Sonic the Hedgehog Developer Addresses Whether the GBA Games Will Ever Get Remastered

Will we ever see the Game Boy Advance Sonic games return?

By Marc Deschamps

While many of Sonic the Hedgehog's 2D games have gotten multiple rereleases, the same can't be said for the Sonic Advance trilogy. Despite proving largely successful on the Game Boy Advance, the three games have not been made available on Switch or any other modern platforms. That could change in the future, however. In an interview with Video Games Chronicle, Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka was asked about the possibility of these games getting a new release. Iizuka was quick to note that there are no current plans for remakes or remasters, but seemed enthusiastic about the prospect.  

"There's currently no plans for the Sonic Advance series to be remade or remastered, but we don't know what the future holds," Iizuka told VGC. "Katsuyuki Shigihara was a director on Sonic Origins, which took Sonic 1, 2, 3 and CD, and we remastered that and brought it out for fans to enjoy. And if we have the chance, if there's an opportunity for the Advance series to also get that treatment, or whatever circumstances may pop up, we'd love to do it." 

Sonic the Hedgehog was of the unlikeliest heroes of the Game Boy Advance era. When the system launched in 2001, Sega had just announced its plans to become a third-party publisher. That meant that after a decade of serving as Nintendo's greatest rival, Sonic would start to appear on the company's platforms. Sonic Advance was one of the first of these games, and it featured a brand-new, 2D adventure featuring the blue blur. The game was a big commercial success, and led to two sequels. 

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On top of selling well, the Sonic Advance games were fairly well-received by critics and the fan community. The games are also notable in that they served to introduce the supporting character Cream. Since appearing in Sonic Advance 2, Cream has become a recurring character across various Sonic media, appearing in the IDW comics, the Sonic X cartoon, and in games like Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Basically, there are a lot of good reasons these games should be made available again! 

Would you like to see the Sonic Advance games get a remake or remaster on modern hardware? Have you ever played any of the original games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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