Sonic Frontiers will take the Sonic the Hedgehog series to new heights with its new "open-zone" design. It's also meant to pave the way for blue blur over the next decade. With this in mind, Game Informer recently sat down with head of Sonic team, Takashi Iizuka - asking him a bunch of rapid-fire questions.
One, in particular, of interest was if Iizuka already knew what the next Sonic the Hedgehog game was going to be. The short answer is "yes" he does. He was also asked if he could mention how many Sonic games were already planned for the future, but at this stage, he can't really say anything about it.
Of course, this "next" game could be anything from a 2D to a 3D entry. Iizuka may not necessarily be referring to a direct continuation of Sonic Frontiers, either. It could simply be a standalone Sonic game, and perhaps even something like a spin-off.
Here's what Iizuka previously had to say about the 10-year plan for Sonic, during an interview with Venture Beat:
What we’re doing now is taking the next step. This is the third generation, almost. We know we’re showing fans something new that maybe doesn’t make sense to them yet.
"But we really wanted to think about where we need to take Sonic for the next 10 years. What kind of gameplay do we need to start building out to keep people excited for the future? Sonic Frontiers is that next step for the next 10 years. We hope that fans believe in us and that they enjoy what we’re showing them. We’re looking forward to when they get to play it and really understand what it’s about."
Another interesting question was about the possible return of the Sonic Adventure series in some way. For this question, Iizuka said it could possibly return "someday". Iizuka has also previously expressed interest in reviving these now-classic games.
What would you like to see from Sonic beyond Frontiers? How would you like to see the series evolve? Tell us below.
[source gameinformer.com, via mynintendonews.com]
Comments 49
Some of my crazy ideas:
Cooking with Sonic (Cooking Mama)
Sonic Sonic Revolution (DDR)
The Sonics (The Sims)
They really don’t seem to have confidence in Frontiers with the amount of things they keep saying about future Sonic games.
I'm almost willing to bet that the next Sonic game won't be a Frontiers 2. That would make too much sense, along with a Mania 2. We're probably going to get another crazy twist like Lost World or Sonic Boom. (Yes, I know Boom was handled by outside studios)
Sonic Adventure 3
Super Sonic Odyssey, obviously.
Games I would really really love:
1) Sonic Generations Ultimate for Switch
2) Sonic Unleashed remastered for Switch
3) Sonic 3D Collection, including Adventure DX, Adventure 2 Battle, Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog as a bonus.
4) Sonic Advance Collection.
Seriously I think Frontiers is terrible. It doesn't feel like Sonic at all. To me Sonic has to be vibrant and colourful. This seems to be a downer. There is nothing wrong with trying something new, but it should stay true to itself. Gameplay wise it could be fun.
Sonic adventure 3 pls 🥹
Their marketing so far is releasing awful gameplay footage that makes this look lifeless and boring to play while having seemingly an endless amount of written and spoken interviews/impressions/previews/etc that have strong reality distortion vibes (as in they all mostly have the vibe that this is next masterpiece from a studio that produces masterpieces rather than a questionable looking game from a studio with a infamous track record) and repeatedly proclaiming that the fans don’t get it, maybe if they actually demonstrated what’s so great about this game instead of crowing about the fans would get it.
…because a well received Sonic game or not doesn’t mean diddly-squat to Sonic Team. Never mind what fans liked and didn’t like, just make up some brand new junk for the next one 😝
The next Sonic game will be called Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic's Chili Dog Café Sonic takes a much needed break to run his very own Café where he sells nothing but chili dogs
Is it a game that ignores all the lessons of this game and most of the previous Sonic games that will either disappoint or actually show some potential, only for all those good lessons learnt be forgotten once the next game comes round so they can roll the dice once again?
Tbh they need to calm down and spend more time baking the game that everyone is already saying it looks crap than planning another.
When will they learn quality over quantity?
Gotta develop fast.
Sonic Dreams Collection 2
Of course he does. It's pretty easy when Sonic is practically the only console IP Sega ever bothers to release or promote in-house anymore.
Even Digital Foundry mentioned in their latest Sonic based video that Sega should step on the breaks for now.
They pump out low quality (Mania aside) Sonic releases, it just doesn't make much sense.
SEGA need to sell their IP before they further devalue it. Here's hoping that's in their plans for the next Sonic game...
Sonic Frontiers could still turn out OK, but as of today, everything I've seen, even the name of the game, is dreadful!
For the love of all that is holy, just fix Sonic Origins and then fix Sonic Frontiers before it turn to crap. We'll worry about the future of Sonic later, fix the present first.
The way they keep saying they hope fans understand the game makes it sound like a Kojima project or a Nintendo apology. You'd think nonlinear world design was a new idea they just came up with. Kinda reminds me of Nintendo insisting on calling Breath of the Wild an "open air" game.
Let's wait and see if this one is any good first
Good that they're planning ahead. Hopefully the next games will be good. Sonic has been in too much mediocre crap for his own good. I'm quite excited about Frontiers, but seeing how they handled Origins, I'm not overly confident how they are handling their mascot at SEGA.
Maybe you work on the game you are working on now and ensure its decent and people are looking forward to it rather than talking about whats next.
We got colours, origins recently and frontiers is next.
Sega should make sure Frontiers is good and release it when it's ready not rush to another game or release it buggy and unfinished because its Sonics birthday or whatever.
Watch it bomb and they reverse course on their, ahem, "new direction".
Maybe focus on making sure you put out a game that actually works for once before worrying about future ones, eh?
Is this Lizuka guy some higher up in Sega?
I remain cautiously optimistic despite my disappointment with Origins. I sometimes wonder how I'm still a fan of this franchise tbh but I guess that's what growing up with something since the beginning does to you.
They really try to go with the angle that people just don't understand Frontiers, eh?
It certainly is an...interesting angle...
I wish Sega would just give Sonic to a different dev team already. Sonic Team has shown time and again that they fundamentally don't know how to make a good Sonic 3D game: every 3D Mario is at least a borderline masterpiece but Sonic has been languishing for far too long.
This is a level of ambition that isn't surprising, but also not entirely exciting. The Zelda team does this a lot, but their main priorities are actually set - Either make massive improvements to the pre-existing mechanics with an extra twist, or just make an entirely different game. With Sonic, it feels very overinflated to the point where Frontiers really has to dive deep in order for a sequel/successor to lift off.
@mlj11 Lost world was actually developed partly by the Mario Odyssey team. I never played it and the game underperformed because it was stuck on the Wii U and 3DS. But it was a decent Sonic title and the Zelda zone was great!
Overall these statements are not a good sign for Frontiers.
the subtitle should have been "Life after the frontiers"
LOL, everybody knows what happens after Frontiers launched. The game will crash and burn, which will force to Sega to greenlight another Mania project to repair the damage the hideously incompetent 3D installments caused. Then there will be another super-hyped 3D game from Sonic Team that... and so on and so on...
@Axecon It was not.
Certainly frontiers looks like those fan made unreal engine zelda OOT or Mario 64 from youtube, having said that, im whiling to give it a chance
So basically what I get from the article is akin to, liquid water will probably become vapor that forms a cloud, which will then precipitate at some point back to the earth 😂
@Axecon Can you provide a source for Mario Odyssey developers working on Lost World? Or do you mean that the developers left Sega to work at Nintendo on Mario Odyssey? Wouldn't be the first time that happened, staff from Generations worked on Breath of the Wild.
He's just seeing dollar signs. Would be nice if he and his team focused on Frontiers and tried to produce a good game, rather than daydream about future projects and how much cash they'll rake in.
@mlj11 Exactly this. I love Sonic, been a fan since I was little and always thought he was so much cooler than Mario. But the sad truth is Mario games are great. Creative, smart, innovative. Sonic just goes fast, durr. I was hopeful when Rise of Lyric got announced that maybe we could get a nice 3D platformer like Spyro, but they had to ruin it too. Sonic as a franchise just doesn't have much going for it. It needs a complete overhaul and some depth.
@Axecon Nintendo had no involvement with Lost World beyond an exclusivity deal.
If it's about any comparisons in the credits, SEGA members transitioning to working at Nintendo is a trend that's been going on for roughly 13 years now.
@Seacliff @Knuckles Sorry I was mistaken. I thought I had seen something about the Mario Galaxy association with Sonic Lost World but it was simply comparison articles. Actually here's one from NintendoLife back in 2013: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/06/sonic_teams_iizuka_recognises_sonic_lost_world_mario_galaxy_comparisons
Please just make an all new 2D game.
Anyone else notice that even with Sonic Origins just released and Sonic Frontiers on the way, all Sega's execs ever want to talk about is Sonic, Sonic, SONIC, including potential future projects when the ones they've just released or are about to have glaring flaws and/or questions? But scarcely ever a word about ANY of their other IPs.
It's bad enough that Sega is a washed-up has-been that only wants to focus on a single "profitable" mascot IP; it's another thing altogether that they're having difficulty even doing that ONE THING right. The time is right for a better-run company with more vision to buy out Sega and give that mountain of amazing IPs their proper due.
@AtlanteanMan Have you ever heard of a game series called Yakuza? It's one of SEGAs biggest IPs. Maybe you should get get your head out of the sand and stop obsessing over Sonic.
@Marshalbanana I'm aware of Yakuza (and the fact that I have ZERO interest in it whatsoever). I''m also aware that it's been 22 years since Skies of Arcadia (well, only 20 if you want to nitpick and count SoA Legends for GameCube), 25 since Shining Force III for the Saturn (the bland ARPG "Shining" series Sega turned the IP into doesn't count), and roughly that amount of time or more since 85-90 percent of their catalog last saw an original entry. This includes new entries for the coin-op Arcade market they once dominated but recently sold off that entire division. The handful of Sega IPs that have gotten releases over the past half-decade have overwhelmingly been outsourced to third-parties with mostly middling results (Streets of Rage 4, House of the Dead Remake, Panzer Dragoon Saga, etc.).
Oh, yes, but point out a single franchise, Yakuza (it's worth keeping in mind that Sega has always been a Japan-first publisher even during their heyday with the Genesis) to show that Sega isn't a shell of their former selves. I'm afraid it isn't me with my head in the sand; at the very least we have two different opinions on the subject and should let it rest with that.
@AtlanteanMan How can you be aware of it, you keep complaining that they are only interested in Sonic. And what about other IPs, you say they outsourced their remake of House of the Dead to another dev, yet fail to mention that Scarlet Dawn was developed in-house. Puyo Puyo Tetris, Super Monkey Ball, Phantasy Star Online II regardless of whether you like them or not are all different IPs.
I'd like to remind you, that they brought back Sakura Wars due to fan demand, yet nobody, likely including you, cared one bit about it. So why bring back Shinning Force(whose devs are now owned by Nintendo) or make a sequel to Skies of Arcadia? Hardley anyone is going to buy them, and 'd be pretty surprised to see you singing said games praises. Why not find a new games company to obsess over, instead of banging on about IPs from the last century like some out of touch old man.
Sega used to be literally one-third of the entire videogame industry from a console standpoint, and at their peak they were arguably the most prolific and pioneering company in the entire hobby. I'm not responsible for the choices of games they've recently released nor the fact that most don't pique my interest (for the record, I have purchased all of Streets of Rage 4, Panzer Dragoon, and House of the Dead Remake as well as the majority of the Sega Ages line which they unceremoniously pulled M2 away from; I do vote with my wallet when given the opportunity to support games I care about). I have tried PSO and found its UI junky and unwieldy compared to the Dreamcast originals. Sakura Wars is set in an alternate universe WWII Japan (again, Sega is a JAPAN MARKET FIRST publisher), so it's no wonder that its sales figures outside of Japan were poor, deserved or not; I absolutely adore the Valkyria Chronicles series which is itself set in an alt-universe WWII Germany (yes, Germany; the name "Gallia" is derived from Gaul like the rest of the series' parallel nomenclature and mythologies) but I know why it didn't sell well. But I voted with my wallet many times over (PS3, PS4, PC, Switch) anyway, with both the original and VC4. Valkyria Chronicles represents what the Sega of old was capable of with a genuinely passionate creative team...and it also shows that they're STILL capable of that if they choose to be. Sonic represents a once-great company that's circled the wagons and decided to "play it safe", with an interest only in profit margins.
Regarding SF and Skies of Arcadia, don't knock them if you never played them. They WOULD sell if Sega gave them a fair chance (look at Fire Emblem if you want proof of viability for the former), and I would be one of those who would support them. Don't presume to know what I would or wouldn't do, or that a franchise is no longer relevant because its developers haven't bothered to give it a chance in two decades.
Lastly, if you don't like my making critical posts of Sega and their priorities then I suggest writing to Nintendo Life to request they not do so many Sonic write-ups; he gets more promotion on this website than most actual Nintendo IPs, and that's just a demonstrable fact. But in any case, your complaints and name-calling aren't going to dissuade this "out of touch old man" from offering my opinions (as often and repeatedly as I deem fit), so I strongly suggest you make peace with that. You can simply ignore any given post you disagree with with far less time and effort than it's taken either of us to respond to each other here.
@AtlanteanMan I did ignore you, I started to notice your comments as they stand being very large and loud, yet never said anything. but I decided to reply because I not only disagree but also find your complaints faulty and biased.
You claim to be critical of SEGA, but you're really not, all you do is complain that IPs you like haven't got any sequels/recent entries. Which don't get me wrong, I can empathise with. Only you spin that into a flawed argument that by not making said games, they as a company are washed up. It's substituting biased for criticism. I mean you say Valkyria Chronicles was made with a "genuinely passionate creative team.", but why? Why does the game you like, just so happen be made with passion and creativity, yet none of the titles you like are.
Look I'm not against the idea of them making sequels to any of those IPs, but it makes sense that they haven't, Skies of Arcadia sold poorly on both the DC and GCN. And Atlus are a big player in the JRPG market so they really don't need to be making a sequel to a game that people made it quite clear they didn't want. As for Shinning, Fire Emblem faulted for years in the west, it wasn't until Awakening that it started to do well, and that was a more well known IP. I suppose though out of everything you've said, bringing Shinning back as a SRPG, might be the one valid point you have, as it might be able to corner that niche if they get lucky.
And so, the next game was the Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.
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