Five Star Games and AusSpeedruns have teamed up for a celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog’s 32nd birthday, and the launch of Sonic Origins Plus on PC and consoles, with a major charity speedrunning event set to take place in Fortress Sydney on 23 June 2023.
The event will pit New South Wales and Queensland against each other in the official ‘Sonic State of Origins Plus Clash’, starring a number of Australia’s best speedrunners, all geared up to fight for their home states. Given the event is taking place in Sydney, there will likely be a home favourite – but that should only add to the atmosphere.
Queensland (Raikou (c), Stylonide & The8bitbeast) will be represented by Knuckles, while New South Wales (Werster (c), 3Pills and LaceyStripes) will be represented by Sonic.
Read: Behold the glory of this ugly Sonic Frontiers controller
Throughout the event, speedrunners will battle in a variety of classic Sonic the Hedgehog games, screened in the Fortress Sydney theatre and on the AusSpeedruns Twitch channel, for anyone tuning in around the world.
In eight seperate speedrunning events, competitors will aim to score the most points, in the hopes of taking home a special Sonic State of Origins Plus shield for display.
If you’d like to attend the event live, tickets are on sale now for AU $10. Proceeds from the event will go towards Cure Cancer via Game On Cancer, the Australian charity initiative currently funding new research into cancer, in the hopes of finding a cure.
‘We’re honoured to be partnered with AusSpeedruns as their charity of choice, and to see a new speedrunning competition come to Australia – from the original speedster himself, no less – is simply wonderful,’ Shane Bailey, Head of Gaming & Streaming at Cure Cancer said in a press release.
Those able to attend the Fortress Sydney event can find out more via Eventbrite. The show takes place at 6:00 pm AEST on 23 June 2023.
