Sega have released the details of a new Sonic character today via their online Sega blog. The character will be important to the events of the new Sonic Boom franchise, appearing in the show, games and merchandise as part of the 'core ensemble'.
The character is an orange and brown 'jungle badger' named 'Sticks', who has lived in the wilds all her life. The blog describes her as “the most primal character in the Sonic franchise” and as a “force of nature”. She's listed as being a strong hunter, survivalist and having a strong animal instinct, using hand-crafted weaponry (most notably a boomerang) to take on foes. However the wildness of her character makes it hard for her to trust others, as well as having negatively affected her social skills.
In terms of relationships, the blog says that she and Amy will become close, Amy helping the badger to adjust to social situations and more urban settings, while Sticks will protect Amy from greater threats. This could potentially be seen as the Sonic Boom's way of developing Amy's character beyond the constantly following fangirl of Sonic she is often depicted as, and maybe giving her an opportunity to mature slightly.
Beyond this, not too much more is known of her so we'll have to wait and see how the games and tie-in show do with handling her character and role.
Sega blog post is here.