Sonic Unleashed goes portable
Ryan Bloom | May 7, 2009
The World Adventure lands on your mobile phone
Sonic has always been a good fit for handhelds. Even when the chips were down for the 3D console Sonic games, most would agree that Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush were enjoyable titles. While there’s still no news on a third installment of the Sonic Rush series, Sega and Gameloft are teaming up to bring Sonic to another handheld device: your mobile phone. Unfortunately, there are no screenshots or video of it just yet, so it’s difficult to tell how, exactly, Sonic Unleashed is going to fit on the device (or which devices will be supported, for that matter). The Press Release (featured below) does say the game will be a 2D affair, so it’ll be interesting to see how this turns out.
Sonic UnleashedTM will be the first game to be launched on mobile
Gameloft®, a leading publisher and developer of video games on mobile phones and consoles, today announced a licensing agreement with SEGA® Europe Ltd. to develop, publish and distribute multiple mobile games based on SEGA brands. This is the first partnership between Gameloft and SEGA® Europe Ltd.
“We are confident this agreement will be the first step towards a long term partnership between Gameloft and SEGA,” said Michel Guillemot, president, Gameloft.“SEGA’s great brands coupled with Gameloft’s long standing history of excellence in mobile game development can only result in an extraordinary mobile experience for consumers.”
“With so much entertainment on the go, it seems natural to provide fans with a mobile game based on the much loved Sonic brand,” said Gary Rowe, A&R Director, SEGA® Europe Ltd.“Gameloft’s unwavering commitment to quality mobile games combined with a successful track record of bestsellers and unmatched worldwide distribution make them uniquely qualified to develop Sonic Unleashed™ for mobile.”
The mobile game will be a high speed 2D side-scrolling adventure that stays true to what’s made Sonic such a popular and critical success over the years, both through environment and gameplay. Featuring dual gameplay, players will be able to engage as the regular Sonic the Hedgehog or Werehog, a werewolf who comes out at night, moves slower, but possesses incredible strength. The mobile game will once again pit Sonic against Dr. Eggman, taking him across several continents to collect the chaos emeralds to save the world. Exclusive to the mobile game, Sonic Unleashed for mobile will feature a new personality with exciting new skills.
Sonic Unleashed™ for mobile is currently under development in Gameloft’s studios and will be released in June 2009 in Europe, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
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About Gameloft
Gameloft is a leading international publisher and developer of video games for mobile phones and consoles. Established in 1999, it has emerged as one of the top innovators in its field. The company creates games for mobile handsets equipped with Java, Brew or Symbian technology. The total number of games-enabled handsets is anticipated to exceed four billion units by 2012. Gameloft games are also available to players on WiiWare and DS, Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Arcade, Apple’s iPod, iTouch and iPhones, and PCs.
Partnership agreements with leading licensors and sports personalities such as Ubisoft Entertainment, Universal Pictures, ABC, Dreamworks Animations SKG, Endemol, 20th Century Fox, Viacom, Sony Pictures, Touchtone Television, Warner Bros., FifPro, Ferrari, Paris Hilton, Gus Hansen, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Reggie Bush, Chuck Norris, Jonny Wilkinson or Robinho allow Gameloft to form strong relationships with international brands. In addition to the partnerships, Gameloft owns and operates titles such as Block Breaker Deluxe, Asphalt: Urban GT and New York Nights.
Through agreements with major telephone wireless carriers, handset manufacturers, specialized distributors and its online shop, Gameloft has a distribution network in over 80 plus countries.
Gameloft has worldwide offices in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, Mexico, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Santiago, Paris, London, Cologne, Milan, Madrid, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Vienna, Bucharest, New Delhi, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney. Gameloft is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0000079600, Bloomberg: GFT FP, Reuters: GLFT.PA)
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 Europe’s web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.
Filed Under Gaming News
Sounds interesting. I hope it isn’t cheaply thrown together with some advance sprites.
I can’t wait for the next Sonic game… I remember how excited I was when I saw the first Unleashed trailer!
I’m ok with the fact that there is another sonic game, the only thing that i dislike is that it is on the Mobile Phone.
Why not make sonic unleashed on like……
The Nintendo DS! (I would love to see that), but it’s Sega’s Choice, can’t do anything about that.
….I hate my parents for taking the internet off of my phone…
This is the par where we ask why they did it on the phone and not the PSP…It could’ve handled the graphics… I dont know about DS…
hmm…why bother makin it for a mobile? Its kinda stupid really wen they could be focusing on the mainstream platforms… but they’re the businesmen/woman not me.
I’ve never got a sonic mobile game before, I’ll have to get this one and see what its like ^.^
hmmm this is pretty interesting and impressive like how can a game like Sonic Unleashed get on portable games unless there using Advance sprites or the Rush sprites
Um… why WOULN’T they use the Rush or Advance sprites? After all, it’s supposed to be a “high speed 2D sidescrolling adventure”. I’m interested to see what the Werehog sprites will look like.
There milking Sonic Unleashed for all its worth I see
Yay! Sonic Unleashed i s the best Sonic game in the world! Lets go portable too!
And then they can make a SU 2! 
@Crysore: Why not? Heheheh. Just kidding.
But man… Talk about OVERMILKING this game. Though still…. This has a chance of being a good portable version of an awesome game.
As soon as we get screens, I must see them. I’m willing to bet this will be an awesome game to hold us over for Rush 3 (if they’re making one that is….).
Meh, why not make one for PSP with the best graphic you can get in a PSP game???
But I’ll get this anyway, it is just stupid that they don’t make one for PSP and the DS…no, not the DS. The DS get too much attention anyway.
Nobody owns a PSP…I’m tired of companies releasing great games on that system and then being surprised they don’t sell. I have 7 games on that system I want, none of them are first party. Weird.
But even worse is this mobile BS…outside of Japan, mobile gaming is a niche that mostly focuses on casual games. It seems like a waste. We still never got Before Crisis(the Final Fantasy Vii prequel).
ya not many people own PSP this is might mean we wont be getting a Sonic Rivals 3 then but ya not many sonic fans have PSP so ya
Awesome, good idea too.
I wonder what the next Sonic game will be about? SEGA has been real quiet since SatBK came out.
“There milking Sonic Unleashed for all its worth I see”
Yep. Absolutely nothing.
Sonic Unleahed could totally work on the DS. It’d be a hell of a lot better on the DS. But for now, this works.
Why do I say that? Because Gameloft’s on it. I’m not saying it’ll be perfect, but I’m confident enough in them to make a fun, decent game, despite this being their first Sonic game (to my knowledge; it says this is their first partnership).
Crap game gets crap port. Nothing new here. Call me when we get some decent Sonic news.
Jeez, Soul. It wasn’t THAT bad.
Sonic Unleashed on a Cellphone pfft … I rather see a DS & PSP version …
“Yep. Absolutely nothing.”
I thought you liked Unleashed, Steve…
P.S. You are Steve from dA and Youtube aren’t you? Or are you someone else?
I can’t wait for this! Wish it was coming out in America, though.
YOU CAN NOT BE SERIOUS! just because you make the game for a phone doesn’t mean its going to erase the failure that unleashed brought to the gaming world. don’t get me wrong i like sonic but unleashed was so bad i sold it the moment i beat it. if your going to make anything for a phone pick a better title!
@Soul? crap game? >_> go play the other recent Sonic 3D’s ~ I loved Unleashed like it was a son. xD
@Malady
Definently an
addict
[...] in the gallery below. But keep this in mind: you may remember Gameloft’s mobile port of Sonic Unleashed, and how that wasn’t immediately available domestically outside of unauthorized channels. [...]