List of Sonic the Hedgehog video games
"Sonic the Hedgehog" is a video game series. It is published by Sega, with entries developed by Sega, Sonic Team, Dimps, SIMS Co., Ltd., BioWare, and Sumo Digital. The series debuted in 1991 with the video game, "Sonic the Hedgehog", released for the Mega Drive video game console (named Genesis in North America). Most "Sonic the Hedgehog" games have either been platform games or released for Sega video game consoles and handheld game consoles (handhelds) dating from the Genesis to the eighth generation of video game consoles (2012–present). However, some of the original games were ported into versions on third-party home consoles and developed by several companies. As of February 2013, the series has collectively sold over 85 million copies worldwide across both the platform games and spin-offs.
Ristar
Back in late 1994, Sega was originally pitching "Ristar" to be the successor of Sonic the Hedgehog. However, the game never received a ton of exposure or sales, mainly due to being released just three months prior to the Sega Saturn, Sega's successor to the Genesis, overshadowing it. In a 1994 "Electronic Gaming Monthly" interview, Sega marketing staff Lisa Best and Terry Tang claimed "Ristar" was not designed by the same "Sonic" programming team, although much of the game's staff would later go on to create "Nights Into Dreams" for the Saturn, the next game to be officially credited to Sonic Team. This, along with "Ristar's" inclusion in a number of "Sonic" themed compilations and re-releases in subsequent year, would lead game journalists to retroactively label the game as being developed by Sonic Team.