The stars of Sonic the Hedgehog movie surprised by how Australians pronounce ‘Sega’

Sega is one of the most recognisable brands in the videogame industry.

But it seems there is some disagreement when it comes to pronouncing the company’s name.

Australians pronounce ‘Sega’ as ‘see-gah’ – a fact that surprised the stars of the new Sonic the Hedgehog film when they were interviewed on the Today show on Friday. 

Actors James Marsden and Ben Schwartz looked momentarily surprised when entertainment reporter Brooke Boney told them Aussies pronounce it ‘see-gah’ while Americans say ‘say-gah’.

‘Say-gah’ is also the preferred pronunciation in other parts of the world, including Britain.

‘One of the major differences when I was growing up between Australian and American accents was actually with Sega, because in Australia we say “see-gah”,’ she said.

Brooke noted it was an interesting quirk of the accent because the boot-up sound on Sega consoles sold in Australia in the ’90s was a voice saying ‘say-gah’.

Ben then revealed that a deleted scene in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie involved him recreating the start-up sound in an electronic-sounding voice.

‘Oh, yeah! There is a thing that didn’t make the movie you don’t even know happened. We recorded me harmonising with myself in 10 different levels,’ he said.

‘I felt that’s how we would start the movie, but then it didn’t happen.’

James and Ben are set to star alongside Jim Carrey in the action-adventure comedy film based on Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog videogame franchise. 

In the movie, Jim plays Dr Robotnik, who is desperate to capture the turbo-charged hero and use his incredible powers for world domination.

The film was directed by first-timer Jeff Fowler, who was introduced to the speedy blue hedgehog when he played the videogame at the age of 13.

This will be the first time Sonic has been adapted for the big screen, after the character appeared in its first game in 1991.

Sonic the Hedgehog will be released on February 14