Sonic the Hedgehog has been a series of ups and downs, languishing for several years. This has not diminished its status in the industry, however, and it continues to exist in many forms, including a recent Monster Hunter collaboration.
There has not been a ton of official buzz about the next Sonic the Hedgehog title, although there have been online leaks and some speculation. Barely anything was shown for the 30th anniversary Sonic celebration, which left some fans disappointed, but that disappointment may well soon be put to rest at the Game Awards.
Yes, it appears that Sonic could appear at the Game Awards. There has been some speculation for a while that the new Sonic title, which seems to be called Sonic Frontiers (or perhaps Sonic Frontier) might be fully unveiled at the award event. Now it would seem that there is true confirmation from Sega itself if the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter is to be believed. The Twitter account asked Geoff Keighly if he had extra tickets to The Game Awards, and on replying he did, the Sonic twitter replied "thanks, we'll see you there."
The implication seems to be, at least to the casual observer, that the new Sonic title will be at The Game Awards. There may even be some gameplay shown off, although nothing is definite. After the leak of the title Sonic Frontiers there was a lot of speculation as to what new approach this title might go for. So far, it seems that this may be Sonic's step into an open-world game, and gameplay is supposedly more like the Sonic Adventure titles than other games more recently made in the 3D Sonic series.
As always happens with Sonic titles, there is a lot riding on this new release. Fans of the franchise have been burned badly and often, and hang on to each new Sonic announcement in hopes that it will bring the series back to a long-distant place of greatness. Xbox fans may have more luck if, like previous titles, Sonic looks better on the Xbox this time around.
Sadly, this title likely has nothing to do with the team that developed Sonic Mania. That team is doing well though, with its own studio working on an original 3D project.