For many years, there has been wonder of the absence of classic Sonic characters or new characters based off of classic designs; such as Mighty the Armadillo, Ray the Flying Squirrel, and Trip the Sungazer. Although they serve no purpose in the modern games, they are still considered canon. My suggestion is that Sega could reintroduce these characters in spin-off games starring them to explain to Sonic fans on what happened to them. Our heroes can be comprised of Mighty, Ray, Trip, Honey the Cat, even the now-redeemed Bark the Polar Bear and Bean the Dynamite, since they have abandoned Fang the Hunter's employ. It could even included unseen canon characters like Stick the Badger, Witchcart, and the Battle Kukku Empire (untouched by Archie Comics, of course). It could expand the Sonic lore even farther.
My only concern is the name of this spinoff game. It can't have "Sonic" in the name, since it's not about the hedgehog himself, and the classic characters may not as important enough star in their own game. For example; Shadow, Knuckles, Tails, and even Dr. Robotnik and Cream the Rabbit had got their own spinoff games at a time. If I had to choose, my recently suggestion would be to call it "Mighty and Ray", if they are still popular enough. But these are just my opinions. What are your thoughts?