Game Informer caught up with the head of the Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, to speak to him about the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic’s 30th anniversary, and how the pandemic has affected the company’s celebratory plans. One thing which many of you will wish to know is what happened to the Sonic Team after the release of the disastrous Sonic Forces game in November 2017. Well, the team obviously shipped it and then immediately started working and trying out different ways for them to deliver a truly next generation Sonic game. The team needed to think about how they were going to take the spiky blue hedgehog forward after struggling for years. It seems like they have settled on something as they teased their next generation Sonic game, which is seemingly titled Sonic Rangers, during the Sonic Central stream. Here’s what Mr. Iizuka said:
After Sonic Forces, many fans have been curious about what the next mainline Sonic game from Sonic Team will be like. Now that it’s officially announced, can you give any details about the kind of gameplay they should expect from the new game?
Thank you for being so patient. Ever since the release of Sonic Forces, Sonic Team in Japan was trying many different approaches to deliver a next-gen Sonic experience. While celebrating 30 years of Sonic titles and thinking about what the modern gameplay experience should be for a Sonic title, we also needed to think about what path forward we should plan to take for the next decade. There is a lot I can’t yet talk about, but we are working hard on the title. We look forward to sharing more information about this title in the future.
Are there any particular things you hope to accomplish with the new game? What lessons did the team learn from games like Sonic Generations and Sonic Forces that will be implemented into the title?
There is a lot I can’t say yet about the title, but I do believe we will see an advancement in what a modern Sonic game can be. Of course, we will not deny the high-speed action that characterized previous modern Sonic games like Sonic Generations or Sonic Forces, rather we will create a title that our current gaming fans and new gamers will enjoy.