Takashi Iizuka says modern Sonic projects can take three to five years to develop, forcing SEGA to maintain multiple development lines at once if it wants to continue releasing new Sonic games regularly.
Takashi Iizuka has divided Sonic’s 35-year history into three major eras, with the Classic period ending in 1997, Sonic Adventure beginning a second generation in 1998, and the success of the movies kicking off a new generation in 2020.
Takashi Iizuka says Sonic’s movie success is bringing more people into the games, increasing sales and giving SEGA more resources to invest in future titles, while stressing that movies and anime do not take developers away from the games.
Takashi Iizuka says Sonic Frontiers began without a clear answer for how Sonic should work in its vast open zones, with the team still searching midway through development before director Morio Kishimoto ultimately found the solution.
Even after 35 years, Takashi Iizuka believes Sonic still has much further to go, recalling that SEGA once told him to “surpass Disney” with the character and even dreamed of eventually building a Sonic theme park.
Sonic Adventure 2 began with just 11 developers moving to America, where San Francisco street culture inspired rail grinding and helped shape City Escape into one of the series' defining stages.
Takashi Iizuka says SEGA itself proposed Sonic’s ZETA DIVISION collaboration as part of a wider push across Japan and Asia, with Sonic Team now thinking about people who watch games as well as those who play them.
Takashi Iizuka has confirmed that a new Sonic game is currently in development, saying Sonic Team still sees room to push beyond the changes introduced by Sonic Frontiers.
SEGA has opened the Sonic Frontiers archives to show rare early development footage, revealing a very different island, a Titan one-third of its final size and the gameplay changes triggered when Takashi Iizuka demanded it be made three times bigger.
Takashi Iizuka says Sonic Adventure’s camera and Homing Attack solved two major problems with high-speed 3D movement, while Sonic Colors changed how he worked with Sonic Team.
Takashi Iizuka says he would love to see the Chaotix star in their own detective game, while Sonic Team plans to give more characters substantial playable roles in future mainline titles.
Takashi Iizuka says Fortnite’s gun-heavy gameplay initially made Sonic difficult to integrate, leading SEGA and Epic Games to create Android Sonic as a workaround that could play by different rules.
Takashi Iizuka and Evening Star say both sides remain open to making another Sonic game together, although Evening Star’s current project is not Sonic and no new collaboration is underway.
Sonic will make his first-ever appearance on the cover of CONTINUE for Vol.90, which celebrates the series’ 35th anniversary with a major feature including Takashi Iizuka, Kazuyuki Hoshino, Jun Senoue and original Sonic composer Masato Nakamura.
Takashi Iizuka has reflected on Sonic Adventure’s pivotal role in the franchise, saying Sonic may not have achieved its later success if SEGA had failed to successfully bring the character into 3D.
Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka says SEGA views Sonic’s different games and collaborations as complementary parts of the franchise, while Season Pass Two reflects its long-term investment in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
SEGA and Nex have announced Sonic Forces for Nex Playground, bringing Sonic’s speed-focused action to the motion-based active play console later this year through Play Pass.
Sonic series general producer Takashi Iizuka has reflected on Sonic’s 35-year history, discussing the character’s speed-focused origins, global success, Sonic Adventure, Shadow’s creation, Sonic Mania, and the role fans have played in keeping the series alive.
SEGA will host The Sonic Effect at Cannes Lions 2026, marking the first official session by a Japanese game company and spotlighting Sonic’s 35-year evolution, global fandom, and multimedia success.
Takashi Iizuka has reflected on Sonic’s ups and downs in a new GamesRadar+ interview, revealing that SEGA once asked him to move to America and help rebuild the franchise during one of its lowest moments.
SEGA, ATLUS, and SPJA have announced five new Guests of Honor for Anime Expo 2026, including Sonic Creative Officer Takashi Iizuka, Persona developers Kazuhisa Wada, Atsushi Nomura, Shigenori Soejima, and anime director Yoshiyuki Asai.
The final episode of Sonic Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles is now available, closing the Red Specter storyline with a full cast finale and nearly 2 million plays worldwide.
Episode 7 of Sonic Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles, “The Case of the Red Specter – Part 1,” launches the podcast’s two-part finale as the Chaotix close in on the mysterious thief.
Episode 6 of Sonic Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles, titled The Case of the Solitary Sage Siege, sends the Chaotix into Dr. Eggman’s base where they encounter Sage in a tense new chapter of SEGA’s audio series.
Episode 5 of Sonic Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles is now live, featuring a Chaotix Copter crash, mounting tension between the trio, and the unexpected arrival of Gemerl.
Episode 4 of Sonic Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles is now live, featuring a high-risk military base break-in, a master of disguise threat, and returning Sonic voice cast members.
Sonic boss Takashi Iizuka says Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds may eventually feature lesser-known Sonic characters as post-launch DLC, with SEGA aiming to represent every era of the franchise.
At Brasil Game Show, Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka shared how Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was born from SEGA’s arcade expertise and fan feedback, teasing that more DLC could come if demand stays strong.
Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka says his focus is on developing brand-new Sonic titles instead of revisiting older ones, explaining that he rarely considers remakes or remasters unless there’s a real need for them.
At Brasil Game Show 2025, Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka said SEGA is “being cautious” about adding full Brazilian Portuguese voice acting, noting the importance of preserving Sonic’s familiar voice for fans.
Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka says he wants to give other Sonic characters the same attention Shadow received during the “Year of Shadow,” hinting at future themes tied to upcoming movie appearances.
Takashi Iizuka says the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will take full advantage of the console’s upgraded hardware while maintaining full cross-play with other platforms.
Sonic producer Takashi Iizuka says achieving full cross-play across all platforms was the hardest part of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, requiring close collaboration with SEGA’s arcade division.
SEGA’s new Sonic Racing CrossWorlds commercial pays homage to its ’90s “Sega does what Nintendon’t” ads, playfully targeting Mario Kart World while showcasing CrossWorlds’ unique features.
With Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds launching September 25, Takashi Iizuka says Mario Kart World’s reveal came as a surprise but has no impact on Sega’s vision for the ultimate Sonic racing game.
Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka confirmed at gamescom that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will not feature content from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, citing timing and release schedules as the main reason.
