Sega is working with Sony to make a Sonic movie.

Cheer up Sonic. It won't be that bad, will it?

Sega Sammy boss Hajime Satomi told The World Folio that the Sonic the Hedgehog movie will be a "live-action and animation hybrid", which suggests the Sega mascot will run up against real life human beings. The horror!

That's all we know about the Sega movie, save it's due out in 2018. Here's the quote:

Like with this CG animation production, we would like to expand our business into other entertainment areas beyond what we are currently involved.

The rest of the interview makes for largely depressing reading for fans of Sega video games. In discussing the future of the company, Satomi sounds more interested in theme parks and animations, although it's worth noting the interview is aimed at the international business community, so the lack of detail on the likes of Sonic games is perhaps to be expected.

Take this quote, for example, which is part of an answer to a question about Sega Sammy's "global ambition" and its overseas strategy:

We are strong in the smartphone and online gaming industry. Therefore, for our company to grow bigger, we must focus on expanding into markets other than smartphones and online gaming - such as indoor theme parks in Asia or animations.

Where video games are concerned, Satomi mentions Sega's transition to smartphone games:

Now the hardware base is changing and we have transitioned towards smartphone games, especially in Japan. In the United States or Europe the home game consoles are still popular and large; however, in Japan the home game console market is shrinking and the smartphone game market is increasing. Therefore, we think that going forward the smartphone industry will also keep growing in the United States and Europe.

Sega still makes some cracking video games, despite Sonic's well-documented tumble into mediocrity. Creative Assembly's Alien Isolation was a recent high point, and the studio's Total War: Warhammer looks like a blast. Then there's the ongoing popularity of Sports Interactive's Football Manager, and Relic Entertainment's good work with the Company of Heroes series (how about that Dawn of War 3, eh?). And let's not forget Sega's often over-looked made-in Japan Yakuza series.

Sonic, though. Poor Sonic.