Earlier this summer, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise turned 30 years old. Sega marked the event by hosting a Sonic Central stream showcasing three new projects (Sound Color: Ultimate, Sonic Originand a The main Sonic game has no title) in May, followed by a 30th anniversary special concert there is an orchestra playing classical Sonic music.
With much of the celebration in the rearview mirror, we caught up with five longtime developers from Sonic Team. From directors and producers to composers and artists, we’ve covered everyone’s unique experience with the franchise, and what 30 years Sonic has meant. any for them.
What is your first memory of working in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise?
Takashi Iizuka, creative director, team leader Sonic: Moving to the US and living there for a year and a half developing Sonic 3 is my first anniversary. For someone who has never been to a foreign country like me before, it was an exciting and new experience.
Hiroshi Nishiyama, art director: Responsible for creating the 3D Sound World in Sonic Jam. It’s really hard to texture with new shapes and models, but thanks to that I was able to really make things shine in Sonic Adventure, so it was a great memory.
Kazuyuki Hoshino, creative director: I joined Sega in 1991 and my first anniversary is being on a game show with [co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog Naoto] Ohshima-san and at the show were introduced to [co-creator Yuji] Naka-san who just returned from America. It all started from there.
Yuji Uekawa, character designer: Sonic Jam was the first Sonic title I worked on and the first game in the series to use 3D polygons for the characters and environments, so everything was fresh and it seemed like anything was possible. happening.
Jun Senoue, sound director, guitarist of Crush 40: My first memory is of the music selection process on Sonic 3 while development was happening in the US. For the Japanese side, we’ll make a demo tape of all the music we’ve made, then ship the tape to the US by boat, and we’ll get the comments back once the team in the US looks at it. look at all those tapes. fax number!
Do you remember any particular moment when you realized how big the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and character had become?
Iizuka: There have been so many moments over the years where I felt how big the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has become. The first time was in 1993 with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, then again in 1998 when we had over 10,000 people attend the huge event where Sonic Adventure was first announced and even only last year in 2020 when Hollywood movie has been released.
Nishiyama: For me, it was the big title reveal of Sonic Adventure in 1998 and the Hollywood movie premiere in 2020. Even to this day, I will never forget to witness the people How excited the fans were.
Hoshino: Hmm, every time I meet all of the fans, I get that feeling, but if that’s excluded, I’d say it was a few years ago when some characters that looked a lot like Sonic and Knuckles took over the internet like a meme spread, perhaps?
Uekawa: It’s not too surprising that it happens in the game industry, but once we start collaborating with other strong IPs from the comics and movies and moving in different mediums is definitely a moment. , is also the fact that where we are now as we have so many licensed Sonic Products on sale worldwide will be another moment for me.
Senoue: The fact that he is recognized by so many people is what excites me. Whenever you say the name “Sonic”, it doesn’t matter whether the person is old or young or male or female, they always say “Oh, yes, I know Sonic!” and a green hedgehog appeared in their mind. And, of course, the fact that a big Hollywood movie coming out in 2020 really expands the franchise is another great reason why so many people know him.
What is your favorite Sonic game to work on?
Iizuka: It’s Sonic Adventure 2, and we asked all the development team to move to the US to work on it. It’s a small development team, so we were able to condense all the good elements from the previous game, and deliver a story and game that pleases players everywhere.
Nishiyama: That’s when we moved to the US to develop Sonic Adventure 2. I had a lot of new ideas for the game because of all the excitement and new experiences I got from living in the US and being able to create one. game with a lot of great things. moments together with other members.
Hoshino: In Shadow the Hedgehog, I had a lot of fun as a character designer. Not only the robots Eggman created, but also human soldiers, weapons and vehicles from an alien civilization – I literally threw myself into creating a completely different game. with the usual conventions of what a game was supposed to be back in the day. Did people enjoy it?
Uekawa: It was Sonic Adventure, where I was the character designer and also had to do the models and animations for the characters. I also did all the art used to promote the title, so it’s a game that means a lot to me personally.
Senoue: They are working on Sonic Adventure 2 in the US with a small local development team. This new environment, everyone on the team made for a very enjoyable experience, so we had a lot of fun while also developing the game rigorously.
What’s your favorite Sonic the Hedgehog game to play?
Iizuka: The first game I would recommend is Sonic Mania because it brings together all the fun of the classic Sonic titles into one experience. For those who like 3D Sonic games, I would recommend Sonic Colors: Ultimate because of the variety of play styles.
Nishiyama: Sonic Heroes is a game I’ve worked on that has a lot of things in the world, it takes strategic use of each character’s unique skills to play the game with great teamwork, so I really liking that.
Hoshino: Sonic Heroes is a game that I had fun playing with my friends because we would be strategizing as a team as we played. Each team has its own finishing move, so it’s always fun to match each member’s unique abilities.
Uekawa: I would say the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It has simple controls, vivid graphics and very pure gameplay.
Senoue: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Genesis. I enjoyed playing the first Sonic the Hedgehog, but in such a short amount of time we’ve got this new title fired up and lots of new added on and it’s a fun game to experience. As a fan, this is one of the titles that I really care about and am very impressed with.
Who is your favorite Sonic the Hedgehog character besides Sonic?
Iizuka: It would have to be Shadow. One reason why I have this relationship is probably because I helped create and shape the character, but I also really enjoyed his backstory as a dark hero.
Nishiyama: Back before I joined Sega and was playing the Sonic game, I would have to say Knuckles from Sonic 3. I loved the mysterious setting, the way he single-handedly protected Master Emerald. When I joined the team, I helped create Shadow, so he’s another character that I really like.
Hoshino: I think that Dr. Eggman’s passion for constantly creating things no matter what challenges he faces is astounding. I really wonder how many hours a day does he work to do all that?
Uekawa: I’m one of those people who loves Big the Cat. I appreciate his casual and laid-back attitude towards a slow life, which is in contrast to Sonic, who is always so busy.
Senoue: Shadow. Part of the reason is because I’m part of the team that made him, but I also like his lines (especially in Japanese), as well as the color combination of black and red.
When you started working on the series, did you ever think it would reach its 30th anniversary and still go strong?
Iizuka: I first started making this series when I was 21 years old, so I never even thought about the future 30 years from now. But at that time, I had that desire to continue making Sonic games forever.
Nishiyama: I’m just focused on doing my best for what I have to do right in the moment, so I don’t really think about the future. I remember having a really strong impression that Sonic was great and the gameplay was really fun as we were developing things.
Hoshino: After the world really opened up for Sonic characters with Sonic Adventure, I really felt like there was still a lot of story to tell and a lot of challenges facing the series. As long as that remains true, Sonic will carry on.
Uekawa: Honestly, I didn’t even think about what the next few years would look like. Part of that is because we keep making games and licensing more, and Sonic IP never seems to stop. It feels like, because we keep moving forward, the result is where we are now 30 years later.
Senoue: When I was in my 20s, I couldn’t even imagine being in my 50s, so in the same way, I couldn’t even imagine what Sonic would be like 30 years into the future. From the very beginning, Sonic started us on this amazing adventure, and here, 30 years later we will celebrate this important milestone.
What does the franchise reaching its 30th anniversary mean to you?
Iizuka: I am delighted to have been able to bring joy and excitement to people around the world during our team’s 30 years of hard work at work. I’m also glad that Sonic has received so much support from fans over the past 30 years.
Nishiyama: I am delighted to hear that after 30 years of fun Sonic has left an indelible mark on the lives of our fans. I also look forward to providing some more fun games for everyone in the near future.
Hoshino: My career in this industry is also 30 years. Looking back at everything makes me realize how far we’ve come. I look forward to inventing new ways to entertain our fans for the next 30 years!
Uekaya: 30 years is a long time, but I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the support for Sonic is testament to all members of the team. I look forward to sharing NOW with our fans and with them sharing good times in the future.
Senoue: I believe the last 30 years have been built with our fans, so I really want to celebrate with everyone for making this happen. Happy 30th Anniversary Sonic!!
For more on Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary, check out our interview with Takashi Iizuka about all the announcements the team made during the Sonic Central rollout in May. this. You can also watch the full Sonic Symphony performance (the last part of which Jun Senoue and Crush 40 performed) this. Finally, if you want a more historical look at the Sonic series, including why the series went through such a downturn, why Sonic 2 is Sega’s great hope, and how Sonic made the jump jumped to the Nintendo platform after the Dreamcast was discontinued, check out the articles listed below:
