Sonic Voice Actor Announces Departure From Role

Sonic the Hedgehog has been a staple in the gaming world since the early 1990s. Developed by Sega as a rival to Nintendo’s Mario, Sonic was quickly loved by fans because of his unique personality.

His character has remained as popular nearly 30 years later. Last year saw the release of the Sonic the Hedgehog film, which became a box office hit and received mostly positive reviews from fans and critics.

For many of Sonic’s appearances in video games, Roger Craig Smith lent his voice for the character, providing a quick wit for the supersonic mammal. Today, however, Smith announced a major change for the character going forward.

ACTOR WILL NO LONGER PORTRAY THE LEGENDARY GAMING MASCOT

Roger Craig Smith, the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, announced today that he will no longer portray the legendary video game mascot.

Smith took to Twitter to announce the news.

“Welp, 10 years was an amazing run. Onward to new zones! Much love to the fans who've been so kind. It's been an honor.”

Welp, 10 years was an amazing run.
Onward to new zones!

Much love to the fans who've been so kind.💙

It's been an honor.
🦔 pic.twitter.com/7Rn9PVA92m

— Roger Craig Smith (@RogerCraigSmith) January 28, 2021

Smith began voicing the character in 2010. His final role as Sonic was in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 in 2020.

A GREAT RUN FOR A GREAT CHARACTER

Smith is a well-known actor in the gaming industry, but his work voicing Sonic is perhaps his biggest role. A 10-year run as one of gaming's most recognizable mascots is a tremendous milestone, and Smith is already being praised on Twitter for his efforts in bringing the character to life.

As of now, it’s unclear who will inherit the role of Sonic in video games going forward. Some have speculated that Ben Schwartz, who voiced Sonic in last year’s Sonic the Hedgehog film, will take over the mantle for all projects. However, that movie was fairly divorced from Sonic’s video game adventures, so it seems more likely that another gaming industry voice actor will now voice the famous hedgehog.