For the last couple of years Sonic fans have been wondering when they will be hearing about a follow up to the immensely successful 2D Sonic game, Sonic Mania. Game Informer caught up with Sonic Team’s creative officer, Takashi Iizuka, and Christian Whitehead, to find out what happened to a sequel. As it turns out there’s was no Sonic Mania 2, as Iikuza wanted classic Sonic to go in a slightly different direction, which is why we now have the visually impressive Sonic Superstars, which is a new collaboration between Sonic Team and Arzest and is due out later this year on Nintendo Switch. Mr. Whitehead told Game Informer that there’s no bad blood between the two teams as Whitehead has founded his own studio, Evening Star, which is set to release its first game the new 3D platformer, Penny’s Big Breakaway, coming 2024. Here’s what was said:
“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. 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.”
“A lot of the things that we talked about with Christian (Whitehead), you know, ‘Let’s make it a visually rich game that’s not based in pixel. Let’s not do the Mania thing of reusing stuff. Let’s make something brand new with all-new levels,’ that’s where the start of the concepting happened after Mania, but everything came to a stop. When we kicked off Sonic Superstars with Ohshima-san’s team, a lot of the conversations that we had with Christian were already in our heads, and we did start creating a new game already in a similar vein of, ‘Let’s make something new’ and ‘Let’s make something not pixel.’”
Sonic Team’s creative officer, Takashi Iizuka
“When we started Evening Star, it was always our goal to move beyond 2D pixel art into 3D games, and develop all-new, original IP. 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. 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. As Iizuka-san said, though, [Evening Star] did not continue to full production on the game, at which point Arzest took the helm and made Superstars alongside Sonic Team.”
Christian Whitehead
They don’t have to explain why there’s no sequel to Sonic mania. That game is unnecessary and cringe. Why not make a Sonic game people actually want like a game with Chao garden, all of Sonic’s friends going super, and a certain character last name Acorn first name Sally? I would add Shadic to the list, but I’m convince Sonic is OP enough without fusing with Shadow.
cringe and retard-pilled.
kys with the cringe as boost shit.
sa1 and sa2 have their place but it all went to absolute diarrhea trash when hero’s came out
Good grief, no. Sega needs to do everything it can to keep the awful US lore away from Sonic canon.
Michael is your post a troll post? A lot of us original fans, and newer fans too, want to see continued sidescroller Sonic games. It’s literally what made him successful in the first place.
And I’d love a new 3D title with a Chao Garden. Why not both? And anything you mentioned after super forms I’d have to hard disagree with.
The Sonic franchise hasn’t have a sequel for a while now. Even if there is no Sonic Mania 2, I think Sonic and SEGA wanted to try out something great and new to bring in to the table for new and old Sonic fans.
Honestly, I can appreciate the team wanting to do something new move away from Pixel art: now don’t take the wrong way and think that I hate pixel art, I just appreciate when people want to try something new.
So far I love everything I have seen from Sonic Superstars🤩
Does anyone care about the Sonic franchise anymore? Instead of good talent just using the franchise as a front for their own IPs that not everyone will like?
Now we need yet another Team Headcanon just to keep the franchise on track. I never want to see another dark for the Sonic franchise, but Sonic /frontiers andTailsTube just don’t do it for me. Let’s just say, those projects alone aren’t enough to get me to back off from my own ideas for the franchise (and wanting to make them official). I also hate Sonic Prime and its characterizations.
That is all.