Takashi Iizuka Says Another Sonic Mania Developer Collaboration Is “Not Off the Books,” but Nothing Is Moving Forward

Nine years after Sonic Mania, SEGA still has not closed the door on working with the people behind one of Sonic’s most celebrated modern games again.

In a new interview with Game Informer, Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka discussed SEGA’s current relationship with the external developers behind Sonic Mania, revealing that the two sides remain personally close even though there is no new project currently underway.

According to Iizuka, the relationship has continued beyond work, with the teams still going out for meals and drinks together. At the same time, he acknowledged that the developers have their own projects and business priorities occupying their attention.

As for whether SEGA could work with them again, Iizuka made its interest pretty clear, saying “there’s definitely a desire to want to work with them again” and adding:

“It’s not off the books yet, but it’s not something that’s moving forward currently.”

That last part is important.

Iizuka is not saying Sonic Mania 2 is in development, nor is he confirming that SEGA is currently discussing a sequel. His comments concern the possibility of another collaboration with the developers behind Mania, whatever form that might eventually take.

The distinction matters because the years following Sonic Mania have already generated plenty of confusion over exactly how close the game came to receiving a sequel.

Sonic City previously covered that history in detail, with both Iizuka and Christian Whitehead explaining in 2023 that SEGA and members of the Mania team did explore ideas for what could follow the game.

Those conversations were not simply the development of Sonic Mania 2.

Whitehead specifically clarified that a direct sequel was never in development. Instead, the developers agreed early on that they wanted to try something fresh, considering possibilities such as hand-drawn 2D visuals and a 2.5D presentation while Evening Star developed its own Star Engine.

A Sonic prototype was created during that exploration, but the project never proceeded into full production. Iizuka later explained that some of the broader ideas discussed during that period, including moving away from pixel art and creating entirely new levels, subsequently influenced the direction of Sonic Superstars.

Just as importantly, Whitehead rejected speculation that the abandoned project reflected a breakdown between the developers and SEGA, stating at the time that Evening Star maintained a friendly relationship with the company.

Iizuka’s new comments effectively bring that part of the story forward to 2026.

Whatever stopped those post-Mania concepts from becoming a finished game, the relationship itself apparently remains intact.

We received another glimpse at that abandoned experimentation last year when Whitehead shared screenshots from a 2.5D Sonic prototype Evening Star developed after Sonic Mania.

The screenshots showed Kanga Clanga, an enemy that later appeared in Sonic Superstars, inside the experimental project. Whitehead described the images specifically as coming from a 2.5D prototype created after Mania, rather than identifying them as a finished or cancelled Sonic Mania 2.

That history makes Iizuka’s wording now particularly worth keeping in perspective.

There is no new Sonic project with the Mania developers currently moving forward.

There is also apparently no closed door.

After nearly a decade of fans wondering whether SEGA might ever reunite with the people responsible for Sonic Mania, the answer remains a cautiously encouraging one:

Not now, but apparently not never.

Stay tuned to Sonic City for more Sonic Mania News and Updates!