Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series. It is published by Sega, with entries developed by Sega, Sonic Team, Dimps, SIMS Co., Ltd., BioWare, and Sumo Digital. The series debuted in 1991 with the video game, Sonic the Hedgehog, released for the Mega Drive video game console (named Sega Genesis in North America). In its earliest history, most Sonic the Hedgehog games had been platform games released for Sega video game consoles and handheld game consoles (handhelds), dating from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Dreamcast. However, some of the original games were ported into versions on newer third-party home consoles and developed by various companies. As of March 2011, the series has collectively sold 89 million copies worldwide across both the platform games and spin-offs. The most popular games in the franchise are platform games, although the series also includes other genres such as racing video games, fighting games, action-adventure games, role-playing video games, and sports games. Each game focuses on the titular protagonist Sonic the Hedgehog, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog. It also features a large cast of other characters such as Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Shadow the Hedgehog, and the Chao creatures. 2D platformers 3D platformers Sonic Riders Series Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Series Other Racing games Sonic at the Olympic Games Series Sonic Boom Series Arcade games Educational games Sonic Cafe Games Other spin-offs Compilations Cancelled games See also List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters References Sonic the Hedgehog