Sonic, the classic SEGA franchise featuring that iconic blue hedgehog, has announced the release of a new game called 'Sonic Forces.' While the title will include all of the characters from the series' history, including Knuckles, Tails, Shadow, and Sonic himself, Sonic Forces is acknowledging the tendencies of its fan community by offering a new game feature. SEGA has announced that the game will offer a customized character mode, similar to the type that has long been a feature of sports and RPG games.
The Sonic franchise's fan base is notorious for creating fan art that invents new characters out of whole cloth. With Sonic Forces, players will be able to replicate that in an official SEGA environment. The game will offer seven stock character types (wolf, rabbit, cat, dog, bear, bird, and hedgehog) that users will be able to further adjust and play with.
Customizable Video Game Characters
'Sonic Forces' Will Let Players Create Their Own Characters
Trend Themes
1. Customizable Video Game Characters - SEGA's announcement of Sonic Forces' customizable character mode acknowledges the fan base's tendency for creating new characters and sets a trend for more gaming companies to provide customization features on their games.
2. Fan Community Participation - The addition of customizable character mode in Sonic Forces shows how fan involvement can contribute to the overall success of a game and set an opportunity for more interactive experiences within the gaming industry.
3. Personalized Gaming Experience - The trend towards a more personalized gaming experience, as exemplified by Sonic Forces' customizable character mode, presents an opportunity for the gaming industry to innovate and add more features that allow users to build their own gaming experiences.
Industry Implications
1. Video Game Industry - The release of Sonic Forces and its customizable character mode marks a shift towards a more engaging and interactive gaming experience, presenting the gaming industry with an opportunity to create more personalized options for its users.
2. Animation Industry - The trend towards customizable character modes, as seen in Sonic Forces, presents a new frontier for the animation industry, where new characters can be created and introduced by the fan base, contributing to the overall growth of the industry.
3. Merchandising and Licensing Industry - The customizable character mode feature in Sonic Forces presents a new opportunity for the merchandising and licensing industry to create new products based on the game's characters and the fan-generated ones, allowing for greater consumer engagement and revenue channels.