Third-party peripheral purveyor Mad Catz has announced a new licensing agreement with Sega of America, which should see all manner of multiplatform Sonic the Hedgehog-branded accessories make their way onto store shelves sometime in the future. Darren Richardson, CEO and president of Mad Catz, is positively thrilled, saying, "We look forward to offering unique and exciting accessories to fans of this truly iconic videogame and popular culture character." Since the words "unique and exciting" haven't been used to describe anything Sonic-related in years, it's hard to imagine just how Mad Catz will leverage this license -- short of becoming the next anthropomorphic sidekick. (Mad Catz: He doesn't care what you think and wears a beret!) Obviously, next year's release of a high-definition 2D Sonic game, Project Needlemouse, represents a great opportunity for tie-in peripherals. Perhaps a luxurious pillow covered in special tear-absorbing fabric.

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