>>537036838
Because IDW pays for the license.
>>537036881
But SEGA has a legal paper trail proving they own everything in IDW. It's not that they're afraid of getting sued. They'll outright feature characters from the western produced and made Sonic Prime. It seems to me that Sonic Team does not enjoy IDW Sonic. They do not take joy in referencing it or including it. Even Naka-sama was comfortable acknowledging Archie Sonic the Hedgehog's existence. The fact IDW remains hidden and out of sight is something strange that we have not seen before in the history of this franchise. SEGA actively avoids IDW. They do not want to acknowledge it in the games.
It would be trivial to include comic issues in a celebration of Classic Sonic like Origins.