SEGA Says Major Sonic 35th Anniversary and Sonic 4 Promotions Will Ramp Up From October

SEGA appears to be saving some of Sonic’s biggest 35th anniversary marketing for the second half of its financial year.

In newly published Q&A notes from SEGA SAMMY Holdings’ FY2027 Q1 financial results briefing, the company discussed how Sonic’s anniversary campaign is contributing to its licensing business and when it expects those efforts to really begin paying off. According to SEGA SAMMY, licensing and merchandise initiatives connected to Sonic’s 35th anniversary have already been underway since Q1, but the company expects the larger revenue expansion to accelerate alongside upcoming movie releases and the major promotional campaigns surrounding them.

More specifically, SEGA says promotions related to the Sonic and Angry Birds movies are planned to be concentrated in Q3 and Q4, with licensing revenue expected to increase throughout the second half of the fiscal year. SEGA SAMMY’s financial calendar runs from April through March, meaning Q3 covers October through December 2026, while Q4 covers January through March 2027.

That timing is particularly notable for Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 19, 2027. Production has already moved into voice recording, with Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, and Kristen Bell recently confirming work on Sonic, Tails, and Amy respectively.

In other words, the enormous amount of Sonic promotion we have already seen throughout the 35th anniversary may only be the first half of SEGA’s plan. The year has already brought concerts, merchandise collections, real-world activations, collaborations, new game projects, Sonic’s Chaos Hunt and plenty more, but SEGA is specifically expecting its large-scale promotional activity to intensify from October onward as the fourth movie gets closer.

The company made that point while answering a question about how much anniversary campaigns such as Sonic’s are actually contributing to licensing revenue. SEGA said the current licensing and merchandise rollout began during Q1, while full-scale revenue growth is expected to accelerate in Q3 and Q4 alongside film releases and their associated major promotions. SEGA is also expanding global licensing efforts around other major properties including Persona and Angry Birds, with the company expecting those brands to contribute more strongly during the second half of the year.

Licensing revenue itself is currently progressing roughly as SEGA expected. Q1 remained approximately level with the same period last year, but the company expects the heavier second-half promotional schedule to push that figure upward and says it feels positive about reaching its ¥20.8 billion full-year licensing revenue target.

The Q&A also provides some wider context for why SEGA is investing so heavily in campaigns like this. Management describes video and film as one of the major pillars of its transmedia strategy, with the company aiming to combine games, video entertainment and licensing to increase both awareness and the overall value of its intellectual properties. SEGA is also exploring greater cooperation with group companies such as TMS Entertainment, whose animation production experience and industry relationships could be used across the wider business.

That fits closely with comments SEGA president Shuji Utsumi made earlier this year about Sonic becoming a model for the company’s wider transmedia ambitions. Utsumi described Sonic as a symbol of SEGA and explained that the success of the movie series has helped the company build experience it can now apply to other properties, including Angry Birds.

For Sonic fans, however, the most interesting part is the calendar. October 2026 appears to mark the beginning of the next major phase of Sonic’s anniversary and movie marketing, with that promotional push continuing through the March release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Considering how busy the first half of the 35th anniversary has already been, apparently SEGA still has plenty left in the tank.

Stay tuned to Sonic City for more Sonic News and Updates!