Roger Craig Smith reveals his tenure as Sonic the Hedgehog is over

Some sad news in the world of Sonic the Hedgehog today, as Roger Craig Smith, the voice of the franchise’s eponymous Blue Blur for the better part of the last ten years, stated (or at least very strongly implied) on Twitter that he will no longer be the voice of SEGA’s mascot.

Smith, a veteran voice actor who had already come to be known for his portrayals of Chris Redfield in Capcom’s Resident Evil series and Ezio Auditore da Firenze in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II, his first credited role came in 2010’s Sonic Free Riders, though more fans arguably first heard him in Sonic Colors, which was released the following week. Uncredited, fans got a sneak peek at the start of the year as he was given a trial run at the “Sonic Spinball Ride & Hotel Room” at Alton Towers:

From that point, he’s been the English voice of Sonic in every game between then and now. Beyond the realm of video games, he would also portray the character in guest appearances on Cartoon Network’s OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes, Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph films, and perhaps most notably, the full two-season, 104 episode run of the Sonic Boom animated series. On the side, he has also participated in the “Sonic Twitter Takeovers” hosted on the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account.

His final parts in the role came in 2019’s Team Sonic Racing and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 video games, the animated Chao in Space short, and most recently, the Sonic downloadable content for Puyo Puyo Tetris 2:

Incidentally, he also plays the part of Daigo Dojima in the English dub of Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

At this point, it’s not uncommon for SEGA to shake up the Sonic cast a bit every few years, though Smith now holds the record at more than ten years in the role. Whether this is another instance of that or simply Smith and SEGA opting to part ways is currently unknown. For their part, SEGA told Nintendo Wire:

Roger Craig Smith’s portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog is one that fans are sure to remember for generations to come. He brought the character to life in a truly authentic way, with Sonic’s signature attitude and flair, and we’ll always be thankful to Roger for his contribution to the franchise.

No comment on recasting the role was given. However, popular speculation for Smith’s successor points towards Ben Schwartz, who voiced the Blue Blur in last year’s surprise hit Sonic the Hedgehog movie, and is attached for its in-development sequel. Schwartz and Smith have both worked together previously on Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (as Leonardo and replacing John Cena as Baron Draxum, respectively).

Whether Schwartz takes on the role beyond the silver screen or someone else laces up Sonic’s trademark red shoes for a new run, we’ll keep you posted.

Header image via RogerCraigSmith.com