Sonic The Hedgehog 4 could end up being called Sonic CD

The Sonic film trilogy will become a quadrilogy in 2027, but Paramount may be deviating from the standard convention of naming the next film. Instead of just calling it Sonic the Hedgehog 4, a new rumor claimed that the studio was considering naming the movie Sonic CD.

That's according to the usually reliable leaker, DanielRPK (thanks, Insider Gaming). An insider claims that Paramount is considering changing the title of its next Sonic movie, and instead of calling the movie Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the fourth movie will be called Sonic CD. It's not only a hat tip to one of the first Sonic games ever released, but also a movie that will have the same name if the change goes through.

Whatever it's called, we're definitely going back in time when Sonic returns to the big screen

Rumors that Sonic 4 could eventually be called Sonic CD build on previous talk that the next film in the series will lean heavily on time travel elements, according to a leak that came from the same source as the news of the potential title change. Sonic CD's story and gameplay are rooted in time travel, as Sonic is able to jump to the future and past in each level to access and go through different versions of that stage.

Amy of it all also strongly suggests that whether the movie's title changes or not, Sonic CD fans will be very happy with whatever the next movie serves up. Major spoilers for the credits scene from Sonic 3, but Amy makes a big appearance in the next movie. The Pink Hedgehog appears to save the Blue Blur from an army of Metal Sonics, looking like she might have come from another time.

Sonic CD title screen in Sonic Origins for Nintendo Switch

Although often forgotten when discussing Sonic's Sega Genesis roots, those who have played Sonic CD often refer to it as one of the best Sonic games ever made. The 2D time traveling game started out as an expansion to the first Sonic game, but eventually became its own thing and wasn't released until after Sonic 2.

Therefore, there is an eternal debate about who was added to the series first – Tails or Amy.

There is also debate as to exactly when Sonic CD falls in the 2D Sonic timeline. Of course, the movie doesn't matter. I'm only worried about how well a Sonic movie called Sonic CD will do at the box office. Each new Sonic movie has done better than the last, and I'm afraid that a movie called Sonic CD might not do as well as one simply called Sonic the Hedgehog 4. But hey, the next Mario movie won't be called The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 and I'm sure it'll be cool so what do I know?