4 July 2024
Hello, this is Tails’ Channel.
Yesterday morning, we published a post on X (a tweet; formerly known as Twitter) concerning a missing character slot on the Japanese microsite for Sonic × Shadow Generations.
“The Japanese Sonic × Shadow Generations site showcases both sides of the game, interestingly teasing that another character may be playable (?) in Shadow Generations.”
To clarify, the post was not to suggest (i.e., did not say in plain language) that the missing slot was solely indicative of a playable character. Indeed, there was a possibility that it was an advertisement for an unannounced “featured” or “highlighted” character of the respective campaign, which may not necessarily correlate to a playable status.
We understand that SEGA of Japan had set a precedent for previous Sonic the Hedgehog microsites, in which the Characters tab advertised a full slate of playable and unplayable “side” characters. In contrast, the Sonic × Shadow Generations microsite advertised a limited slate of four characters three of which are playable in their respective campaigns: Classic and Modern Sonic the Hedgehog, and Shadow the Hedgehog.
Concerning the above and our workarounds over the platform’s limited character parameters, we issued an ambiguous “maybe,” as the microsite did not make it apparent if it was an advertisement for a playable or side character.
Two independent news outlets argued that the limited presentation of the Characters tab in the Sonic × Shadow Generations microsite implied that the unannounced slot was indeed for a playable character. However, there was no official corroboration to support the claim, and we are not in the position to assert it as a potential finality yet.
Unfortunately, we did not thoroughly convey this information. Despite our intentions, the unclear wording of our post made our readers interpret that the missing slot was for a playable character instead of an unannounced featured character, which is false. We have since made a clarification to the original post.
We sincerely appreciate your consideration and understanding. It’s important to us to accurately share your stories, and we have taken the steps to ensure a similar circumstance does not occur again.
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