Takashi Iizuka would like to see the Chaotix Detective Agency headline its own game someday, although Sonic Team’s current development plans are focused on giving more of Sonic’s supporting cast substantial roles within the main series.
Speaking with GamerBraves at Tokyo Game Show 2026, Sonic’s Creative Officer was asked whether characters other than Sonic could receive dedicated games of their own. Despite the franchise’s 35-year history, Iizuka pointed out that Shadow remains the main example of another character receiving that kind of treatment.
Tails and Knuckles were two of the characters he singled out as still having plenty of appeal to explore, but one potential spin-off idea is especially close to him.
“I really like the concept of the Chaotix Detective Agency, so I’d love to see a game where they are the protagonists someday.”
That is not confirmation of a Chaotix game in development. Iizuka explained that Sonic Team has limited development resources and must continue producing new Sonic titles, making it difficult to divert an entire project toward another character. For now, the team’s approach is to bring the wider cast into the mainline games in ways that give them meaningful and enjoyable parts to play.
The comments point toward more substantial character involvement rather than a return to the days when every member of Sonic’s cast seemed liable to receive a spin-off. Iizuka wants different characters to have roles that can satisfy their respective fans without taking Sonic Team away from its main development schedule.
That philosophy sits alongside a broader shift in how the franchise itself is being managed. Iizuka says Sonic Team has treated Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic as two independently developed branches since 2021, rather than trying to push both styles through the same series of games.
Modern Sonic continues to center on the spectacle and movement of the 3D games, while the Classic branch preserves the side-scrolling style represented more recently by Sonic Mania and Sonic Superstars. According to Iizuka, both remain important parts of the franchise rather than one replacing the other.
Looking beyond the 35th anniversary, Sonic Team is also thinking about an audience that now reaches well outside the games. Iizuka says that from the 36th anniversary onward, SEGA wants to make games that can appeal both to people who discovered Sonic through the movies and to existing action-game fans.
That does not mean settling into one type of Sonic game. Iizuka believes the series still has plenty of room to change following Sonic Frontiers and its Open Zone format. He discussed open-world and adventure-style games as examples while leaving the door open to ideas Sonic has never tried before, arguing that the character’s speed gives developers room to create experiences that are difficult to reproduce with other characters.
Frontiers appears to have reinforced that willingness to experiment. Iizuka said the team was initially concerned about how fans would react to such a different structure, but the response convinced Sonic Team that players are receptive to the series trying new things.
The same appetite for experimentation extends to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Iizuka says SEGA is looking beyond the games industry when searching for collaboration partners and has approached companies from a variety of fields. Not every pitch succeeds, with some prospective partners turning SEGA down, but the company intends to keep pursuing unusual collaborations.
More content for CrossWorlds is also still on the way. Godzilla and Evangelion have already been announced for Season Pass 2, with Iizuka indicating that another reveal is planned for next month.
For Sonic’s supporting cast, however, the immediate plan appears much clearer than a wave of standalone games. Characters such as Tails, Knuckles and the Chaotix may not be getting their own titles right now, but Iizuka wants them to have a larger presence in the games Sonic Team is already making.
And if the opportunity ever arises for Vector, Espio and Charmy to open up shop in a game of their own, Sonic’s Creative Officer already has the pitch.
Stay tuned to Sonic City for more Sonic Games News and Updates!
Discover more from Sonic City ⋆★ Sonic the Hedgehog News, Media, & Community ★⋆
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
