Sega has teamed up with a company that claims to have synthesised Sonic The Hedgehog’s DNA for a one-of-a-kind statue to be displayed in Tokyo. The video game giant has been celebrating the 35th anniversary of Sonic The Hedgehog all year, announcing new merchandise, music albums, a live concert, and a second year of DLC support for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds. However, fans expecting an announcement for the next mainline game were left disappointed as Summer Game Fest and all accompanying showcases passed without a teaser.
Life-Size Statue with Synthetic DNA
The anniversary itself falls on Sunday, June 21, but Sega has opted to drum up hype with the announcement of a life-size figure that it pretends contains Sonic’s actual DNA, despite the character being fictional. Unveiled in a recent YouTube video, the statue appears to be made from metallic goo reminiscent of the T-1000 from Terminator 2, with the green Chaos Emerald from the games embedded in Sonic’s chest.
‘The ‘Sonic-ness’ that has transcended time has been brought to life in the real world as ‘DNA’ through cutting-edge biotechnology,’ reads a convoluted video description. According to a Sega press release, this creation comes from a partnership with a company called LOM BABY, which specialises in DNA figures. ‘Based on Sonic’s iconic characteristics such as his ‘blue body,’ ‘super speed that runs at the speed of sound,’ ‘love of adventure,’ and ‘free and cool personality,’ ‘Sonic’s DNA’ has been designed and synthesised,’ explains Sega.
LOM BABY and Transeeds Collaboration
LOM BABY appears to be a subsidiary of another Japanese company called Transeeds, which describes itself as ‘a science collective comprised of artists, engineers, scientists, and other members, with the theme of ‘the origin of life.’’ Transeeds claims to have made actual dragon meat using biotechnology and recreated a non-pathogenic version of the T-Virus from the Resident Evil games as part of a Capcom collaboration. The official LOM BABY website currently shows only a logo for its Sonic collaboration.
Statue Display and Future Games
The Sonic statue is a one-of-a-kind item and is not for sale. It will be displayed at the Sega Store in Tokyo starting Tuesday, June 23. Given its life-size proportions, it would take up considerable space and be prohibitively expensive for home purchase. Sega has not disclosed the cost of producing the statue.
Meanwhile, fans hope for an announcement of a new Sonic video game soon, as nearly four years have passed since the release of Sonic Frontiers. Rumours suggest a definitive edition of Sonic Frontiers is in development, and photos of a Nintendo Switch 2 version have surfaced, though Sega has not formally confirmed this. Former Sega of America vice president Mike Fischer may have hinted at a remake of Sonic The Hedgehog CD, which would align with the next live-action Sonic movie, set for release next April and drawing inspiration from that game.
