Sonic Prime team wanted the show to woo new fans while not alienating old ones
Priming the fanbase
Sonic Prime is the latest animated project to feature the Blue Blur, and it’s currently streaming on Netflix. While the show brings us a new take on some classic Sonic characters, it doesn’t stray too far from what Sonic faithful expect. Turns out that was done very much on purpose.
Man of Action Entertainment is behind Sonic Prime, and two people tied to that company, Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau, spoke to Comicbook.com about their goals with the series. Both were very clear that Sonic Prime was always meant to be something fans could enjoy, while also getting newcomers interested.
Rouleau: A very clear one, “make new fans but don’t lose the old ones.” It’s a clear enough mandate and one you will find with any existing IP, but like you said the big challenge is sifting through 30 years of the IP’s lore to find a clear and concise take. For us it was simple enough. While there are plenty of ancillary sources to draw upon – comics, old cartoons and now movies – it is and always has been the games that are the core of the character. We are fans, know those games well. Pulling from that source we focused on those as our chief inspiration. It wasn’t creating something new from whole cloth as much as weaving together several visions into one new and unified experience.
Seagle: Sonic is both a classic, and an ever expanding franchise. Sega has very committed creators keeping track of the lore of Sonic, they keep us on point in that regard. Our job is to go where the character hasn’t been in terms of other works, situations, and themes. So it’s both keeping the essence and making up something new. That was the mandate, and it will continue to be the mandate!
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