Bandai Namco and Sega have partnered on a month-long cross-promotional event uniting classic franchises Pac-Man and Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time on mobile.

The event will see Pac-Man and Ms Pac-Man joining Sega Hardlight's Sonic Dash as playable characters on alternating weeks throughout the period. Players who collect enough items when playing as these characters can then unlock them permanently.

Meanwhile, Sonic will appear in the mobile edition of Pac-Man in six new levels and free Sonic tournaments. Anyone who plays this new content during the event period will unlock the content forever.

Both events will run from now until March 20th 2018. After that time, players will be no longer be able to unlock the crossover content in the games.

Enduring heroes

"Pac-Man and Sonic the Hedgehog have proven to be some of the most enduring heroes in video game history, and seeing each of these characters in these new universes helps remind us why we fell in love with them in the first place," said Bandai Namco chief Pac-Man officer Kazunori Goka.

"We hope that Sonic fans and PAC-MAN fans alike will enjoy seeing their favourite characters take on new challenges and try their best, all for the sake of friendship."

It's not the only new mobile game appearance for Sonic the Hedgehog this year. Sega launched Sega Slots in January 2018, starring Sonic and a host of other IP including Super Monkey Ball and Golden Axe.