Takashi Iizuka

Sonic Team producer Takashi Iizuka has chatted with IGN about the recently announced PlayStation 5 Pro console and whether they will be supporting the system. Naturally the upcoming Sonic game Sonic x Shadow Generations isn’t really pushing any visual boundaries, so there’s little they could add from a power perspective over the base PlayStation 5.

One interesting thing that came out in the interview is that the Sonic Team will continue developing Sonic games on lower spec consoles such as the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 4, both of which still have a large audience, plus with the Nintendo Switch successor reveal is coming very soon being comparable to a portable PlayStation 4 console, that’s unlikely going to change anytime soon for them.

That's not all. They will continuing to support the Nintendo Switch, which is expected to have a next-generation update very soon by Nintendo, but in the meantime continues to chug along in its seventh year. Iizuka says that Sonic will continue to pursue a middle path between high-end platforms like the PS5 and lower-end consoles like the Switch, with the series adding enhancements or making compromises where necessary.

We Asked the Monster Hunter and Sonic Devs About the PS5 Pro, and They Had Very Different Answers - IGNIGN

The head of the Sonic Team Takashi Iizuka and game designer and producer Shun Nakamura have recently participated in an interview discussing a wide range of subjects. One thing that came up is Takashi Iizuka was asked whether the Sonic Team had any plans to remake or remaster the beloved Sonic Advance series from the Gameboy Advance.

Sadly it turns out the answer is no. However, Iizuka says that if the opportunity eventually arose then they would love to do it or be interested on doing them when the time comes. As of right now, the Sonic Advance series has not been added to the Nintendo Switch Gameboy Advance online subscription as of yet but many fans wanted it to see it happen or on the Nintendo Switch successor.

Interview: Sonic Team on how looking back helped Sonic move forwards | VGCVGC

The head of the Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, has participated in a new interview and stated that the much requested Sonic Adventure 3 is not being worked on. Iizuka wouldn’t elaborate on the reasons why they haven’t pursued development on the eagerly awaited game. He just said that the team doesn’t have plans for it yet and reiterated that he would eventually love to make the third game in the Adventure series, which started life on the SEGA Dreamcast.

He also said that the company also has no plans to make a standalone Chao Garden game, as he feels that it is part of the Sonic Adventure experience.

Sonic boss suggests it won’t make a standalone Chao Garden game | VGCVGC

Sega Just CRUSHED My DreamsYouTube

The Chao Garden will come back when Adventure 3 happens... so basically never.

Polygon recently caught up with Shadow the Hedgehog creator and the head of the Sonic Team and boss, Takashi Iizuka, to talk to him about all things Shadow. At the end of the interview, Iizuka was asked which areas of the character he would like to explore in the future.

He replied by saying that “maybe in the future it’ll be interesting to come back and revisit Shadow being not so nice, maybe even as far as evil.” You will be able to play a batch of new Shadow the Hedgehog themed levels in the upcoming Sonic x Shadow Generations

Shadow the Hedgehog’s dad wants the ultimate life-form to be evil againPolygon

Takashi Iizuka recently spoke with GamesRadar at this year's Gamescom and was asked if Sonic fans have interpreted Shadow in a different way than how he originally intended. That’s where the rebuttal of Shadow being like Dragon Ball character Vegeta began.

Izuka: "So yes, there are some ways that people interpret Shadow that are not how the team is intending. I think the biggest one, if you look online, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, this is Dragon Ball Vegeta.’

Vegeta really starts out as an enemy and then later becomes a friend and an ally and kind of, like, fights for justice and trying to save the world and whatnot. Shadow is not like that. I never want him to be like that. Shadow is doing his own thing, he’s not friends with Sonic, and he’s gonna go off and, you know, do whatever he feels is correct or right, or what he needs to do. And it’s not like, ‘Well, okay, we used to be enemies, but we’re friends now. Let’s save the world.’ He’s not that kind of character, and [I don’t] want him to be that kind of character.

So when people are always online saying, ‘Oh, it’s Vegeta, it’s Vegeta,’ it’s like, it’s not Vegeta."

Source: GamesRadar, via Nintendo Everything.

Shadow the Hedgehog is "not Vegeta in any way," and is "not friends with Sonic," his creator saysgamesradar

Any thoughts?

The Chao Garden Will Return "Only If Sonic Adventure 3 Ever Happened", Says IizukaSonic Stadium

That's their equivalent to saying "when pigs fly."

https://nintendoeverything.com/sonic-team-boss-wants-to-make-sonic-rpg/

Sonic Team boss wants to make a Sonic RPGNintendo Everything

Good Vibes Gaming recently got to interview Takashi Iizuka, with the topic being primarily on Sonic X Shadow Generations.

One of the last questions GVG asked him was the possibility of a potential Sonic RPG (Good Vibes Gaming did of course mention Sonic Chronicles but noted that it was a BioWare project) on modern consoles and PC. Iizuka replied of course that he would like to make a Sonic Team-developed Sonic RPG before he retires, but was quick to point out that no concrete plans are currently in place.

Source: GVG interview (11:32)

Sonic Team's Head Wants a New Sonic RPG!YouTube

Any thoughts?

Should he succeed, would we be getting another Dark Brotherhood or something more 'Modern'?

https://www.ign.com/articles/sonic-boss-wants-to-make-a-sonic-rpg-before-he-retires

Sonic Boss Wants to Make a Sonic RPG Before He Retires - IGNIGN

Eurogamer managed to catch up with the head of Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, to ask him all about the company’s upcoming Sonic X Shadow Generations which is out this October. One of the main discussions were around the Shadow Generation levels and how they will contrast with Sonic’s levels. Iizuka teased that Shadow Generations level design will feature “a lot of iconic moments from Shadow’s past in the new gameplay” as the team really “wanted to tell a new story using a lot of these familiar locations to really present Shadow as a character to players that may not have gotten the full backstory of the character.”

“For the Shadow Generations level design, the team makes sure the levels are fundamentally created to be similar to the Generations-style level design with lots of high-speed action platforming that also incorporates additional features that work when Chaos Control is used,” he says. “From there, they continue to build upon the level design through iteration to add in things that can be done with the new Doom Powers as well, so you can not only run through in the traditional Generations-style gameplay, but also find new things to do with Chaos Control and the Doom Powers.”

Just don’t expect any “Classic Shadow” levels as with Sonic, although Shadow’s perspective will still shift to 2D at times. Levels will also be taken from throughout Shadow’s appearances in games, “featuring a lot of iconic moments from Shadow’s past in the new gameplay,” says Iizuka. “We wanted to tell a new story using a lot of these familiar locations to really present Shadow as a character to players that may not have gotten the full backstory of the character, as that happened over numerous different titles, and also make sure this single title could properly introduce Shadow as a character and highlight some of the important moments in Shadow’s history.”

Sonic x Shadow Generations is the best of 00s Sonic with a big dash of nostalgiaEurogamer.net

In a recent interview conducted by Sonic Stadium, the head of Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, built upon his statement two years ago by offering fans of the IDW comics a possible pathway to seeing their favorite characters from the comics in game format. Some of these characters, such as Tangle the Lemur and Surge the Tenrec, are already playable in the mobile game Sonic Dash, but to see them in a mainline game (beyond having their names mentioned like in Sonic Frontiers) would be a great victory for the most devoted of their fans.

The Sonic The Hedgehog series has a seemingly endless amount of characters in it, yet few get the same amount of screentime as its namesake, and even fewer get treated with the same respect. But Sonic Team and SEGA have, in recent years, tried to shift away from nepotism and towards embracing the series’ diversity. Sonic Mania brought back Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo, both of whom had been lost to time, and Sonic Frontiers, as previously mentioned, made it a habit of referencing more obscure characters in order to honor their contributions to Sonic’s history, as well as to possibly generate intrigue for their return.

Sonic Team Open To More Characters From Comic Series Appearing In GamesNintendo Life

Sonic X Shadow Generations Won't Have Chao Gardens, But Sonic Team Considering Their ReturnSonic Stadium

Sonic fans literally feeling anxious about this when he already said this for like forever. Take it with a grain of salt.

SEGA is not truly happy with how its titles performed during the all-important holiday period, saying that sales were weak, poor, and sluggish. As of result of this fail procedure, the company has issued a financial warning on social media. One of the games mentioned by SEGA was Sonic Superstars, which didn’t perform to expectation, though it clearly faced the huge challenge of competing directly against the sublime Nintendo game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Sega Issues Financial Warning After 'Sluggish' Sales of Sonic Superstars, Endless Dungeon, and Total War: Pharaoh - IGNIGN

Sonic Team has stepped up their game as of late with both Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Superstars, which, when compared to the abysmal Sonic Forces, are both masterpieces. Asked about whether they feel they have set a new standard for themselves with both the 3D and 2D series with their games, the head of the Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, replied that he feels there is always room for innovation in both series.

While fans expect certain elements to be present, they are always considering what they could add to the games to bring a new standard, and they don’t want the series to stagnate.

Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka on co-op play, pixel graphics, and getting momentum rightEurogamer.net

Sonic Superstars is finally available, and by all accounts, it is a reasonably decent addition to the 2D Sonic franchise. Eurogamer has published a lengthy interview with the head of the Sonic team, Takashi Iizuka, which covers a range of topics. One thing to note from the interview is where the newly released Sonic Superstars fits within the Sonic the Hedgehog video game timeline.

Mr. Iizuka explained that Sonic Superstars is set after the events of Sonic, but before the classic SEGA Dreamcast game, Sonic Adventure.

Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka on co-op play, pixel graphics, and getting momentum rightEurogamer.net