Video game fans can look forward to the Sonic & Sega Fan Jam Remix, a jam-packed convention that will be held on Nov. 12 at the Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel.
Organized by Patrick Gardner, the event is meant to celebrate various Sega franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, Shenmue, Yakuza and more. Lasting from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and with events like franchise retrospectives, cosplay contests and concerts, fans are sure to enjoy themselves.
This year’s Fan Jam has been promised to be the biggest yet, with various gaming industry and fan community guests in attendance alongside countless events.
Some gaming tournaments will be held as well including one-on-one matches in “Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown” and races in “Sonic Adventure 2: Battle” in Battle Race mode. Other events include Honey’s Cosplay Show, where attendees show off their cosplays.
This year’s Fan Jam started as a not-for-profit Kickstarter campaign that was launched on May 18. The minimum $25 pledge granted backers a ticket and brochure for the event, while the maximum $399 pledge granted its backers two art prints, a free shirt with an enamel pin and three autographed headshots from any special guest of the backer’s choosing.
The funding period lasted from May 18 to June 26, raising $11,039 from 137 different backers.
This is not the first time this event has been held, nor is it the first time it has taken place in the area. Instead, each event has taken place in the state of Georgia, typically in the Savannah area.
The event was first held in 2014 at The Guild Hall in Savannah. It took place on Nov. 22 and lasted from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event commemorated the release of then-recent Sega games like “Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.”
Notable events of the day included the Sonic Cartoon Marathon, where viewers watched various animated media based on the franchise as well as a screening of the fan film “Bare Knuckle: Streets of Rage,” according to fansite SEGAbits.
Nov. 12, 2016 brought the Fan Jam to the Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah where the event lasted from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to eventbrite. Guests attending that year’s Fan Jam included voice actor Mike Pollock (who plays Doctor Eggman in the “Sonic” games) and video game designer Greg Johnson, creator of the 1991 Sega Genesis game “ToeJam and Earl,” as advertised on the event’s official Facebook page.
The Fan Jam was also held in 2017, taking place at the Embassy Suites in Savannah’s Hilton. Mike Pollock returned as a guest, joined by “Sonic Mania” composer Tee Lopes. The event spotlighted new Sega releases of the year, including “Sonic Mania” and “Puyo Puyo Tetris.”
Notable guests to be in attendance this year include voice actors Ryan Drummond (the English voice actor of Sonic the Hedgehog from 1999 to 2004) and Ryan Kelso, who has voiced Jacky Bryant in the “Virtua Fighter” series since 2001’s “Virtua Fighter 4.”
More information can be found on the FAQ section of the event’s website. Updates can also be found on the Fan Jam’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
