South by Southwest will not schedule a 2021 edition of the Gaming Expo, event officials told Tails’ Channel. It is expected that Sonic the Hedgehog will not participate in South by Southwest this year.
The Gaming Expo were among the many events from South by Southwest that will not return for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its continued worldwide impact.
In a verbal communication with event officials, Tails’ Channel has learned that the upcoming South by Southwest event, SXSW Online, will only host events planned by the Conferences, Festivals, and EDU. Panels and content from the Gaming Expo, except for the annual Gaming Awards, will not be present on SXSW Online.
As SEGA organized the popular Sonic panels through the now-canned Gaming Expo, it is presumed that Sonic the Hedgehog will not make an appearance in South by Southwest this year.
The absence of the Gaming Expo will not impact the the blue blur’s eventual 30th anniversary announcements, which was teased to exhibit “new games, digital content, and events.”
It is presumed that SEGA will attempt to broadcast the anniversary announcements independently. Last year, Sonic Official attempted to contract a production studio for a new presentation format that was teased for April 2020, which has since been pushed off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will be the second time that Sonic and SEGA will not have an appearance at South by Southwest.