10 Video Game Conspiracy Theories You'll Start To Believe
8. Why Michael Jackson's Music Was Removed From Sonic 3
When Sega approached Michael Jackson to work on Sonic the Hedgehog 3's music, the pop singer jumped at the opportunity since he was a massive fan of the spiny speedster.
However, it's unclear how much the legendary musician was involved in the game's development. Many reports claim Jackson felt like his music sounded diluted on the Mega Drive, encouraging him to back out of the deal. There are also conflicting stories on how much of Jackson's work made it into Sonic 3.
So, what happened? Well, according to Jackson's music director, Brad Buxer, the music icon worked on full tracks and beatboxing sequences for four weeks, under Sega's guidance. Although the sexual abuse allegations against Jackson were public at this point, Sega didn't intervene, allowing him to complete the soundtrack.
But when Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released, Michael Jackson wasn't suspiciously absent from the promotions. Not only was most of his music missing from the game, he was left uncredited.
Although the official reason for Jackson's departure from Sonic 3 was that he was unhappy with how music sounded on the system, many suspect Sega deliberately disassociated from him because of the allegations.