Summary
- A limited-edition Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sega Genesis cartridge is being sold for almost $30,000 on eBay.
- Only 150 copies of the promotional cartridge exist, with the rare item created to promote the 2024 film.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be released in 2027.
A special Sonic the Hedgehog game cartridge made to promote last year’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie is being resold for nearly $30,000 on websites like eBay. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was a massive box-office success, with many considering it to be the best film in the Sonic movie franchise so far. It also tied into Sega’s 2024 Year of Shadow event by introducing the live-action version of Sonic’s dark rival, voiced by Hollywood mega-star Keanu Reeves.
While Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was largely based on the franchise’s later 3D entries, Sega and Paramount also paid tribute to the days of the Sega Genesis while promoting the film. As part of a special giveaway, Sega produced a limited-edition Sonic the Hedgehog 3 game cartridge that featured promotional images and music from the movie along with an unlockable release date for the film’s final trailer. This was also the first official working Sonic the Hedgehog game cartridge released since 1996’s Sonic 3D Blast.
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Only 150 copies of the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie cartridge are known to exist, so it should come as little surprise that the few still floating around are highly valued by collectors. On eBay, copies of the cartridge are being resold for no less than $28,000 in near-mint condition. Aside from the cartridge itself, this deal includes the classic Sonic item box and all the promotional materials it came with, such as an authentic Sega Genesis game case and movie poster featuring Sonic and Shadow.
Sonic 3 Movie Cartridge Is “Grail” for Collectors
It isn’t clear how the reseller managed to acquire their copy of the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 promotional game cartridge, as it was initially given out exclusively to content creators before being offered as a prize for the “12 Hours of Sonic” giveaway in December. The item's description on the cartridge’s eBay page describes the bundle as a “grail” for the Sonic community, even as observers debate if it is really worth its hefty $28,000 price tag.
In the meantime, a fourth Sonic the Hedgehog movie has been confirmed for release in 2027, and the highly anticipated film will presumably build off the third film’s surprising post-credits scene and introduce even more iconic characters into the live-action Sonic universe. Perhaps Sega and Paramount will produce another highly valued promotional collectible that could be worth even more than the already expensive Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sega Genesis cartridge, but only time will tell.
