Sega Reveals Why Sonic Superstars Was Made Over Sonic Mania 2

When Sonic Mania released in 2017, the game was quickly embraced by the Sonic the Hedgehog community. Some fans even went so far as to call it the best game in the series, and rumors about a sequel bounced around for years after. Those rumors finally came to an end last month, when Sega announced a new 2D Sonic game titled Sonic Superstars. To the surprise of many fans, the game does not involve Christian Whitehead or his team at Evening Star. Game Informer recently spoke with Whitehead and Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka, who revealed that while a second game was discussed, both mutually decided to move in a different direction. 

"There was a period after the development of Sonic Mania when we worked with them to consider concepts for the next generation of Classic Sonic," Iizuka told Game Informer. "It's too bad that it didn't become a finished game. Still, I'm pleased that the next generation of Classic Sonic that we talked about with them has been achieved with Superstars."

Iizuka went on to note that he and Whitehead agreed that the follow-up would have to move towards 3D visuals. While the classic 2D visuals were loved by longtime fans, both felt that 3D visuals would be needed "to really make it look and feel as appealing to a wider audience."

"Evening Star did work with Sega to explore possible directions Classic Sonic could go after the success of Sonic Mania. Sonic Mania 2 was never in development, though, because we actually agreed early on that we should try to make something fresh, like hand-drawn 2D or 2.5D," Whitehead told Game Informer. "At the same time, Evening Star was developing our new Star Engine, so we also ended up making a cool Sonic prototype that played with depth in 2.5D, and some other gameplay ideas."

While these discussions clearly shaped what become Sonic Superstars, Whitehead's team and Sega amicably parted ways on the project. Evening Star instead pivoted to development on Penny's Big Breakaway, which was revealed during a Nintendo Direct just a few weeks after Sonic Superstars was announced. Meanwhile, Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima's studio Arzest began building on the concepts that Whitehead and Iizuka were discussing. It also seems that there's no bad blood between the teams, with Whitehead saying he looks forward to playing Sonic Superstars when it releases later this year.

"Superstars looks awesome and our team is really excited to play it when it comes out," said Whitehead.

Are you disappointed Sega didn't make Sonic Mania 2? What do you think of Sonic Superstars? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!