The developers behind Sonic Frontiers have confirmed that the game was a final chance to make a big-budget 3D Sonic game a success, making it a make-or-break moment for the future of the series.
In an interview with Sega Japan, translated by user @super_ult on Twitter, the team discussed the development process and their feelings during it. Background designer Yuki Takahashi said the team was under a lot of pressure for Frontiers to succeed, as it could be the last chance for a Sonic game of this scale.
“In the project, we are using an in-house game engine called ‘Hedgehog Engine’ that specializes in Sonic’s gameplay, but development of this is also progressing at the same time, and we are working on the creation of ‘Open Zone,'” Takahashi said. “We continued to add necessary features one after another. The team was filled with a sense of crisis: ‘We have to create something new!’ ‘If we fail here, there will be no chance!'”
He also discussed early stages of the game, which were heavily focused on mystery and puzzle-solving. The team felt that it didn’t feel enough like a Sonic game, and reworked it to add more action and speed. They also struggled to find a balance between realism and traditional, more animated visuals, with frequent changes and reworks following playtests.
The team said they have high hopes for the future of the franchise, referencing AAA aspirations as Sonic enters its third generation.
“I don’t think we can say we have joined the AAA group yet, so I would like to continue pursuing graphic design that is worthy of being on par with AAA,” Takahashi said.
“With Sonic Frontiers, we were able to show the potential of the third generation of Sonic,” said developer Yuki Mitsuishi. “This was my first open-world challenge for a Sonic title, and it was also my first experience as a team leader of a certain size, but it was a scene in which the entire team strived to create something that was ‘Sonic-like’ and made it fun.”
“In the future, I would like to greedily spread the word and take on the challenge of developing a game that surpasses this one,” Mitsuishi concluded.