A recent job posting from SEGA on LinkedIn is showing how the times have changed. The company is actively searching for a loremaster for its insanely popular Sonic the Hedgehog franchise to keep tabs on the canonical and non-canonical parts of the overall story.
Yep, this means if you have an arts degree and happen to be browsing for jobs, you may have come across the application. The position is titled “Associate Manager, Lore” for Sonic Team. With close to 1000 submissions, there’s definitely going to be some competition.
Over 30+ years, Sonic the Hedgehog has many different plotlines for the various entries in the franchise, and even though its overarching story is quite convoluted, there is still a general canon.
The responsibilities of the position include the review and verification of story content for consistency and accuracy, in addition to script writing, brainstorming, and the provision of feedback for new stories and characters.
SEGA included in the job description, “With both project management and creative duties, you will be immersed in the organizing and shaping of Sonic lore, canon, characters, and universes, helping to bring consistency, connectivity, and creativity to all things Sonic across various forms of media including games, animation, comics, and more.”
You would think that Ian Flynn would be the guy to do it. This man served as the chief writer for the long-running Archie Comics’ Sonic the Hedgehog series, beginning with issue #160 up until its conclusion, and is now the lead writer for the ongoing IDW Publishing series of the same name.
Not only that but Flynn was also tasked to write the plot for Sonic Frontiers, the latest entry in the iconic gaming franchise.
Sonic Frontiers was released worldwide on November 8, 2022. The game is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.