SNK confirm that the blue hedgehog is heading for their colour handheld

Ever since Sega announced that they were working with SNK on the NeoGeo Pocket Color, rumours have been flying quicker than a spindash - Sonic on the NeoGeo Pocket Color? Well, it's a rumour no more. There will be a Sonic the Hedgehog game on the NeoGeo Pocket Color, and SNK hope to have the game ready for release by the end of this year.

SNK will have an official announcement on the game's development some time next week, but the company were able to confirm that Sonic is indeed being worked on. "We're really excited about Sonic coming to our system," said an SNK representative. "The NeoGeo Pocket Color Sonic game will be based on the familiar Genesis versions that feature 2D-style gameplay. It should play true to the original classics."

We've heard from sources that one of Sega's internal development studios is working on the NeoGeo Pocket Color Sonic game, a title which should be an original adventure using the same gameplay mechanics of the Mega Drive action games. This wouldn't be the first time Sega's mascot went over to a non-Sega gaming system - Tiger Electronics licensed Sonic Jam for the Game.com - but this marks the first time Sega have been directly involved in the development process of a Sonic game for another console system.

Courtesy of IGN.com