Egmont will launch with an All About Sonic the Hedgehog magazine next month and a range of books in May 2014, aimed at children 6-10 years old.
Titles will include a Sonic the Hedgehog Joke Book, £4.99 with jokes for Sonic fans to share with their friends and a Super Sonic Poster Book, £6.99 that is packed with posters of Sonic and his friends and includes activity pages. Secrets of Sonic the Hedgehog, £5.99 is a fact file handbook, packed with information and stats on Sonic and his friends, character profiles, background information and tactics and tips for playing the games whilst the bumper sticker title Sonic the Hedgehog Sticker Mania, £6.99, is crammed with stickers of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and the rest of the gang, says the publisher.
Sarah Bates, Publishing Director of Egmont’s licensed character division, Egmont Publishing Group said: “We know how much children love heroes and Sonic is a true hero with a big heart. A gaming industry icon, known for his speed, confidence and readiness for all types of adventure, our books will convey the excitement and action from Sonic’s world and feature his friends, enemies and numerous worlds from across the franchise of popular and new games.”
David Riley, Managing Director of Egmont’s licensed character division, Egmont Publishing Group said: “We are thrilled to have acquired publishing rights for Sonic; one of the most popular video game icons of all time. It is a key addition to our portfolio of digital gaming properties. We are really excited to be working with SEGA to publish books and magazines and hope to attract some of the millions of gamers to reading. Our variety of titles can be enjoyed alongside gameplay or the Sonic fun can continue after children have stopped playing the game.”
Sissel Henno, Head of Brand Licensing, SEGA commented: “We’re very excited to team with Egmont for a new range of books and magazines for Sonic the Hedgehog. He is such an iconic figure so we know that there will be great enthusiasm amongst fans to see Sonic’s gaming adventures translated into print. Egmont is an ideal publishing partner for us as they have lots of experience to draw on and they really get our brand.”
According to SEGA, Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared as a videogame character in June 1991 and instantly became an icon for a generation of gamers. Defined by his super-fast speed and cool attitude, in the years since he first raced on to videogame consoles Sonic has become a true global phenomenon with over 140 million videogames sold or downloaded worldwide across consoles, PC’s, mobile phones and tablets. SEGA’s iconic blue blur has also gone on to enjoy incredible success in many licensed areas, such as toys, apparel, comics and animation.
