Sonic Frontiers was a success for SEGA and the Sonic Team, not only in terms of sales, but also in creating and securing the template for 3D Sonic games in the future. The Sonic Team spoke to Famitsu about the decision to release free content updates for Sonic Frontiers, which was a first for a 3D Sonic game. The final DLC was the most substantial of the three and, with a little more care, could have been passed off as paid DLC. Here’s what Sonic Frontiers director Morio Kishimoto and producer Sachiko Kawamura told the Japanese magazine.
Three updates were planned over the course of about a year – can you tell us about what kind of schedule you made for this?
Kishimoto: As we said, the first four weeks following launch we sold 2.5 million units, a speed that was a record for the Sonic series. Looking at that, producer Kawamura and upper management decided to update the game.
Even before launching, we had planned to update the game, but at that time we only planned seasonal updates such as Halloween. I think it is thanks to everyone’s support that we have been able to evolve the game and enrich the gameplay in a substantial way, proceeding with an ‘aggressive update’ schedule.
And this was encouraged by the strong sales, and positive feedback from those playing?
Kishimoto: Yes.
Kawamura: The biggest obstacle was whether fans would accept Sonic Frontiers, but the response was actually great. Furthermore, SEGA really values the fan community, so as a company we encourage updates as part of the meaning of that close relationship. I think it was however a big decision to make a free update of this scale.
When you actually play it, it is surprising this is a free update, and not paid DLC. Is periodically releasing big updates such as this because the company values the community and fan support so much?
Kawamura: Yes, it is. I think it is not a case of selling a game and being done, but should be responding to the fans and building a trusting relationship. Since it became possible to download patches for games, the gaming industry has rapidly changed. There is now a tendency to manage home gaming titles too. Considering that, the Sonic fan community is very big, so it is extremely important that we work to appeal and provide as much as we can.
Yet they ridiculously dropped the ball with the last DLC and refuse to address their mistakes, thanks for ruining sonic and consider leaving him in the 90’s where he belongs.
I guess someone couldn’t handle a (mostly) fair challenge in Another Story…
Seriously, your comment is a childish one. You don’t have to like it, but this is a bit much.
“mostly fair”? it was unbalanced and i did finish the dlc and everyone has the right to call out them, they want everyone to play sonic so why develop something as unbalanced when kids are going to ask their parents to buy the game after enjoying the movies, older fans won’t give a damn about this but if you are going to reach a wider audience add some polish and do some testing before releasing.
There is still some work that needs to be done for the franchise and it’s not over just yet. I was hoping the last DLC would have a paid DLC. Regaining fans trust and building a better relationship with them is one thing.
The final update was very flawed (the boss rush wasn’t balanced at all for starters), but all in all I had some good fun with it. The new final boss and cutscenes were fun rewards for the pain it was to get to them, and Sonic’s new abilities were a delight as a fan.
I hope that they can take what they learned from this free update and make better improvements in their next game when they have the budget to match the scale of their ideas. Always reach for new horizons.
It’s fascinating to learn about the success of Sonic Frontiers and the Sonic Team’s approach to free content updates. The decision to release substantial free updates over the course of a year, driven by strong sales and positive feedback, reflects a commitment to engaging with the fan community and building a trusting relationship.
The acknowledgment of the Sonic fan community’s importance and the emphasis on responding to fans by enriching gameplay through aggressive updates showcase a thoughtful understanding of the evolving gaming industry. The decision to provide updates, not just as a means of fixing issues but as a way to continuously appeal to and support the fanbase, speaks to a forward-thinking approach in the context of the changing dynamics of the gaming industry.
The recognition that Sonic Frontiers’ success was not merely about selling a game and being done, but about fostering an ongoing relationship with the community, adds depth to the Sonic Team’s perspective. The free updates being considered as part of building a trusting relationship is a positive step, and it’s interesting to note that the final DLC, despite being free, was substantial enough to potentially be sold.
If Sega respects their fans as this interview claims, maybe they should prove it. Their half-assed attempts at new Sonic games has frankly become a tired routine. Sad to see so many ‘fans’ lowering their standards far enough to appreciate anything they’ve done after Mania. Frontiers may not have been as bad as Forces, but that’s an incredibly low bar. It’s just pathetic what this IP has become. Horrible level design, terribly implemented physics, bland presentation. It’s crazy to think I used to love this franchise.
How about giving fans more opportunities to professionally pitch their ideas:
-Future game ideas
-Better retcons and revisions of previous titles
-Characters to bring to the modern era
-Who to hire in terms of voice actors
It’s obvious that they don’t care about what people have to say on social media (Twitter, Reddit, etc.), but e-mails and paper letters are almost always ignored, assuming there’s a reliable address to send them to in the first place.
Who the hell does SEGA even listen to? And then they wonder why certain people reverse-engineer recent games and mod new content into them.
If everything said in this article is true, then Sonic frontiers was a good start; that being said, there’s still a lot of work to do.
But Sonic frontiers is giving me the optimism to hold out hope that Sonic Team can learn and improve from here 💯
Wow… so much complaibing and whining. And I doubt that fans can do it better, because Sonic Mania was trash and a lazy nostalgia bait. At least Sega trues new ways unlike “90s Sonic wuzz best Sonic” fanboys.
you see i think the dlc was amazing the playable characters were amazing the true final boss was fire tye new form of sonic outstanding i think sega did an amazing job with sonic and made it more entertaining for others to play i really hope sega keeps this up and make more amazing sonic games like this in the future
“Is periodically releasing big updates such as this because the company values the community and fan support so much?” Haha what a meatball of a question.
you see i think the dlc was amazing the playable characters were amazing the true final boss was fire tye new form of sonic outstanding i think sega did an amazing job with sonic and made it more entertaining for others to play i really hope sega keeps this up and make more amazing sonic games like this in the future