We’ve known for a while that the next big game in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is racing our way in 2022, but now we may know what it will be called. A later-retracted press release originally identified the mystery 2022 game as “Sonic Rangers,” but it seems that may have changed, as Sega has registered a new trademark for “Sonic Frontiers.” Interestingly, this jives with a recent 4chan rumor that stated the game’s name had changed to Sonic Frontiers, would be an open-world game similar to Breath of the Wild, and was coming together surprisingly well. Of course, 4chan is always a sketchy source, but the fact that Sega has actually trademarked Frontiers may lend the rumor some extra credence.

　　Very little has been officially revealed about the 2022 Sonic game, although previous rumors have also pointed toward a more open-world approach, inspired by Nintendo’s Zelda BOTW. For his part, longtime Sonic producer Takahashi Iizuka says he hopes the game has the same influence and lasting power as Sonic Adventure did 20 years ago…

　　The new title in development is progressing towards a 2022 release, so I can’t really call it an Anniversary title. However, Sonic Adventure laid the foundation for 20 years of Sonic titles after its release, so in the same way I really hope that this new title releasing in 2022 lays the foundation for the following future Sonic titles – that is the idea behind the challenge for the team.

　　That’s a lofty goal, and given the very mixed quality of Sonic’s games over the past 20 years, I’ll just say, good luck. But hey, at least they have a solid name lined up – if it does end up being the real title, Sonic Frontiers has a much better and more appropriate ring than Sonic Rangers (which sounds like a game where Sonic fights monsters in a giant robot).

　　The next Sonic game (whatever it ends up being called) speeds onto PC and consoles in 2022.