That’s right geeks, SEGA has decided to grant us access to the Sonic Generations demo! Act quickly as the demo is only going to be available for twenty days. The demo will feature the newly redesigned Green Hill Zone that we all know and love. Let’s hope this is a sign of good things to come from everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog.
In related SEGA news, Sonic is celebrating his 20th birthday! To recognize one of gaming’s most iconic mascots, a special parade float will be part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. Congrats to SEGA on remaining a successful company after all of these years, despite it’s ups and downs.
For full texts of both press releases, read below.
DOWNLOAD THE ULTIMATE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF SONIC’S 20 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS
The World’s Most Famous Hedgehog Releases Sonic Generations Downloadable Demo
LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (June 23, 2011) —SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. are excited to continue the celebrations for their company mascot with an exclusive 20 day downloadable demo available from Sonic’s 20th Anniversary itself, June 23, 2011. After a successful E3 and huge Sonic Boom community event in Los Angeles, SEGA are thrilled to announce that the Sonic Generations™ demo will be available to download and play for a 20 day period via Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as the PlayStation®Network.
This unique 20 day demo gives fans the chance to sample the most iconic environment of all Sonic the Hedgehog™ titles, Green Hill. The level from the upcoming Sonic Generations has been redesigned in stunning high definition and will be available for download in all its Classic Sonic side-scrolling glory and is also playable in stereoscopic 3D.
Sonic Generations will be the jewel in the crown for Sonic’s 20th Anniversary celebrations this year. Since the first day of the release of Sonic The Hedgehog™ back in 1991 on the SEGA Genesis™, SEGA has sold over 70 million Sonic the Hedgehog™ games worldwide and Sonic has appeared in four animated TV series. SEGA’s blue hedgehog has also starred in his own line of comics and been officially declared by the book of Guinness World Records as the fasted video game character of all time. It is estimated that a staggering 70 billion rings have been collected during Sonic’s 20 years of gaming!
Happy Anniversary Sonic, you are still unstoppable after 20 years.
Sonic Generations will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Nintendo 3DS™ in November 2011.
About SEGA® Europe Ltd.:
SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA’s global website site is located at www.sega.com.
About SEGA® of America, Inc.:
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation®, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA’s global website site is located at www.sega.com.
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
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SONIC THE HEDGEHOG RETURNS TO THE MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE®
SEGA Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of its Iconic Character with a 48-Foot Tall Helium Balloon in the Famed Holiday Spectacular
SAN FRANCISCO, CA and NEW YORK, NY — June 23, 2011—A beloved blue blur is set to return to the skies of New York City, as SEGA® of America, Inc. today announces that Sonic the Hedgehog will fly once again at the 85th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. On Thursday, November 24th, Sonic will defy gravity and soar as a giant helium balloon in the famed spectacular in celebration of his 20th Anniversary. A trailblazer from the start, Sonic in 1993, made his debut as the first-ever video game character to appear in the heralded march down the streets of Manhattan. Over the past 20 years, Sonic has evolved as one of gaming’s greatest icons, with his blue body and unforgettable spikes being recognized worldwide as a symbol of speed, adventure and fun.
On Thanksgiving, the Sonic balloon will sky rocket into the atmosphere with massive blue spikes, his signature white gloves and red shoes, shining in the sun. For his parade return, Sonic will measure approximately 48-feet tall, 60-feet long, and 26-feet wide, solidifying his presence, once again, as a historic character in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade line-up.
“Sonic the Hedgehog was a Macy’s Parade trailblazer when he burst into the line-up, becoming the first-ever video game character to fly in our annual march,” said Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Sonic continues to be a worldwide phenomenon and we are thrilled that this Thanksgiving his distinctive blue spikes will be seen zooming down the route once more, as part of his 20th birthday celebrations.”
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a celebration of the most famous faces and characters in our culture, so it was a simple decision to bring Sonic back to the parade to celebrate his 20th anniversary in great company,” says Judy Gilbertson, Senior Brand Manager, SEGA of America. “It will be a thrill for Sonic fans young and old to see the balloon this Thanksgiving.”
Alongside his parade return, Sonic’s highly anticipated new title, Sonic Generations, will be released this holiday season,commemorating Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20thanniversary.
Sonic Generations features Sonic the Hedgehog playable as both the much loved classic 1991 character and the modern day video game hero he has become. In this exciting new fast paced adventure set across three defining eras from 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog, you can now speed through some of the most iconic environments, playing as Classic Sonic in re-imagined 2D side scrolling levels and as Modern Sonic in all new, stunning 3D levels.Sonic Generations will be available this holiday season for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Nintendo 3DS™.
The 85th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationwide on NBC-TV, Thursday, November 24, 2011 from 9:00 am — Noon, in all time zones.
For more information please visit www.sega.com.
For press assets please go to www.sega-press.com.
About the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: With more than 50 million viewers across the country and more than 3.5 million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event. For more than 80 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season. Growing in size and scale, the Parade proudly marches down a more than 2-mile route in New York City with more than 8,000 participants in tow including Macy’s employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns and dance groups spreading holiday cheer. The Parade also features America’s best marching bands, fabulous floats and Macy’s signature giant helium character balloons. For more information on the Macy’s Parade please visit www.macys.com/parade or call the Parade hotline at (212) 494-4495.
About SEGA® of America, Inc.: SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home.The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.