Sonic the Hedgehog Classic and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Classic will be delisted soon as Sega winds down Forever support
Retro Engine favourites face an unfortunate future
- Sega Forever support winding down across classic Sonic releases
- Retro Engine versions added widescreen, 60FPS, and extra characters
- Recent updates hint that more delistings could be approaching
There was a time when Sega seemed determined to put its entire back catalogue onto your phone, and the Sega Forever lineup felt like an easy way to keep a bit of retro history in your pocket. Now, though, it looks like another wave of those classics is heading for the exit, with several mobile ports losing support, so if you’ve been meaning to grab them, this might be the moment.
The headline names are Sonic the Hedgehog Classic and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Classic, both originally rebuilt for mobile using the Retro Engine by Christian “Taxman” Whitehead and Simon Thomley, long before they worked on Sonic Mania.
These versions weren’t simple emulation jobs either - they ran smoothly at 60FPS, added widescreen support, and even let you play as characters like Tails and Knuckles in ways the originals never allowed.
According to in-game notices, support for the Sega Forever releases is being wound down, which has sparked concerns that delistings could follow, something we’ve already seen happen to a number of other retro games that were removed from mobile storefronts last year.
Interestingly, the iOS version of Sonic the Hedgehog has reportedly dropped ads entirely following a recent update, almost as if the publisher is tidying things up before pulling the curtain.
That wider pullback from older ports isn’t exactly new territory either. Sega has been gradually shifting focus toward newer projects, leaving many of its legacy mobile adaptations in a bit of limbo. Or well, letting them go altogether.
For us longtime fans, it’s a bittersweet reminder that even the most accessible versions of these classics don’t stay around forever. So, if you’ve got even a passing interest in revisiting Sonic’s early outings, it might be worth claiming them now.
And if you’re planning to stay in the Sonic ecosystem once these classics are gone, you can always check the latest Sonic Rumble codes!
