There's a rumor going around courtesy of TSSZ which thrives on Sonic the Hedgehog rumors that usually pan out in one way or another, so I mention this rumor with the upfront disclaimer that I do not know if it's true, but considering what has been going on lately with Sega's decision to limit its publishing and development efforts and the company's urgent need to raise cash, it sounds feasible.  Word on the street is that Sega wants to reboot Sonic the Hedgehog and with the exception of speed, platforming, and the Sonic versus Dr. Eggman rivalry, every other element from the franchise is up for review and possible removal.  If this is an April Fool's joke, it's late.  The article is dated April 4.  Here's some of the article:

We’re told the core tenets of speed, platforming, and surreal environments will remain–as will Sonic and Dr. Eggman and the rivalry they share, though both characters may undergo a makeover. But as part of this possible reboot, anything and everything else is under review, says the source. That includes, at its core, the main supporting Sonic cast, even Tails, our source says. And while the idea of surreal environments would remain, a whole new universe for Sonic to do battle and new characters for him to befriend may be concocted, in effect destroying most canon that precedes the relaunch and wiping the slate nearly clean, according to our source. All the meanwhile, new gameplay methods and gimmicks are allegedly being fleshed out for Sonic to try.

Specifically, our source alleged the concept of “zones” may be revamped. In this possible reboot, zones would be massively expanded and become their own worlds, sort of speak. Within the zones, there would be individual levels masked as missions for Sonic to complete. The source most closely compared it to Electronic Arts’s Burnout Paradise, which is open-world and lacks a concrete, linear level structure.

There's also talk that Sega may want to emulate Activision's success with Skylanders; specifically, the Skylanders toys that eager children have pestered their parents into paying high prices to acquire.  The toys can then be "imported" into the Skylanders video game thanks to magical technology.  The hope seems to be that kids would want to own Skylandersesque toys for Sonic and friends (whichever friends survive the reboot), thereby creating a new revenue stream for the Sonic brand.  And, of course, if you don't commit to buying the toys, then you can't see everything that the associated Sonic game has to offer.