Sega revealed yesterday that it had located and restored the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog statue that once took pride of place in SegaWorld London (as spotted by VGC!). The company now plans to exhibit the statue at its booth at this year's Gamescom (taking place in Cologne from August 23rd to August 27th).
In case you're unfamiliar, SegaWorld London was an attraction that opened in 1996 and was (at the time) Europe's largest indoor theme park. It was a joint venture between Sega and the entertainment company Chorion. But Sega ended up leaving the enterprise after just three years due to low attendance, with Chorion eventually subletting the space to Family Leisure, the company behind Funland Arcade.
Guests who attended SegaWorld back in the day were able to enjoy a wide range of amusements, including Sega arcade machines, the "VR-1" virtual reality attraction, and the AS-1 motion simulator. They would also be able to spot the iconic statue in question, which sported a spinning globe that was positioned on top of the mascot's finger.
The statue was considered lost after the attraction was originally closed but turned up in 2019 underneath a bunch of boxes and papers in a garage. Now Sega has restored to its former glory with the help of 13 Finger FX, a Croydon-based FX house.
Sega's senior global community manager Danny Russell tweeted the following about the project: "Took quite some time, but Mitch and I brought him back! Thanks so much to @ted90909 for helping track it down, @thesketchsector and @DaveLuty for bringing it to my attention, Proun for the original rescue, and 13 Finger FX for the restoration!"
Sega Forever, Sega's dedicated retro account, meanwhile posted a video of the restoration process and announced the plans to put it on display at this year's Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany.
If you're heading down to the convention, be sure to swing by Sega's booth and see this incredible piece of history for yourself.