|
"Even miracles take a little time."
|
Sonic Frontiers is an upcoming game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series is set to be released in 2022 in celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary. The game will be developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It will be available for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.[1]
Development[]
At the 2019 SXSW Sonic panel in March, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka confirmed that the studio has “begun production” on the next major Sonic the Hedgehog game, but that it would be a while before they were ready to reveal it.[2] Later that month, Sega began a fan survey to determine the "next steps" for the Sonic series.[3]
In an interview with Game Informer in 2021, Takashi Iizuka said that after the release of Sonic Forces, Sonic Team in Japan was trying many different approaches with the goal of creating a next-gen Sonic experience. In addition to celebrating the series' thirtieth anniversary, the team had been thinking about what modern Sonic gameplay should be like. Since Sonic Team would not deny high-speed action elements of games like Sonic Generations and Sonic Forces, they opted to make a game for both current fans and new gamers to enjoy. Iizuka also stated that the game will probably solidify the direction for the Sonic series to be taken for the next decade.[4] In an interview with "Sonic Stadium", Iizuka was asked if the game can be considered an anniversary title, but stated he would not call it one due to its release being planned for 2022. He makes a comparison to the way Sonic Adventure influenced subsequent 3D games, hoping that the 2022 game would have a similar effect.[5]
The symbols associated with the announcement of the game were designed to not have a meaning that can be understood by common reasoning.[6]
Promotional[]
Sonic Frontiers was announced during the Sonic Central livestream video presentation on 27 May 2021 that showcased news regarding the series' 30th Anniversary celebration. Among these announcements were also the teaser trailer for this game, which featured Sonic running through a forest.[7] According to Takashi Iizuka, the announcement for the game was premature, but was released nonetheless out of worry for the fans, who had not been given a proper announcement of a new mainline Sonic title since Sonic Forces.[6]
Characters[]
Playable characters[]
Non-Playable characters[]
Cast[]
| Role | English voice actor |
|---|---|
| Sonic the Hedgehog | Roger Craig Smith[8] |
| Miles "Tails" Prower | Colleen O'Shaughnessey[8][9] |
| Knuckles the Echidna | Dave B. Mitchell[8] |
| Amy Rose | Cindy Robinson[8] |
| Big the Cat | Kyle Hebert[8] |
| Sage | Ryan Bartley[8] |
| Dr. Eggman | Mike Pollock[10] |
Development[]
At the 2019 SXSW Sonic panel in March, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka confirmed that the studio has “begun production” on the next major Sonic the Hedgehog game, but that it would be a while before they were ready to reveal it.[2][11][12] Later that month, Sega began a fan survey to determine the "next steps" for the Sonic series.[3] For the development of Sonic Frontiers, Morio Kishimoto, who served as director for Sonic Colors, Sonic Lost World, and Sonic Forces, returned to the series to direct Sonic Frontiers.[13][14] Serving as producer would be Sachiko Kawamura.[14] Lastly, Ian Flynn, a contributing writer of various Sonic media, wrote the script.[14][15]
In an interview with Game Informer in 2021, Takashi Iizuka said that after the release of Sonic Forces, Sonic Team in Japan was trying many different approaches with the goal of creating a next-gen Sonic experience. In addition to celebrating the series' thirtieth anniversary, the team had been thinking about what modern Sonic gameplay should be like. Since Sonic Team would not deny high-speed action elements of games like Sonic Generations and Sonic Forces, they opted to make a game for both current fans and new gamers to enjoy. Iizuka also stated that the game will probably solidify the direction for the Sonic series to be taken for the next decade.[16] In an interview with The Sonic Stadium, Iizuka was asked if the game can be considered an anniversary title, but stated he would not call it one due to its release being planned for 2022. He made a comparison to the way Sonic Adventure influenced subsequent 3D games for the past twenty years, hoping that the game would have a similar effect.[17]
In a Sega Sammy Holdings's Investor Q&A for 14 December 2021, it was stated that Sonic Frontiers was originally planned to be released in 2021 for the Sonic series' 30th anniversary, but was delayed to further polish the game. It was noted that not only for this title, but also during the development phase, the developers had been steadily conducting analysis to improve the quality of Sonic Frontiers before it release, such as introducing game testing based on external evaluations. For the pricing strategy, Sega had as well decided they were at a point where they needed to rethink. This led to Sega to focus on quality and spending certain amount of money on development on Sonic Frontiers, having concluded that it was important to maintain the price by maintaining the value of the Sonic IP at high level instead of "simply lowering the price at early stage to increase the number of unit sales".[18]
The symbols associated with the announcement of the game were designed to not have a meaning that can be understood by common reasoning.[6]
The title trademark of the game was filed by Sega on 22 October 2021, then published on 9 November 2021, a month before the official title reveal.[19] Later, during December 2021, Sega registered the domain name frontiers.sonicthehedgehog.com.[20]
Promotional[]
The game's teaser was briefly foreshadowed in the trailer "Unstoppable", celebrating the franchise's 30th anniversary. The teaser was revealed the next day during the Sonic Central livestream video presentation on 27 May 2021 that showcased news regarding the series' 30th Anniversary celebration. Among these announcements were also the teaser trailer for this game.[21] According to Takashi Iizuka, the announcement for the game was premature, but was released nonetheless out of worry for the fans, who had not been given a proper announcement of a new mainline Sonic title since Sonic Forces.[6]
Sonic Frontiers would later be formally revealed at The Game Awards 2021 with a trailer, which showcased a portion of an FMV, and several small clips of in-game scenery. This was also where the game's title was officially confirmed as Sonic Frontiers.[22][14]
Gallery[]
Artwork[]
Trivia[]
- In the teaser trailer there is metadata referencing files used in production of the video, including multiple mentions of "Sonic Rangers", suggesting this is the working title or a code name.[23]
- The metadata also mentions "marza", suggesting Marza Animation Planet is involved in the production.
- The same name is also mentioned in a press release by Sega, but Sega has claimed this is due to the press release being an older version.[24]
- The game's teaser was briefly foreshadowed in the trailer "Unstoppable", celebrating the franchise's 30th anniversary.
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Sonic Central - 5/27/21". Sonic the Hedgehog (27 May 2021). Retrieved on 27 May 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Next Sonic game has “begun production”, but it probably won’t be out this year. PCGamesN (17 March 2019). Archived from the original on 21 March 20219. Retrieved on 10 November 2021.
Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "PCGN: Begun" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Romano, Sal (18 March 2019). Sega hosting Player Survey to determine the next steps for Sonic the Hedgehog, Yakuza, Valkyria Chronicles, Phantasy Star, and more. Gematsu. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019.
Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Gematsu: Survey" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Shea, Brian (13 June 2021). Sonic Team Head Talks Sonic Origins, Next Mainline Game, And 30th Anniversary. GameInformer. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved on 13 June 2021.
- ↑ Exclusive: Takashi Iizuka Hopes 2022 Sonic Game Will Lay Foundation For Future Titles. Sonic Stadium (21 June 2021). Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved on 21 June 2021.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 稲元徹也 (22 July 2021). ソニック30周年記念，飯塚 隆プロデューサーにインタビュー。“Sonic Everywhere”――常にソニックが存在する未来を目指して (Japanese). 4Gamer. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved on 23 July 2021.
- ↑ Skrebels, Joe (27 May 2021). Sonic Central Stream: Everything Announced, Including a Brand New Sonic Game. IGN. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved on 27 May 2021.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSonicYT - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedColleen - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPollock - ↑ Romano, Sal (16 March 2019). Next major Sonic the Hedgehog title in development. Gematsu. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved on 10 December 2021.
- ↑ Blake, Vikki (17 March 2019). A new Sonic game is in development. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved on 10 December 2021.
- ↑ Watts, Steve (9 December 2021). Sonic Frontiers Is An Open-World Game Coming In 2022, First Screenshot Has BOTW Vibes. GameSpot. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved on 9 December 2021.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSynopsis - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSonic Frontiers II - ↑ Shea, Brian (13 June 2021). Sonic Team Head Talks Sonic Origins, Next Mainline Game, And 30th Anniversary. GameInformer. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved on 13 June 2021.
- ↑ Dreadknux (21 June 2021). Exclusive: Takashi Iizuka Hopes 2022 Sonic Game Will Lay Foundation For Future Titles. Sonic Stadium. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved on 21 June 2021.
- ↑ SEGA SAMMY Management Meeting 2021 Major Questions (24 December 2021). Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved on 1 January 2022.
- ↑ "Trademark watch" (Japanese) (9 November 2021). Retrieved on 10 December 2021.
- ↑ Bellingham, Hope (6 December 2021). A new Sonic the Hedgehog game called Frontiers could be set for an imminent announcement. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved on 10 December 2021.
- ↑ Skrebels, Joe (27 May 2021). Sonic Central Stream: Everything Announced, Including a Brand New Sonic Game. IGN. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved on 27 May 2021.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedKotaku - ↑ Skrebels, Joe (28 May 2021). The New Sonic Game May Be Called Sonic Rangers. IGN. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved on 28 May 2021.
- ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (28 May 2021). "Sega mentions Sonic Rangers in its own press release". Eurogamer. Retrieved on 29 May 2021.
fr:Sonic the Hedgehog (jeu 2022) pl:Sonic (2022) uk:Sonic (2022)