For a bit of context, you may want to watch this behind the scenes video brought to my attention by DA user darkspeeds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK6uQyteDOU showing the creators and voice actors talking about the game and show.

1 the redesign: When the first teaser image was released I and many others thought this would be a major weak point, since we have grown attached to the way the characters look for 15 years now (since Sonic Adventure came out.) But with the simple act of assuring us this is a separate continuity that will not REPLACE the classic franchise all negative feelings I might have had towards it evaporate and allow us to fully embrace a new world.

2 The franchise: This will be the 6th cartoon made starring Sonic (3 cartoons by DIC, the OVA, and Sonic X being the predecessors) but it's the first made to work in tandem with the video game its based on. In the past the Sonic cartoons were either made completely separate from the video games continuity, with only the odd reference (such as power rings existing in SATAM or the existence of Grounder and in name only references such as "star light zone" in Adventures of Sonic) or after the fact retelling (such as the Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 story arcs in Sonic X) to link the cartoons to their source material. This time the TV show will be developed at the same time and by the same people (for the most part) as the games, with the first game being billed as a sort of prequel to the series. This will allow the show and game to complement each other instead of one counting on the other's popularity.

3 toyline: This show already has a toyline in the works, which should maximize profitability and help establish the property in the minds of children. This CAN backfire however. We should hope it will turn out like Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers, where the toys become hot sellers loved by kids and collectors alike, and NOT like the Thundercats toyline, which failed to sell as well as they hoped and was a contributing factor to the show's cancellation.

4 the creators: If you watched the video I linked first, you'll know that the people making this game and show are all longtime fans of the characters and franchise, plus they have a pretty good pedigree for making great stuff. This reminds me of when Ian Flynn took over as the writer of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. He is a really good writer and had been a fan of Sonic for years when he took the chair, I know this is going to vary based on your opinion but I think the quality of the comic improved significantly when he took over.

By the way, if you are a fan of the comic book series then you should easily be able to accept the idea of a Sonic multiverse, since it was LITERALLY introduced in the comic book series to give us interesting side stories and/or explain spinoffs. I'm sure most of you know Zonic the Zone Cop, but him and the multiverse were used to explain how things like Sonic Underground and Sonic X fit into canon, as well as giving us crossovers with Megaman, archie, and even image comics (to varying degrees of success) and sometimes even just giving us an opportunity to see Sonic cross over with other things to hilarious effect, there was Sally Moon, Kaiju Sonic, the G-Force, the Fantastic 4, Darth Maul Tails, Sally McBeal...and well...actually take a look at this: http://wakeangel2001.deviantart.com/art/Zonic-s-monitor-room-436868117?ga_submit_new=10%253A1393444603 Compared to THAT room Sonic having blue arms and a scarf seems like a minor change.