Sega President Shuji Utsumi On Sonic The Hedgehog’s Next Major Outing

My fingers are crossed more on seeing the following on Nintendo Switch/Switch 2

Sonic Adventure 1/2
Sonic Heroes
Shadow the Hedgehog(Even if its a remaster that fixes the problems with the original)
Sonic Advance 1-3
Sonic and SEGA All Stars Racing

Yeah. There are so many Sonic games that deserve to be on the Switch because everyone else is doing it.

It's weird that "it has to be great" is headline worthy, but it's Sonic, so...

I hope they learned their lesson this time. Frontiers did a lot right, but gameplay wasn't one of them. I really hope we don't get another spectacle on-rails game that breaks and falls apart the moment you try nudging in any direction.

We're coming off back to back great games. For the first time in a long while Sonic Team has my cautious faith again. Let 'em cook.

I haven't been excited for a Sonic game since 2017. Just, it's astounds me how such a iconic character can have a string of hit and misses (more misses) for decades.

Meanwhile Nintendo's mascot hits it out the park 9 times out of 10. I can't say I have much faith in whatever comes next. Just if it's great, it's great. If not, then no one is really surprised.

I really liked FRONTIERS. I know a lot of people felt luke-warm about it, but I thought the open zones allowed for some great speed and platforming. Do something with that control scheme and design, but with classic Sonic levels as the zones.

I would like a new Sonic Adventure game featuring a new hedgehog character inspired by The Flash/Shazam/Adult Gohan.

I would like to see Sonic spinoff games in different genre such as Life sim Sonic games (THE SONICS) which you still able to dash and quick run like platformer games.

Is it time again for the best sonic game since the last sonic game? Pretty sure that’s how this franchise works these days..

I just don't know how they top Shadow Generations. It just felt like the perfect 3D Sonic game. But no matter what, do not let IGN have the world premiere gameplay footage!!! Whoever made that decision with Frontiers was definitely not the smartest.

Generations was a lot of fun, but for all their jankiness I think I prefer Adventure 2 and Heroes as games to play. Though Advanced 1-3 / Rush 1+2 / Colors DS / Mania were all fantastic, I dunno why they don't have a new 2D game in development.

@Bigmanfan for me if I were to complain about anything in Shadow Generations it would be that the level themes were so similar, I couldn't hardly remember what happened on which level that I thought was cool. So gameplay, I say they are spot on, but level themes, it'd be cool to get some good variety like the sonic generations half had. Or you know any of the classic sonic games that had great level variety.

Tbh I expect the next one to be pretty bad. The last 7 years have shown every single time that SEGA gets some goodwill with Sonic often from a 3rd party. They exploit that good will with an inferior product.

QED: Mania and the 1st and 2nd movie They've followed with Forces, Colors Ultimate and Origins respectively. Greedy cash grabs that planted SEGA back in the position of looking for more good will.

So forgive me if I don't believe their words when their actions never reflect it.

I want to believe them, but the sheer fun I got from SADX/SA2b have never been bettered for me. Honestly, when they lent into Sonic being the only playable character and his friends are just there for the story, it lost something for me. I keep trying....but I really shouldn't. Or, at the very least, wait for a sale. They are practically half price by the next month....

Just a hint: it won't.

The problem is they release Sonic games in a much too high frequency, and it usually shows. They should work on them a bit longer if they really want to make them great.

First time for everything!

Watch it showing they learned nothing.

@Daimando SA1 and SA2 ports usually are crap, since DX and Battle are seriously flawed as ports, and SEGA would of course go for the cheapest option.

I enjoyed Mania, Frontiers, Superstars and the two Sonic movies. I plan to get Sonic X Generations, because it seems to be a fun game and I will watch the Sonic 3 movie in one or two weeks.

Sega does a lot right with the Sonic franchise in recent years and I am looking forward to the next years.

I don’t play Sonic games, but I’m wondering where they’ll go for the next game. If I’m interested, I might pick it up.

A great game? That’s setting the bar a little high considering Sonic games have struggled to even approach decent for the last 30 years.

ehh, screw it! Call me a fool, but I'm optimistic for whatever comes next. Frontiers did so much right and shadow generations showed us that the current sonic team can still make really fun levels, so im ready dangit! Im ready to be disappointed but im ready to be pleasantly surprised too. There's obviously a lot of bad blood between the average consumer and sonic products as is evident here and in pretty much any other relevant comment section anywhere, but i'd love for the script to be flipped over the coming years. I really think they can make sonic games on par with mario ones, if they play their cards right.

@8bit-Man 3 3D Sonic games in the past 10 years, 1 bad 2 good. 2 2D games in the same time (different teams). It’s not exactly a packed release schedule

I thought I'd read this before, as it's pretty much the same article as this one from 10 days ago. https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/12/sega-has-been-losing-confidence-but-its-new-boss-wants-to-make-it-really-shiny-again

I will just expect a bad game again. Why hype it? It is ok. Still play Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins from time to time. But if they want to make something great like a Sonic Mania 2 of some sorts that would be cool.

With the Sonic movies Sonic is more popular, but that doesn't result in better games and those games will sell anyway.

@MirrorFate2 Croc Legend of the Gobbos is seriously flawed.

SADX and SA2B fixed and added a bunch of new stuff to the original games, including the cross-game content GBA feature, seriously underrated is more like it.

Can we get a re-relesse of adventure 1 and adventure 2 tho..

@Elbow Frontier was almost great. But the forced 2d sections killed it for me especially on the 3rd Island. Run 5 meters boom 2d. Run another 5 meters boom 2d. It was so bad for me that I quit the game there. So frustrating. Why is it so hard to look at what adventure 2 did and refine that? Even sonic 06 from a gameplay standpoint felt like the adventure games. Remaster that and I bet poeple would like it. As for the boost formula games. Unleashed is still the best in that regard imo. It feels like for evedy step foward they take, they take 3 steps back. Let's hope this new game is focused in its gameplay. Stop reusing old assets and stages.

@Carck I believe his point is that every Sonic game throughout its entire history has been rushed to market. I don't think a single game in the franchise (2D or 3D) has had a 4 year development cycle. Most of the games are made within 2 years, maybe 2 and a half, and it clearly shows in their quality.

A new Mario game will be announced next year for Switch 2, it'll have how many years of development? 7 or 8 years? We already know in advance that this upcoming Mario game is going to have plenty of time and care poured into it. We want to see Sonic games received the same level of time and care put into them as well.

I hope the next Sonic game isn't as sloppy as Forces, which I'm currently finishing up the story DLC (its surprisingly challenging at certain points). I always dream of a 10/10 Sonic game on the level of Mario Odyssey craftsmanship.

@Carck You forgot quite a few. Here's the full list:

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014)
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (2016)
Sonic Forces (2017)
Sonic Mania (2017)
Sonic Mania Plus (2018)
Sonic Frontiers (2022)
Sonic Superstars (2023)
Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024)

And that's not counting another 7 spinoff / party games.

So yes, that's quite a packed schedule, in my book.

@8bit-Man
Boom was an outsourced spin-off series.
Mania Plus is Mania DLC.

So, as i said: 5 games developed in 10 years.
This was to comment on your "less releases would bring more quality" argument. I'm not sure how spin-offs made by outside studios impact the team working on these games.

@Chocoburger Frontiers had a 5 year development cycle, and i believe Forces also had some 4 years.
It's not just more time = better games. The Mario team is composed of top worldwide developers. In normal circunstances they are always going to have a better product
Still, Sonic games can be good, sometimes they are very good

Don't let the Japanese Sega writers do the story and we're golden.

"It needs to be a great game"

Such wisdom. I dread to think where Sega would be without him...

@AlienX DX fixed NOTHING and in fact made the game look and play worse in MANY ways. It's documented. As for Battle, yes, it did add, but many of the visuals and the audio had to pay the price for it, which renders the game uglier and more busted than intended. That, also, is documented.

I know there are multiplaform games that maybe suggest otherwise. But I’ve always been of the mind that it’s hard not to see the correlation of Sonic going multiplatform and the series’ struggles. Granted, not every Mario has been a 10. But in general, the series has been good to top notch in comparison to others in its genre. It can’t be ignored that it helps to have the series tied to and focused to one family of consoles as opposed to the focus being spread over others.

@MirrorFate2 Oh well dang then! I could have sworn the DX I played had double the frame rate, faster loading times, improved character models and the updated chao garden system from SA2.

I guess it goes to show Sega should not be trusted.

We all know they'll release something in October/November again. It's like clockwork. Rather than just work on something until it's ready, they have this bizarre ambition to release something once a year in the fall no matter if it's polished or not. As a great man once said, a delayed game is eventually good but a rushed game is bad forever.

@MirrorFate2
i know of the issues with DX but curious what issues were with battle (i did play both dreamcase and GC versions of both but have forgotten a lot about battles differences)

would be cool if both of them got "definitive" versions, having both of them based on the ports kind of feels like my issues with FFVII and VIII on modern systems being based off the PC releases which had some issues (alongside new issues)

@AlienX OK, let's go one by one:

-The framerate was doubled, yes, but it wasn't readjusted well to go with it (many animations and one enemy no longer work correctly due to that)
-The loading times are barely changed.
-You can skip cutscenes now, yes, but the function was lazily implanted, no transition effect and it even creates some visual glitches not intended to happen.
-The "improved" models have many issues (such as texture swapping, looking too waxed or even missing effects like Big's eyes shining at night).
-Station Square has now a bunch of inconsistant textures and models who no longer makes sense (the DC clock tower is meant to link with Speed Highway, the new building no longer makes sense with it).
-Many effects in levels are either missing, looking odd or buggy (Sky Deck Act 2 is supposed to have Eggman comment on the altitude of the Egg Carrier, DX has omitted that). Big's Ice Cap is supposed to happen at night but due to DX lacking a lighting engine, they changed it to happen during the day, which doesn't correlate with what happens before and after.
-The SA2 Chao Garden system was a legit improvement, but it came with its own bugs and issues. Chao in DX don't even react to you petting them, ffs.

There's the Dreamcastify blog if you want to see why DX is despised as a way to play SA1. The only good version is the Steam version and that's due to being moddable, so as to fix any of its issues.

@Mgalens As for SA2 Battle:

-The cutscenes have taken a serious hit when it comes to lighting, models, transparency and effects in Battle, to the point one Rouge cutscene no longer makes sense in Battle. SPEEPSHighway on YouTube has made a video about it, Greenalink has done one as well.
-Many models have missing/buggy textures (Tails' Cyclone, Eggman's Eggwalker and Rouge's Treasure Scope are missing details) such as Knuckles having glitchy animations and Rouge's eyes derping when climbing on walls.
-They never fixed the typos and mistakes in the English subs. Barely excusable in 2001, not in modern times.
-Iron Gate and Lost Colony are too bright when they're supposed to be somber in atmosphere. It wasn't that bad on GC, but after that, it got worse. Speaking of, many objects or effects missing in stages.
-The rendering in Battle, especially the modern ports, is seriously glitchy and breaks many reflective effects.
-The audio is WAY TOO LOUD. It wasn't like this on Dreamcast and even Gamecube.
-Pyramid Cave has a Battle-exclusive crash bug if you jump and land on the rail in the middle of the level.
-The Chao Gardens and Kindergarden have many visual glitches. In the modern ports, some textures weren't adapted to 16:9 so they cut off and you can see things you weren't meant to.
-Big's cameos missing in both GC and modern ports has made it impossible to do Perfect Ring count runs.
-The modern ports lock you out of Battle content as DLC, which is scummy.

I think you get the idea, at this point.

@Olliemar28 "We'll start with Emerald Hill Zone, instead. That's something different, right?"

@MirrorFate2
ty for the details.
yeah would definitely be great if there were more "definitive" modern versions.

I think something in the style of Adventure would be nice. Let's give Sonic some decent stories again and varied gameplay.

@Elbow I'd say shadow generations was kinda proof that they learned the right lessons. It's overworked was basically a more polished and compact version of Frontiers's island, and the level design was (in my opinion) the absolute best in the Boost era (the fact that the levels had good length and a proper separation between 2d and 3d helped a lot).

All they gotta do now is stay the course.

Just make Adventures 3. I’ll be happy with that

@AlienX : but surely, if you thought it played better, that’s what matters? Not what people on the internet tell you to think?

I personally liked DX, and yes I owned the DC originals . I played DX more though

As someone who grew up with Sonic in the 90s Mania and to a slightly lesser extent Superstars, are exactly what I want more of. I have never liked Sonic in 3D, his speed means that I end up just going on auto pilot and then dying randomly as I can’t anticipate what to do next (and I wanted to like Lost World and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve played of Frontiers). Generations was good, except the sections with modern sonic.

Superstars was a good step forward in many ways with 4 player options. The bosses however are terrible!

Mania is what I think many people my age wanted from a 32X/Saturn Sonic back in the day. More please!

And release Knuckles Chaotix you cowards! This 90s kids still has no way to play it!

@Clammy Not saying it played better, (though technically the GC controller automatically makes it better by a lot) I don't have any issue with the DC ver.

I'm saying DX is not "seriously flawed" for having so many differences, there's really no reason to go back to the limited Chao Garden or the less-detailed models when the version you can play on Nintendo hardware (for 2 gens straight) improves and adds so many things.

Where does the idea that different textures and lighting makes the game bad come from? Why aren't higher framerates preferred? Every Sonic game should be 60fps. Isn't it cool to be able to take your Chao from DX to SA2B? DX is the only legit way to play GG with multiplayer support, and the list goes on... The only reason I can imagine is nostalgia, but who even bought a Dreamcast? The console died off quickly for a reason.

I want to understand, it just doesn't make sense!

"It needs to meet or even exceed expectations"
Well, right now the expectations are essentially "another 7/10 'step in the right direction for the series if they continue like this.'" It seems difficult for SEGA to make a game that is truly "great" at this point. I hope dearly that they are able to exceed those expectations, because Sonic is a genuinely great concept that is repeatedly, repeatedly let down by poor or rocky execution.

All I'm gonna say is since he finally appeared in the Sonic 3 movie, can I play as Classic Shadow?

Behind a spoiler because it has one for the Sonic 3 movie.
Sonic Frontiers was on the right track, just refine the physics and I'm sure you'll have a winner, I feel they still have the same garbage ones of Sonic Forces. Other than that, that's probably my GOTY of the games I played in 2024.