Sonic X Shadow Generations Is Getting A Shadow The Hedgehog Prequel Anime

thegamer.com:

The Year of Shadow continues its celebration in 2024. This time, the moody hedgehog will be getting a prequel anime, alongside his starring role in Sonic x Shadow Generations later this year.

As revealed on social media by the official Sonic Twitter account, Sonic x Shadow Generations: Dark Beginning will arrive sometime soon. It will "shed light on the ultimate life form," and it will presumably drop ahead of the game, which has been marked as an autumn 2024 release by Sega.

More information will be revealed at Anime Expo, which will take place in Los Angeles from July 4-7. That panel will have Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka as well as voice actors Kirk Thornton (Shadow the Hedgehog) and Stephanie Sheh (Maria Robotnik).

The announcement also joins a leak of the game's icon via the Steam database. While most fans are pumped about a Shadow-centric anime, nearly everyone was in agreement that the icon was lazy.

All of this is in celebration of what Sega has officially called "The Year of Shadow." The celebration has been designed to celebrate "what it means to be fearless," with fans encouraged to embrace their "inner Shadow."

Already, Sega has designed a custom Shadow-inspired motorcycle. The motorcycle, which takes after Shadow's Dark Rider bike, is a real-life creation that is set to tour around the globe.

Elsewhere, Shadow will be part of the upcoming Sonic x Shadow Generations video game, and Sonic Superstars released a Shadow costume DLC for Sonic. The iconic hedgehog also received a Lego set, complete with a buildable bike. And, there was also a Loungefly wallet and backpack set, too.

Perhaps the biggest news of all is that Keanu Reeves has signed on to voice Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. That movie is set for release before the end of the year. Now, all we need to complete the Shadow celebration is a remaster of 2005's Shadow the Hedgehog. C'mon Sega, just give it to us.