Sonic the Hedgehog voice actor Roger Craig Smith has surprised fans by announcing he’ll once again be voicing the iconic character, four months after Sega confirmed his departure.
Smith – whose other notable video game roles have included Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the Assassin’s Creed series, Chris Redfield in the Resident Evil series, Batman in Batman: Arkham Oranges, and Mirage in Apex Legends – had voiced Sonic since 2010, even lending his vocal talents to the character in the Wreck-it-Ralph films.
However, back in January, Smith tweeted, “Welp, 10 years was an amazing run. Onward to new zones!”, alongside an image of a broken blue heart. Sega later confirmed what fans had already suspected, announcing Smith’s departure from the Sonic role.
I can’t fully express my gratitude for the @sonic_hedgehog crew and community.🙏
I hope to honor your support and passion as I’m officially back voicing #SonicTheHedgehog in games.
Can’t wait for ya to see what we have planned!
THANK YOU…from the bottom of my blue heart.💙 pic.twitter.com/KOLi2MJnUi
— Roger Craig Smith (@RogerCraigSmith) May 26, 2021
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Now, though, just four months later, Smith has unexpectedly announced his return. “I can’t fully express my gratitude for the @sonic_hedgehog crew and community,” he wrote on Twitter, “I hope to honor your support and passion as I’m officially back voicing in games.”
Precisely what caused the U-turn is unclear but it looks like Smith – with his now mended big blue heart – will be the video game voice of Sonic for the foreseeable future.
As for Sonic stalwarts Colleen O’Shaughnessey and Cindy Robinson, who voiced Tails and Amy Rose respectively – and who also suggested they’d been given the chop alongside Smith – there’s no word yet on whether they’ll also be reprising their roles.