Sega is apparently busy rebooting the Sonic franchise after it was revealed earlier last week that the company has suffered huge financial losses. The rumour stems from TSSZ who state that the much-loved franchise could end up taking the Skylanders route with collectible figures providing a new form of interactive entertainment. Here’s what they have to say on the matter:

Sonic Team and Sega are looking to better monetize Sonic

Potentially “massive” and “total” reboot

Sega and Sonic Team are “committed” to the reboo

Speed, platforming, and surreal environments will remain

Sonic and Dr. Eggman’s rivalry will continue

Both characters may undergo a makeover

Everything else is up in the air and may see radical changes, including Tails

May birth a new universe and characters

New gameplay methods and gimmicks

Zones would be massively expanded and become their own world

Zones feature individual levels masked as missions

Idea likened to Burnout Paradise

Includes a brand-new engine

Photo-realism is of no concern

May aggressively pursue a collection model as part of the reboot

Targeting the young audience that enjoys physical collectibles

May require physical emblems and collectibles to unlock special features

SEGA inspired by Skylanders’ success

Physical toys and collectibles may have an interactive component with a new cartoon series

May offer classic characters in-game as DLC