[RGamer2009]

Just Announced on the Sega Blog:

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Every year, The Summer of Sonic team dreams of new ways to excite and inspire like-minded Sonic the Hedgehog fans, with large-scale conventions that aim to bring people together under a common theme.

Due to the nature of how the annual event is organised, each Summer of Sonic event hinges on the availability of key team players, as they help build the show in their spare time – alongside SEGA personnel who also must work around their daily duties.

With this in mind, it is after a lot of consideration that we have decided to put Summer of Sonic on hiatus for 2014. During this hiatus, we will take stock of the things we have accomplished with SEGA and then decide when we will be able to return for another round of Sonic excitement.

The team would like to express our sincere thanks for the continued support of our fellow Sonic fans, as well as our apologies for any disappointment this news may cause.

Since its debut in 2008, the Summer of Sonic has been a truly pioneering event, entertaining thousands of fellow Sonic the Hedgehog fans from all corners of the world with the mantra of providing a convention by the fans, for the fans.

Its creation also marks a significant milestone in the video games industry – these past six years this small team of adoring fans have enjoyed an extremely close working partnership with the company responsible for the products and characters they grew up with and love. This close interaction between brand and community is unprecedented to this day, and shows SEGA as a company ahead of the curve when it comes to fan engagement.

As such, the team would like to thank SEGA and the Sonic Team for its support for the convention – both past, present and future.

Also announced along with it is that Sonic Boom will be in NYC this year and will take place on October 4th.

I'm happy that Sonic Boom got moved closer to me, but no SOS for the UK is pretty bad. What do you all think?

[Shadow Hog]

RGamer2009, on 22 May 2014 - 12:09 PM, said:

Also announced along with it is that Sonic Boom will be in NYC this year and will take place on October 4th.

New York City sure got very desert-y, didn't it?

But for real, I don't think I'll attend these, much like I haven't attended them in the past; I've heard they're a little... eh, awkward, to put it mildly. (Feel free to correct me, I suppose, but then bear in mind, I've never felt that comfortable at any large convention to begin with.)

[Spanner]

Really I think it's in need of a break, they can't just repeat some stuff over and over again. To think during their hiatus, they could think of sorting out AIR CON.

Also it doesn't stop the usual Retro meetups either, despite trying to organise it around Summer of Sonic.

Saying that, the Summer of Sonic organisers are a lot better than SEGA of America doing Sonic Boom. It's just not the same without community involvement really, no offence to RubyEclipse or anyone else from SoA who sees this.

[TimmiT]

I'm guessing that Sonic Boom was moved to October to promote Sonic Boom and Sonic Boom with Sonic Boom and also to use Sonic Boom in Sonic Boom to promote Sonic Boom and Sonic Boom without using it in Sonic Boom and Sonic Boom.

This post has been edited by TimmiT: 22 May 2014 - 01:05 PM

[Ravenfreak]

I was hoping that Sonic Boom would have been in Chicago so I could go again, but I was happy to go last year so I thank Sega for hosting it in St. Louis. Oh well I'll just watch the live stream on here. xP

[Conzuh]

It's a huge shame, but if it's due to organisational issues then it's probably for the best.

What I mean is, if a lot of the usual guests aren't available and the organisers aren't sure how they can make the event better than the previous year, hiatus can be a good thing. There's no point in putting on the event if they can't make it as good as before, and a break will give them more time to be creative with the next one.

I'll miss SoS for its atmosphere and how it brought together the fans, a break was probably what it needed. Just wait for its triumphant return!

RGamer2009, on 22 May 2014 - 12:09 PM, said:

But for real, I don't think I'll attend these, much like I haven't attended them in the past; I've heard they're a little... eh, awkward, to put it mildly. (Feel free to correct me, I suppose, but then bear in mind, I've never felt that comfortable at any large convention to begin with.)

Awkward? Not from my experience. You'd be surprised how sociable the people are. The Sonic fanbase isn't half as bad as the internet pretends it is.

This post has been edited by Conzuh: 22 May 2014 - 02:34 PM

[GeneHF]

Depending on how things work out, we may have a pretty large Retro contingent going this year.

Though, if I go, I'll more likely want to see New York and visit the new World Trade Center. I like sky decks. I also like Sky Deck, yes.

[Donnyku]

NYC eh? That's only about a 2 hour drive, I can deal with that

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Though, if I go, I'll more likely want to see New York and visit the new World Trade Center. I like sky decks.

Skydeck a Go Go

[Overlord]

Can't have a trip to NYC without the Nintendo World. =P

[NiktheGreek]

Conzuh, on 22 May 2014 - 01:43 PM, said:

Just wait for its triumphant return!

That is by no means a certainty.

[Conzuh]

NiktheGreek, on 22 May 2014 - 02:24 PM, said:

That is by no means a certainty.

Svend Joscelyne on Facebook:

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I promise it will return! When, I don't know. But please read the statement on the website for more information.

Just putting that out there. Unless you do expect it to return, just not triumphantly

This post has been edited by Conzuh: 22 May 2014 - 02:35 PM

[NiktheGreek]

I have full trust in Svend, he's a good guy that I'm pleased to know. I truly believe that he intends to deliver on his promise.

But let me tell you something, man. I know disappointment. People, circumstances, finances - all of these things can change. Right now, there's every intention for the event to return, but intentions don't always translate into reality. A key supporter at Sega might leave, key people may continue to face time pressures, demand may fall. Svend may even be living outside of the UK by this time next year, who knows? Crazier things have happened.

I hope that Summer of Sonic will be back because I thoroughly enjoyed the five events I attended. I'm just not holding my breath.

This post has been edited by NiktheGreek: 22 May 2014 - 02:44 PM

[Spindash54]

As a New Yorker myself, finally glad I'll be able to go to one of these Sonic events :D

[Jen]

Well, that's immensely disappointing. Summer of Sonic is honestly one of the highlights of my year, it's a fun day out and a good opportunity to spend the weekend with fellow Retro members. It's something I always look forward to when it's announced.

Here's hoping it'll return next year then... :/

[SonKnuck]

Sad news for our friends in the UK...

But on the bright side, I might finally be able to go to Sonic Boom! New York isn't THAT far away from my place... Just a day's work worth of driving. Just need to find a way to get an extra vacation from work though, since the bosses have already accepted my original schedule of vacation... Well then... First things first... Gotta get myself a passeport!