[Talisman]

25 years today, a legacy began. It began with a game to showcase a console. It became a franchise that would rival a titan. One that, through ups and downs, has endured. A franchise that despite its theme and its face, is all too human. One that has misstepped, one that has triumphed. One that has known all too well the stale taste of mediocrity. But one that has carried on through thick and through thin, through good and bad. One that has brought joy to millions, one that entertained us, one that shaped us, one that introduced us to lifelong friends, inside and outside of its world.

Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. Today we celebrate a milestone that few media, let alone video games, can say they have reached. And for all its sins, for all its failures... It's still here. He's still running. And in that... one can find hope. One can take solace. In a world where things are shuttered and erased far too quickly for underperforming, for failing to meet expectations, here is one that has proven time and again that whatever happens, you can still keep going. You can still get up and try again. Here is a franchise that, more than any other, shows us what it is to be alive, and inspires us to celebrate it.

Here's to you Sonic, my oldest friend. Here's to a quarter of a century of moving ever forward, no matter what obstacles we may meet. And here's to many more. For wherever you may run... so will I.