Sega’sSonic the Hedgehogfranchise is still its golden goose, one with a diehard contingent of fans looking forward to each entry in spite of prior slip-ups. Sonic Team has a history of releasing big birthday titles, fromSonic Generationsamid its 20th anniversary toSonic ManiaandSonic Forcesfor its 25th. Its 30th anniversary did not have a significant release beyond theremasterSonic Colors Ultimate, but recent developments regardingSonic Frontierssuggests this may be for the best.
A Q&A document from a December 24 management meeting for Sega Sammy Holdings, Inc. revealsSonic Frontierswas intended to be a 30th anniversary title, but it got held back to “brush up the quality.” Given the series' track record of rushing games to often disasterous results, this is comforting to hear regarding both the upcoming title and future development onSonic the Hedgehogoverall. Fans may be waiting longer to playSonic Frontiersthan even Sega expected, but that could prove worthwhile come this holiday.
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Sonic the Hedgehog’s History of Rushed Developments
Though many would argue the original Sega Genesis trilogy offered Sonic’s greatest offerings, divorced from the infamy of his games when they transitioned into 3D, troubles stretch all the way back.Sonic the Hedgehog 3andSonic & Knuckleswere meant to be a single game, but Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka told Game Informer in 2016 the project was split due to its ambitions running up against cartridge space and an upcoming McDonald’s promotion. The two games ultimately released in 1994 with innovative lock-on technology to combine their campaigns, and were considered a big success.
Yet not every troubled project under theSonicumbrella wound up with a happy ending.Sonic the Hedgehog(2006) was similarly rushed to meet its holiday release while dealing with other concerns; series co-creator and former Sonic Team head Yuji Naka left to start his own dev studio, Prope, and more staff members were split away to work onSonic and the Secret Rings. Released in commemoration of Sonic’s 15th anniversary,Sonic the Hedgehog(2006) became a notoriously derided game, featuring on many “worst of” lists.
Studios beyond Sonic Team have also run into trouble in this regard, with Big Red Button co-founder Bob Rafei telling Polygon thatSonic Boom: Rise of Lyricwas an overly ambitious project on a “mission” to ship on time. Rafei said one of his team’s strengths was rapid prototyping, but this led to an overabundance of ideas that were not feasible to develop as staffing contracts ran out, leading to 50 employees being dropped asSonic Boomhit its Alpha build.
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Sonic Frontiers: The Benefits of Taking Its Time
Sonic the Hedgehog as a character may thrive on speed, but this pattern shows going too fast and refusing to change deadlines can lead to serious issues.Halo Infiniterecently showed the value of delaying a releasefor the sake of polish, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to many such stories across the industry. Thus, hearing Sonic Team was willing to pushSonic Frontierspast its 30th anniversary window is a good sign.
Sega has “high expectations” forSonic Frontiersaccording to the Sega Sammy Holdings Q&A, and has been conducting analyses and game tests throughout development to make its upcoming title as strong as possible. The game certainly looks like it could be a hallmark release for Sega, with many fans intrigued by its “open-zone” world design that appears comparable toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.Sonic Frontierswas just unveiled at The Game Awards 2021 following a brief teaser last May, and hopefully its extra development time will serve this ambitious venture well.
Sonic Frontiersis scheduled to release for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in holiday 2022.
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