Ben Schwartz has revealed in a recent interview during a Sonic 2 playthrough that the Sonic the Hedgehog movie has a reference to Super Smash Bros.

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie has a secret reference to the Super Smash Bros. series, as revealed in a recent interview with Sonic’s voice actor Ben Schwartz. Nintendo and Sega were once the top rivals in the video game industry, and many, many fans used to argue whether it was Mario or Sonic who had the better games.

Sega eventually exited the console market and became primarily a game developer and publisher, which led to Sonic the Hedgehog games being released on Nintendo systems. Sonic became part of the biggest video game crossover series, Super Smash Bros., back in 2008 when he became one of the first third-party characters to join Super Smash Bros. in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Sonic has appeared in every entry in the series since, and has remained a popular character thanks to his speed in battle. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the best-selling fighting game of all time, and Sonic is a part of that success.

Sonic the Hedgehog has finally hit theaters, and it turns out the movie has a secret reference to Super Smash Bros. Sonic voice actor Ben Schwartz was recently interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter on their YouTube channel while playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2. During the interview, Schwartz revealed that the movie includes a reference to Sonic’s idle pose from the Super Smash Bros. series, as well as the animation that plays whenever he stands on the edge of a stage.

The fans who were expecting a post-credits scene with Nick Fury asking Sonic to join Detective Pikachu in the Smash Bros. Initiative might be disappointed that the reference is so minor, but it’s subtle enough not to overshadow the events of Sonic’s story. A live-action Smash Bros. movie isn’t likely to happen anytime soon, due in no small part to a number of IP rights issues, so a few minor references are the best that fans can expect for the time being.

Ben Schwartz has been surprised by the passion of Sonic fans around the world, but there is genuine love for the blue hedgehog, especially among players who fondly remember the 16-bit era of gaming. The modern Sonic the Hedgehog games have been hit or miss in terms of quality, but the Super Smash Bros. games have kept the old Sonic that fans love squarely in the minds of gamers. It’s awesome the Sonic the Hedgehog movie paid tribute to one of the character’s most famous appearances in gaming, even in such small ways.