have speculated about the impact "X-treme" might have had if it was released, with producer Mike Wallis believing it "definitely would have been competitive" with the first 3D "Mario" game, "Super Mario 64" (1996). Due to "X-treme" cancellation, Sega ported "Sonic 3D Blast" to the Saturn with updated graphics and bonus levels developed by Sonic Team.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In 1997, Sega announced "Project Sonic", a promotional campaign aimed at increasing market awareness of and renewing excitement for the "Sonic" brand. The first Project Sonic release was "Sonic Jam", a compilation of the main Genesis "Sonic" games which included a 3D overworld Sonic Team used to experiment with 3D "Sonic" gameplay. Sonic Team and Traveller's Tales collaborated again on the second Project Sonic game, "Sonic R", a 3D racing game and the only original "Sonic" game for the Saturn. "Sonic Jam" was well received, while "Sonic R" reviews were more divided. The cancellation of "Sonic X-treme", as well as the Saturn's general lack of "Sonic" games, are considered important factors in the Saturn's commercial failure. According to Nick Thorpe of "Retro Gamer", "By mid-1997 Sonic had essentially been shuffled into the background... it was astonishing to see that just six years after his debut, Sonic was already retro."


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: With its "Sonic Jam" experiments, Sonic Team began developing a 3D "Sonic" platformer for the Saturn. The project stemmed from a proposal by Iizuka to develop a "Sonic" role-playing video game (RPG) with an emphasis on storytelling. Development moved to Sega's new console, the Dreamcast, which Naka believed would allow for the ultimate "Sonic" game. "Sonic Adventure", directed by Iizuka and released in 1998, was one of the first sixth-generation video games. It introduced elements that became series staples, such as artist Yuji Uekawa's new character designs influenced by comics and animation. In 1999, Iizuka and 11 other Sonic Team members relocated to San Francisco and established Sonic Team USA to develop the more action-oriented "Sonic Adventure 2" (2001). Between the releases, Ohshima left Sega to form Artoon. While both "Adventure" games were well received and the first sold over two million copies, consumer interest in the Dreamcast quickly faded, and Sega's attempts to spur sales through lower prices and cash rebates caused escalating financial losses.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In January 2001, Sega announced it was discontinuing the Dreamcast to become a third-party developer. The following December, Sega released an expanded port of "Sonic Adventure 2" for Nintendo's GameCube. Afterward, Sonic Team USA developed the first multi-platform "Sonic" game, "Sonic Heroes" (2003), for the GameCube, Microsoft's Xbox, and Sony's PlayStation 2. The game, again directed by Iizuka, was designed for a broad audience, and Sonic Team revived elements not seen since the Genesis era, such as special stages and the Chaotix characters. Reviews for "Sonic Heroes" were mixed; while its graphics and gameplay were praised, critics felt it failed to address the problems of previous "Sonic" games, such as the camera. Iizuka later reflected that developing "Heroes" was the most stressful experience in his career; he lost 22 pounds due to the crunch conditions he worked under. Sonic Team also ported "Sonic Adventure" with additional content to the GameCube in 2003 and Windows in 2004, to mixed reviews.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Sega continued to release 2D "Sonic" games. In 1999, it collaborated with SNK to produce "Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure", an adaptation of "Sonic 2" for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Some SNK staff formed Dimps the following year, and developed original 2D "Sonic" games—"Sonic Advance" (2001), "Sonic Advance 2" (2002), and "Sonic Advance 3" (2004)—for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance (GBA). "Sonic Advance" was the first original "Sonic" game released for a Nintendo console after Sega and Nintendo's fierce rivalry in the 1990s. It was outsourced to Dimps because Sonic Team was understaffed with employees familiar with the GBA. Dimps also developed "Sonic Rush" (2005) for the Nintendo DS, which uses a 2.5D perspective. Dimps's projects received generally favorable reviews. To introduce older games to new fans, Sonic Team developed two compilations, "Sonic Mega Collection" (2002) and "Sonic Gems Collection" (2005). Further spin-offs included the party game "Sonic Shuffle" (2000), the pinball game "Sonic Pinball Party" (2003), and the fighting game "Sonic Battle" (2003).


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Sonic Team USA was renamed Sega Studios USA after completing "Sonic Heroes". Sega and Sonic Team leadership became in constant flux while they began experimenting with diverging from the established "Sonic" formula. Sega Studios USA's first post-"Heroes" project was "Shadow the Hedgehog" (2005), a spin-off starring the popular "Adventure 2" character Shadow. While "Shadow" retains most elements from previous "Sonic" games, it was aimed at a mature audience and introduced third-person shooting and nonlinear gameplay. "Shadow the Hedgehog" was panned for its controls, level design, and mature themes, but was a commercial success, selling at least 1.59 million units.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: For the franchise's 15th anniversary in 2006, Sonic Team developed "Sonic Riders", "Sonic the Hedgehog", and a GBA port of the original "Sonic". "Sonic Riders", the first "Sonic" racing game since "Sonic R", was designed to appeal extreme sports fans as well as regular "Sonic" fans. With a more realistic setting than previous entries, "Sonic the Hedgehog"—commonly referred to as "Sonic '06"—was intended to reboot the series for seventh-generation consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The development faced serious problems; Naka, the last of the original "Sonic" development team, resigned as head of Sonic Team to form Prope, and the team split so work could begin on a Nintendo Wii "Sonic" game. According to Iizuka, these incidents, coupled with stringent Sega deadlines and an unpolished game engine, forced Sonic Team to rush development. None of the 15th-anniversary "Sonic" games were successful critically, and "Sonic '06" became regarded as the worst game in the series, panned for its bugs, camera, controls, and story. Brian Shea of "Game Informer" wrote that it "[became] synonymous with the struggles the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise had faced in recent years. "Sonic ['06]" was meant to be a return to the series' roots, but it ended up damning the franchise in the eyes of many."


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: The first "Sonic" game for the Wii, "Sonic and the Secret Rings" (2007), takes place in the world of "Arabian Nights" and was released instead of a port of "Sonic '06". Citing lengthy development times, Sega switched plans and conceived a game that would use the motion detection of the Wii Remote. Sega released a sequel, "Sonic and the Black Knight", set in the world of King Arthur, in 2009. "Secret Rings" and "Black Knight" form what is known as the "Sonic Storybook" sub-series. A "Sonic Riders" sequel, "" (2008), was developed for the Wii and PlayStation 2. Dimps returned to the "Sonic" series with "Sonic Rush Adventure", a sequel to "Sonic Rush", in 2007, while BioWare developed the first "Sonic" RPG"," "" (2008), also for the DS. Backbone Entertainment developed two "Sonic" games exclusive to the PlayStation Portable, "Sonic Rivals" (2006) and "Sonic Rivals 2" (2007).


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Following Naka's departure, Akinori Nishiyama, who worked on the "Sonic Advance" and "Rush" games, became Sonic Team's general manager. Sonic Team began working on "Sonic Unleashed" (2008) in 2005. It was conceived as a sequel to "Adventure 2", but became a standalone entry after Sonic Team introduced innovations to separate it from the "Adventure" games. With "Unleashed", Sonic Team sought to combine the best aspects of 2D and 3D "Sonic" games and address criticisms of previous 3D entries, although reviews were mixed due to the addition of a beat 'em up game mode in which Sonic transforms into a werewolf-like beast. After Nishiyama was promoted in 2010, Iizuka was installed as the head of Sonic Team and became the "Sonic" producer.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Iizuka felt "Sonic" was struggling because it lacked unified direction, so Sonic Team refocused on more traditional side-scrolling elements and fast-paced gameplay. "Sonic the Hedgehog 4", a side-scrolling episodic sequel to "Sonic & Knuckles" co-developed by Sonic Team and Dimps, began with "" in 2010, followed by "" in 2012. Later in 2010, Sega released "Sonic Colors" for the Wii and DS, which expanded on the well received aspects of "Unleashed" and introduced the Wisp power-ups. For the series' 20th anniversary in 2011, Sega released "Sonic Generations" for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows; a separate version was developed by Dimps for the Nintendo 3DS. "Sonic Generations" featured reimagined versions of levels from previous "Sonic" games and reintroduced the "classic" Sonic design from the Genesis era. These efforts were better received, especially in comparison to "Sonic '06" and "Unleashed".


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In May 2013, Nintendo announced it was collaborating with Sega to produce "Sonic" games for its Wii U and 3DS platforms. The first game in the partnership, 2013's "Sonic Lost World", was also the first "Sonic" game for eighth-generation hardware. "Sonic Lost World" was designed to be streamlined and fluid in movement and design, borrowing elements from Nintendo's "Super Mario Galaxy" games and the canceled "X-treme". The second was "Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games" (2013) for the Wii U, the fourth "Mario & Sonic" game and a 2014 Winter Olympics tie-in (see Crossovers section). The deal was completed in 2014 with the release of "" for the Wii U and "" for the 3DS; these games were based on the "Sonic Boom" television series. "Sonic Lost World" polarized critics, while critics found "Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games" mediocre and panned the "Sonic Boom" games. "", a "Shattered Crystal" sequel, was released in 2016.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Sega began to release more "Sonic" games for mobile phones, such as iOS and Android devices. After Australian programmer Christian "Taxman" Whitehead developed a version of "Sonic CD" for modern consoles in 2011, he collaborated with fellow "Sonic" fan Simon "Stealth" Thomley to develop remasters of the original "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" for iOS and Android, which were released in 2013. The remasters were developed using Whitehead's Retro Engine, an engine tailored for 2D projects, and received praise. "Sonic Dash" (2013), a "Temple Run"-style endless runner, was developed by Hardlight and downloaded over 350 million times by 2020 and received a in 2015. Sonic Team released "Sonic Runners", its first game for mobile devices, in 2015. "Sonic Runners" was also an endless runner, but was unsuccessful and was discontinued a year after release. Gameloft released a sequel, "Sonic Runners Adventure", in 2017 to generally positive reviews.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In a 2015 interview with "Polygon", Iizuka acknowledged that contemporary "Sonic" games had been disappointing. He hoped, from then on, that the Sonic Team logo would stand as a "mark of quality"; he planned to release quality games and expand the "Sonic" brand, while retaining the modern Sonic design. Iizuka and most of Sonic Team relocated to Burbank, California to oversee the franchise with a new team. At the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2016, Sega announced two "Sonic" games to coincide with the series' 25th anniversary: "Sonic Mania" and "Sonic Forces". Both were released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows in 2017. "Sonic Mania" was developed by the independent game developers PagodaWest Games and Headcannon with a staff comprising members of the "Sonic" fandom; Whitehead conceived the project and served as director. The game, which emulates the gameplay and visuals of the Genesis entries, received the best reviews for a "Sonic" game in 15 years. Meanwhile, Sonic Team developed "Sonic Forces", which revives the dual gameplay of "Sonic Generations" along with a third gameplay style featuring the player's custom character. "Sonic Forces" received mixed reviews, with criticism for its short length.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In 2019, Sega released a kart racing game, "Team Sonic Racing" (2019), developed by Sumo Digital. In May 2021, Sega announced several "Sonic" projects for the series' 30th anniversary, including a remaster of "Sonic Colors", the compilation "Sonic Origins", and the 2022 game "Sonic Frontiers". "Frontiers" was the first "Sonic" game to feature open-world design, and Iizuka expressed hope that it would inform future games in a similar way to "Sonic Adventure". "Frontiers" received moderately positive reviews, with critics considering it flawed but a solid direction for the franchise, and sold strongly.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: The "Sonic" franchise is known for its large cast of characters; "Sonic the Fighters" (1996) producer Yu Suzuki joked that anyone who makes a "Sonic" game has the duty to create new characters. The first game introduced Sonic, a blue hedgehog who can run at incredible speeds, and Doctor Eggman, a rotund mad scientist. During the Genesis era, Eggman was referred to as Doctor Ivo Robotnik in Western territories.<ref name="Poly: Robotnik/Eggman"></ref> Sega of America's Dean Sitton made the change without consulting the Japanese developers, who did not want a single character to have two different names. Since "Sonic Adventure", the character has been referred to as Eggman in all territories, although the Robotnik name is still acknowledged.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic" games traditionally follow Sonic's efforts to stop Eggman, who schemes to obtain the Chaos Emeralds—seven emeralds with mystical powers. The Emeralds can turn thoughts into power, warp time and space with a technique called Chaos Control, give energy to living things, and be used to create nuclear or laser-based weaponry. They typically act as MacGuffins in the stories. Eggman seeks the Emeralds in his quest to conquer the world, and traps animals in aggressive robots and prison capsules. Because Sonic Team was inspired by the culture of the 1990s, "Sonic" features environmental themes. Sonic represents "nature", while Eggman represents "machinery" and "development"—a play on the then-growing debate between environmentalists and developers.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Much of the supporting cast was introduced in the succeeding games for the Genesis and its add-ons. "Sonic 2" introduced Sonic's sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower, a fox who can fly using his two tails. "Sonic CD" introduced Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog and Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, and Metal Sonic, a robotic doppelgänger of Sonic created by Eggman. "Sonic 3" introduced Sonic's rival Knuckles, a red echidna and the guardian of the Master Emerald. The Master Emerald, introduced in "Sonic & Knuckles", controls the power of the Chaos Emeralds. "Knuckles' Chaotix" introduced the Chaotix, a group comprising Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, and Charmy Bee. A number of characters introduced during this period, such as Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel from "SegaSonic the Hedgehog" and Fang the Sniper from "Sonic Triple Trouble" (1994), faded into obscurity, although they sometimes reappear.<ref name="VB: Lame/forgotten"></ref>


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: During "Sonic Adventure" development, Sonic Team discovered that the relatively simple character designs did not suit a 3D environment. The art style was modernized to alter the characters' proportions and make them appeal to Western audiences. Since "Sonic Adventure", the series' cast has expanded. Notable characters include Big, a large cat who fishes for his pet frog Froggy; the E-100 Series of robots; Shadow, a brooding black hedgehog; Rouge, a treasure-hunting bat; Blaze, a cat from an alternate dimension; and Silver, a telekinetic hedgehog from the future. The Chao creatures function as digital pets and minor gameplay elements, and Wisp creatures function as power-ups. Flicky, the blue bird from Sega's 1984 arcade game, appears in several "Sonic" games, most notably "3D Blast".


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Some "Sonic" characters have featured in spin-off games. Eggman is the featured character of "Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine", a Western localization of "Puyo Puyo". Sega replaced the "Puyo Puyo" characters with "Sonic" characters because it feared "Puyo Puyo" would not be popular with a Western audience. In 1995, Sega released the Knuckles spinoff "Knuckles' Chaotix" for the 32X, and two Tails spin-offs for Game Gear: "Tails' Skypatrol" (a scrolling shooter) and "Tails Adventure" (a Metroidvania game). "Shadow the Hedgehog" (2005) was developed in response to the Shadow character's popularity and to introduce "gun action" gameplay to the franchise. Iizuka has said that future spin-offs, such as sequels to "Knuckles' Chaotix" and "Shadow the Hedgehog" or a Big the Cat game, remain possibilities.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: The "Sonic" series is characterized by speed-based platforming gameplay. Controlling the player character, the player navigates a series of levels at high speeds while jumping between platforms, fighting enemies and bosses, and avoiding obstacles. The series contains both 2D and 3D games. 2D entries generally feature simple, pinball-like gameplay—with jumping and attacking controlled by a single button—and branching level paths that require memorization to maintain speed. Meanwhile, 3D entries tend to be more linear in design, feature various level objectives, different movesets, and allow players to upgrade and customize the playable character. Games since "Sonic Unleashed" have blended 2D and 3D gameplay, with the camera shifting between side-scrolling and third-person perspectives.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: One distinctive game mechanic of "Sonic" games are collectible golden rings spread throughout levels, which act as a form of health. Players possessing rings can survive upon sustaining damage, but the rings are scattered and the player has a short amount of time to re-collect some of them before they disappear. Collecting 100 rings usually rewards the player an extra life. Rings have other uses in certain games, such as currency in "Sonic '06", restoring health bars in "Sonic Unleashed", or improving statistics in "Sonic Riders". Levels in "Sonic" games feature elements such as slopes, bottomless pits, and vertical loops. Springs, springboards, and dash panels are scattered throughout and catapult the player at high speeds in a particular direction. Players' progress in levels is saved through passing checkpoints. Checkpoints serve other uses in various games, such as entering bonus stages. Some settings, most notably Green Hill Zone, recur throughout the series.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: The series contains numerous power-ups, which are held in boxes that appear throughout levels. An icon indicates what it contains, and the player releases the item by destroying the box. Common items in boxes include rings, a shield, invincibility, high speed, and extra lives. "Sonic Colors" introduces the Wisps, a race of extraterrestrial creatures that act as power-ups. Each Wisp has its own special ability corresponding to its color; for instance, yellow Wisps allow players to drill underground and find otherwise inaccessible areas.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In most "Sonic" games, the goal is to collect the Chaos Emeralds; the player is required to collect them all to defeat Eggman and achieve the games' good endings. "Sonic" games that do not feature the Chaos Emeralds, such as "Sonic CD", feature different collectibles that otherwise function the same. Players find the Emeralds by entering portals, opening portals using 50 rings, or scouting them within levels themselves. Sometimes, the Emeralds are collected automatically as the story progresses. By collecting the Emeralds, players are rewarded with their characters' "Super" form and can activate it by collecting 50 rings in a stage. The Super transformations grant the player character more speed, a farther jump, and invincibility, but their ring count drains by the second; the transformation lasts until all the rings have been used. Some games require the player to collect all the Chaos Emeralds to reach the final boss.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic" games often share basic gameplay, but some have game mechanics that distinguish them from others. For instance, "Knuckles' Chaotix" is similar to previous entries in the series, but introduces a partner system whereby the player is connected to another character via a tether; the tether behaves like a rubber band and must be used to maneuver the characters. "Sonic Unleashed" introduces the Werehog, a beat 'em up gameplay style in which Sonic transforms into a werewolf-like beast and must fight enemies using brute strength. Both the "Sonic Storybook" games feature unique concepts: "Secret Rings" is controlled exclusively using the Wii Remote's motion detection, which "Black Knight" incorporates hack and slash gameplay. While some games feature Sonic as the only playable character, others feature multiple, who have alternate movesets and storylines. For instance, in "Sonic & Knuckles", Knuckles goes through the same levels as Sonic, but his story is different, he explores different parts of the levels, and certain areas are more difficult.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Many "Sonic" games contain multiplayer and cooperative gameplay, beginning with "Sonic the Hedgehog 2". In some games, if the player chooses to control Sonic and Tails together, a second player can join at any time and control Tails separately. "Sonic" games also feature a split-screen competitive mode in which two players race to the end of the stage.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: For the original "Sonic the Hedgehog", Sega commissioned Masato Nakamura, bassist and songwriter of the J-pop band Dreams Come True, to compose the soundtrack. Nakamura returned to compose "Sonic 2" soundtrack. Dreams Come True owns the rights to Nakamura's score, which created problems when the "Sonic Spinball" team used his "Sonic" theme music without permission. For "Sonic CD", two soundtracks were composed; the original, featured in the Japanese and European releases, was composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, while the North American score was composed by Spencer Nilsen, David Young, and Mark Crew.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: A number of composers contributed to the "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" score, including Sega sound staff and independent contractors recruited to finish the game on schedule. According to conflicting sources, American pop musician Michael Jackson, a "Sonic" fan, composed music for "Sonic 3". Ohshima and Hector said Jackson's involvement was terminated and his music removed following the first allegations of sexual abuse against him, but composers involved with the project said his contributions remained.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic 3" was the first "Sonic" game composer Jun Senoue worked on. Senoue has composed the music for many "Sonic" games since "Sonic 3D Blast", often with his band Crush 40, which he formed with Hardline vocalist Johnny Gioeli. While the Genesis "Sonic" soundtracks were characterized by electropop, Senoue's scores typically feature funk and rock music. Tomoya Ohtani has been the series' sound director since "Sonic the Hedgehog" in 2006, and was the lead composer for that game, "Sonic Unleashed", "Sonic Colors", "Sonic Lost World", "Sonic Runners", and "Sonic Forces". Ohtani said he attempts to "express through music the greatest features each game has", citing the diverse and energetic score of "Sonic Unleashed" and the more science fiction-style score of "Sonic Colors" as examples"."


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Other composers who have contributed to "Sonic" games include Richard Jacques and Hideki Naganuma. Tee Lopes—known for releasing unofficial remixes of "Sonic" tracks on YouTube—was the lead composer for "Sonic Mania" and a contributor to "Team Sonic Racing". The main theme of the 2006 "Sonic the Hedgehog" was performed by Ali Tabatabaee and Matty Lewis of the band Zebrahead, while Akon remixed "Sweet Sweet Sweet" for its soundtrack. Doug Robb, the lead singer of Hoobastank, performed the main theme of "Sonic Forces". One of the ending themes of "Sonic Frontiers", "Vandalize", was performed by the Japanese rock band One Ok Rock.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In 1992, Sega approached the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) about producing two television series—"a syndicated show for the after-school audience" and a Saturday-morning cartoon—based on "Sonic". Kalinske "had seen how instrumental the launch of "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" cartoon series was to the success of the toyline" during his time at Mattel and believed that success could be recreated using "Sonic". The two cartoons, the syndicated "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" (1993) and ABC's "Sonic the Hedgehog" (1993–1994), were produced by DIC Entertainment. DIC also produced a "Sonic" Christmas special in 1996, and "Sonic Underground" in 1999, to promote "Sonic Adventure". DIC's "Sonic" adaptations are generally not held in high regard.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" comprises 65 episodes overseen by "Ren & Stimpy" director Kent Butterworth and features slapstick humor in the vein of "Looney Tunes". The 26-episode "Sonic the Hedgehog" (commonly called "Sonic SatAM") features a bleak setting in which Eggman has conquered the world, while Sonic is a member of a resistance force that opposes him. The series was canceled after two seasons. "Sonic Underground" was planned to last 65 episodes, but only 40 were produced. The series follows Sonic and his siblings Manic and Sonia, who use the power of music to fight Eggman and reunite with their mother. In all three DiC series, Sonic is voiced by "Family Matters" star Jaleel White.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In Japan, Sega and Sonic Team collaborated with Studio Pierrot to produce a two-part original video animation (OVA), "Sonic the Hedgehog", released direct-to-video in Japan in 1996. To coincide with "Sonic Adventure" Western release in 1999, ADV Films released the OVA in North America as a 55-minute film, "Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie". Produced with input from Naka and Ohshima, the OVA is loosely based on "Sonic CD", with elements from "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" and "3", and recounts Sonic's efforts to stop a generator taken over by Eggman from exploding and destroying their world. Patrick Lee of "The A.V. Club" said the OVA was "the only cartoon to adapt the look, sound, and feel of the "Sonic" games", with familiar scenes and music.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic X", an anime series produced by TMS Entertainment and overseen by Naka, ran for three seasons (78 episodes) from 2003 to 2006. While previous series' episodes feature self-contained plots, "Sonic X" tells a single serialized story. The "Sonic" cast teleports from their home planet to Earth during a scuffle with Eggman, where they meet a human boy, Chris Thorndyke. Throughout the course of the series, Sonic and his friends attempt to return to their world while fighting Eggman. The second season adapts the "Sonic Adventure" games and "Sonic Battle", while the third season sees the friends return with Chris to their world, where they enter outer space and fight an army of aliens. Some critics enjoyed "Sonic X", while others disliked it. Although it suffered from poor ratings in Japan, "Sonic X" consistently topped ratings for its timeslot in the US and France.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic Boom", a computer-animated series produced by Sega and Genao Productions, premiered on Cartoon Network in November 2014. It features a satirical take on the "Sonic" mythos, and the franchise's cast was redesigned for it. According to Iizuka, "Sonic Boom" came about as a desire to appeal more to Western audiences, and it ran parallel with the main "Sonic" franchise. "Sonic Boom" lasted for two seasons and the last episode aired in 2017. In May 2020, Sega brand officer Ivo Gerscovich stated that no further episodes of "Sonic Boom" would be produced.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: To promote the release of "Sonic Mania Plus" (2018), a five-part series of animated shorts, "Sonic Mania Adventures", was released on the "Sonic the Hedgehog" YouTube channel between March 30 and July 17, 2018. The series depicts Sonic's return to his world following the events of "Sonic Forces", teaming up with his friends to prevent Eggman and Metal Sonic from collecting the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald. An additional Christmas-themed episode was released on December 21, 2018. The shorts were written and directed by Tyson Hesse, who created "Sonic Mania" opening cutscene. Similarly, Hesse produced a two-part animated series to tie in with the release of "Team Sonic Racing" in 2019. Sonic and Tails also appeared as guest stars in "OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes" in August 2019.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic Prime", a computer-animated "Sonic" series, is in development at Netflix. The series is co-produced by Netflix Animation, Sega of America, WildBrain Studios, and Man of Action Entertainment and is scheduled to premiere in December 2022.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Shogakukan published a "Sonic the Hedgehog" manga series in its "Shogaku Yonensei" magazine, beginning in 1992. Written by Kenji Terada and illustrated by Sango Norimoto, it follows a sweet but cowardly young hedgehog named Nicky whose alter ego is the cocky, heroic Sonic. According to character artist Kazuyuki Hoshino, the manga was part of Sega's promotional strategy to appeal to primary school children. The "Sonic" design team worked with Shogakukan to create new characters; Amy Rose and Charmy Bee originated in the manga before appearing in the games.<ref name="2/3"> – via YouTube. Event occurs at 0:42:22.</ref>


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: The longest-running "Sonic"-based publication is the 290-issue "Sonic the Hedgehog", an American comic book published by Archie Comics from 1993 until its cancellation in 2017. Archie also published a number of spin-offs, such as "Knuckles the Echidna" (1997–2000) and "Sonic Universe" (2009–2017). Archie's comic drew its premise from the "Sonic the Hedgehog" television series, with Sonic and a resistance force fighting the dictator Eggman. Originally written as a "straightforward lighthearted action-comedy", "Sonic the Hedgehog" became more dramatic after Ken Penders began writing it with issue #11. Penders remained the head writer for the following 150 issues and developed an elaborate lore unique to the series. Ian Flynn became head writer in 2006 and remained until the series' cancellation. Following a legal battle with Penders over ownership of characters he created, in 2013 the series was rebooted, leaving only characters introduced in the games or which predated Penders' run.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In 2008, Guinness World Records recognized Archie's "Sonic the Hedgehog" as the longest-running comic based on a video game, and by 2016 it was one of the longest-running American comics in the market. While Archie planned to publish at least four issues beyond #290, in January 2017 the series went on an abrupt hiatus, and in July, Sega announced it was ending its business relationship with Archie in favor of a new partnership with IDW Publishing. IDW's "Sonic" comic began in April 2018. Although the creative teams from the Archie series, such as Flynn, returned, the IDW series is set in a different continuity. Flynn said the IDW series differs from the Archie comic in that it draws from the games for stories, with the first story arc set after the events of "Sonic Forces". Fans continued the Archie series unofficially, including finishing unpublished issues, while Penders is using the characters he gained ownership of for a graphic novel, "The Lara-Su Chronicles".


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic the Comic", a British comic published by Fleetway Publications, ran for 223 issues from 1993 to 2002; contributors included Richard Elson, Nigel Kitching, Andy Diggle, and Nigel Dobbyn. It featured stories aimed at children, in addition to news and review sections. Although it adapted the stories of the games, the writers established their own lore. The final story arc was a loose adaptation of "Sonic Adventure" in 2000, followed by 39 issues reprinting old stories. Following the series' cancellation, fans started "Sonic the Comic Online", an unofficial webcomic that continues the stories.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In August 1994, Sega of America signed a deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Trilogy Entertainment to produce a live-action animated film to tie in with "Sonic X-treme". In May 1995, screenwriter Richard Jefferies pitched a treatment, "Sonic the Hedgehog: Wonders of the World", to Sega. It saw Sonic and Eggman escape from "Sonic X-treme" into the real world and Sonic collaborate with a boy to stop Eggman. No agreement was reached and the film was canceled. With permission from Sega, Jeffries pitched his treatment to DreamWorks Animation, but it was rejected.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In 2013, Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired the "Sonic" film rights, and in June 2014 announced it would produce a "Sonic" film as a joint venture with Sega's Marza Animation Planet. Neal H. Moritz was attached to produce under his Original Film banner, alongside Takeshi Ito, Mie Onishi, and Toru Nakahara. In February 2016, Sega CEO Hajime Satomi said the film was scheduled for 2018. Blur Studio's Tim Miller and Jeff Fowler were hired the following October to develop the film; Fowler would make his feature directorial debut, while both would executive produce. In October 2017, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights after Sony put the film into turnaround. However, most of the production team remained unchanged, and principal photography began in September 2018 in Ladysmith, British Columbia.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: The film, written by Patrick Casey and Josh Miller, follows Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) as he journeys to San Francisco with a small-town cop (James Marsden) so he can escape Eggman (Jim Carrey) and collect his missing rings. Additional cast members include Tika Sumpter, Adam Pally, and Neal McDonough, while Colleen O'Shaughnessey reprises her voice role as Tails from the games for a mid-credits scene cameo. Sonic was initially redesigned to be more realistic, with fur, new running shoes, separate eyes and a more humanlike physique. The design triggered a backlash; it was criticized for not resembling the game design and provoked an uncanny valley-type of repulsed response from viewers. As such, Sonic was revised to better resemble the original design.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Paramount originally scheduled "Sonic the Hedgehog" for a November 8, 2019 release, but delayed it to February 14, 2020, to accommodate the redesign. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who felt it exceeded the low expectations typically associated with video game-based films; Carrey's performance in particular was praised. Criticism was directed at a perceived lack of originality or ambition, and while Sonic's second redesign was praised, some felt it set a negative precedent for the film industry by giving fans the power to influence the filmmakers. With an estimated budget of $81–95 million, the film grossed over $310 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2020. In March, it became the highest-grossing film based on a video game in US box office history.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" was announced in May 2020, and principal photography began in March 2021. It features Sonic and Tails attempting to stop Eggman, with Knuckles' help, from finding the Master Emerald. Schwartz, O'Shaughnessey, Marsden, Carrey, and Sumpter reprise their roles from the first film, while Idris Elba voices Knuckles. Much of the crew, including Fowler, Casey, and Josh Miller, returned.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: "Sonic 2" incorporates more aspects of the "Sonic" games than the first film, including the Chaos Emeralds and Super Sonic. It adapts plot elements from "Sonic 2" and "Sonic 3", and introduces Shadow in the mid-credits scene. "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" was released on April 8, 2022. It received positive reviews and grossed over $402 million worldwide, surpassing its predecessor as the highest-grossing video game film in the US.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: In February 2022, Paramount and Sega announced that they were working on a "Sonic" cinematic universe, with "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" and a Knuckles streaming television series for Paramount+ in development. Elba is set to reprise his voice role in the series.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: Licensed "Sonic" merchandise includes books, clothing, soundtracks, board games, and toys such as figures and plushes. By 2004, the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise had generated more than in licensed merchandise sales. Sega and McDonald's collaborated for "Sonic"-themed Happy Meal promotions in 1994 for "Sonic 3" and in 2004 for "Sonic Heroes". "Sonic" was the first video game franchise promoted in McDonald's, and over Sonic Happy Meal toys were sold worldwide. A million pairs of "Sonic" trousers were sold by 1996.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: First4Figures has produced a large number of vinyl and resin "Sonic" figures since 2008. In January 2012, Sega and RHM Solutions opened an online "Sonic" store, while PlayStation Gear began selling "Sonic" items in December 2017. Sega and The Lego Group collaborated to produce a Green Hill Zone Lego set in 2021, after it was suggested on Lego Ideas in 2019.


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: The "Sonic" platformers released during the 1990s were acclaimed and have been listed among the greatest video games of all time. The original "Sonic" was touted as a faster, cooler alternative to Nintendo's "Super Mario World" (1990). According to "Kotaku" Zolani Stewart, Sonic's rebellious character was representative of the culture of the 1990s, "when the idea of individual rebellion seemed inextricably linked to consumer culture". Writing in "The Guardian", Keith Stuart observed that "Sonic the Hedgehog"s emphasis on speed departed from accepted precepts of game design, requiring that players "learn through repetition rather than observation" as "the levels aren't designed to be seen or even understood in one playthrough... "Sonic" is incorrect game design and yet ... it's a masterpiece." "Sonic 2", "Sonic CD", "Sonic 3", and "Sonic & Knuckles" were praised for building on the first game's formula; in 1996, "Next Generation" described them as "the zeitgeist of the 16-bit era".


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: After the uneventful Saturn era, the series found renewed popularity during the sixth generation of video game consoles. "Sonic Adventure", though criticized for its glitches and camera system, was acclaimed for its visuals, spectacle, and varied gameplay; "Sonic Adventure 2" was met with similar praise. However, journalists began to feel the series was straying from its roots, with some commenting that "Sonic Adventure" failed to reinvent Sonic for the 3D era as "Super Mario 64" had for Mario. Stewart argued that the addition of voice acting and greater focus on plot changed Sonic into "a flat, lifeless husk of a character, who spits out slogans and generally has only one personality mode, the radical attitude dude, the sad recycled image of vague '90s cultural concept". Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of "Eurogamer" agreed, writing that Mario's "plucky earnestness and whimsy will always enjoy a longer shelf-life than [Sonic's] over-compensatory edginess".


title: Sonic the Hedgehog

text: After the Dreamcast, the series' critical standing declined. Evans-Thirlwell summarized further 3D "Sonic" games as "20-odd years of slowly accumulating bullshit". Although reviews for "Sonic Heroes" were mostly favorable, Stewart said this was when the focus on story and cutscenes became unbearable. "Shadow the Hedgehog" was widely criticized as a misguided attempt to bring a sense of maturity to the franchise, and "Sonic '06" was critically panned. The "Sonic Mania" developer Christian Whitehead said that the changes to the "Sonic" formula "stemmed from a – perhaps misplaced – desire to continue to push Sonic as a AAA brand". Journalists, Whitehead, and the former Sega of America marketing director Al Nilsen criticized the number of characters added to the series, which Naka had justified as necessary to please fans. Evans-Thirlwell argued that Sonic Team had never successfully translated the momentum-based gameplay of the Genesis games to 3D, and that unlike Mario, "Sonic" never had a 3D "transcendental hit". Simon Parkin of "The Guardian" noted that whereas the Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto reviews every "Mario" game prior to release, the individuals who had shaped "Sonic" (Naka, Ohshima, and Cerny) left Sega.