10 Video Game Characters Who MASSIVELY Changed Before Release
3. Sonic Was A Rabbit - Sonic The Hedgehog
Right alongside Mario, Sonic is the most recognizable video game character in the world. Even people who haven't played a single video game in their life can tell who he is, and yet, it turns out his iconic blue design hasn't always been Sega's intention.
According to the character's creator, Sonic was initially envisioned as not a hedgehog but a rabbit! Although he was still named Sonic, his main gimmick wouldn't have been running around at the speed of sound, but grabbing random objects with his ears.
Yeah, it sounds pretty lame in comparison (also, not as catchy), but surprisingly, the underwhelming nature of the rabbit Sonic's powers wasn't why he was scrapped. It was actually the overwhelming nature of trying to implement the ear mechanic into the game.
The grabby ear-hands proved too difficult to turn into reality using the hardware at the time, and so SEGA turned to Naito Ohshima's design of a fast-running hedgehog.
Yes, the only reason we got Sonic the Hedgehog was because Sega couldn't afford to carry through their more ambitious project. Maybe that's why most of their modern Sonic games are so rough around the edges...