The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise hasn’t always been synonymous with quality. Sega seems well aware of that fact, and the company has decided to take its time a bit more, in order to release the best possible product. In a livestream on Sonic’s YouTube channel, brand manager Aaron Webber addressed the longer development cycle of the next upcoming Sonic title, telling viewers that the days of yearly Sonic releases are in the past. Given the recent success of the Sonic the Hedgehog film from Paramount, it makes sense that Sega might want to make sure the best possible product is available for newer fans.
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“This is the case when, back in the day, every year there used to be a new Sonic game,” said Webber. “And as a result of that, there are a number of times that because of that rushed production schedule, the quality of the games wouldn’t be quite where they needed to be. And so, a couple of years ago we actually said, ‘Hey, that’s gonna change, we’re gonna put more time into things.’ And that’s gonna mean that you have to wait longer between trailers and announcements and stuff like that, and we know that’s kinda annoying sometimes. We’re really excited for what’s to come, but we can’t say anything. So, thank you for being patient, and as soon we have news to share with you, we’ll share it with you.”
While there hasn’t been a main entry in the Sonic video game franchise since 2017’s Sonic Forces, fans have had spin-offs in the meantime, including Team Sonic Racing, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Fortunately, fans might have good news on the horizon. Sega is one of several publishers that will have games on display during New Game+ Expo. There’s no guarantee that a new Sonic game will be showcased, but the company was originally going to make a Sonic-related announcement at SXSW, before that event was cancelled. It seems quite likely that fans might see those announcements made during New Game+ Expo, instead.
While the wait has been a bit difficult for Sonic fans, it’s hard to argue with Sega’s reasoning. If fans get better Sonic releases as a direct result, it will certainly prove worth the wait.
Are you excited to see the next Sonic game announced? Are you happy to hear Sega is focused on quality over quantity? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
