Sonic Team Looks Back At The Blue Blur’s First 30 Years

This summer saw the 30th birthday of Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega marked the occasion by holding a Sonic Central stream that teased three new projects (Sonic Colors: Ultimate, Sonic Origins, and an untitled mainline Sonic game) in May, followed by a special 30th-anniversary concert featuring an orchestra playing classic Sonic music.

We were able to catch up with Sonic Team’s five longest-serving developers after the festivities had ended. From directors, producers, composers, and artists, our interviewees covered all aspects of the Sonic franchise to find out about their unique experiences and what the 30th anniversary means to them. 

Is there a first memory you have of being part of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
Takashi Iizuka (creative officer, chief of Sonic Team):My first memories include moving to America, living in America for one year and half and developing Sonic 3. This was a new and exciting experience for me, someone who hadn’t been in another country.

Hiroshi Nishiyama, art director:Responsible for the creation of Sonic Jam’s 3D Sonic World. While texture design for the different shapes and models was hard, I found it rewarding.

Kazuyuki Hoshino, creative director: Sega was founded in 1991, and I remember my very first time going to a Sega game show. [co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog Naoto]Ohshima’san was introduced at the event [co-creator Yuji]Naka-san, who just returned from America. From there, it all began.

Yuji Uekawa, character designer: Sonic Jam was my first Sonic game. It was also the first Sonic game to use 3D polygons as characters and environments. Everything felt new and possible.

Jun Senoue is the sound director and guitarist for Crush 40. I first remember the selection of music for Sonic 3 during its development in America. On the Japan side we would create a demo tape of all the tracks we created, then send that tape to America via boat, and the comments we would get back after the team in America reviewed the tape all came by Send a fax!

Is there a moment in time that you can recall when Sonic the Hedgehog was a huge success?
Iizuka: Many times over the years I’ve felt the immense popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog have brought me back to that moment. First, it was 1993, with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then, 1998 was the second time, where we had more than 10,000 attend for Sonic Adventure’s first announcement. This was even last year when the Hollywood film was released.

Nishiyama: It was 1998’s big Sonic Adventure title unveiling and 2020’s Hollywood film release for me. To this day I cannot forget the excitement of the fans.

Hoshino: It’s funny, I feel that way every time we meet. But, if you exclude the fact that Sonic and Knuckles were viral memes a few years back, then maybe that was it?

Uekawa:This is not surprising given the industry’s history. However, once we began collaborating with strong IPs from movies and comics, it was definitely an moment. Also, the fact that there are tons of licensed Sonic products being sold around the globe would be another moment.

Senoue: His popularity is what keeps me going. It doesn’t matter what age or gender, when you mention the name Sonic, people will always respond with “Oh yeah, Sonic!” A blue hedgehog is what pops into their minds. Another reason people love him is the fact that he was featured in a Hollywood movie in 2020.

Which Sonic games were your favourite to play?
Iizuka: Sonic Adventure 2 was released, so all the members of the team moved to America. We had a very small team, so it was easy to distill all of the best elements and create a game that satisfied players worldwide.

Nishiyama:Sonic Adventure 2 was developed when my family moved to America. Due to all of my new experiences and stimulus, I came up with many ideas. I also was able create an enjoyable game that brought together many great memories.

Hoshino: My role as character designer on Shadow the Hedgehog was very enjoyable. It wasn’t only the robots that Eggman created, but also human soldiers, and weapons and vehicles from an alien civilization – I really threw myself into making a game that was totally different from what the normal conventions of what a game was thought to be was back in the day. Did everyone enjoy it?

Uekawa:Sonic Adventure was my role as the character designer. I also created the animations and models for the characters. The artwork for this title was also created by me, and it has a great deal of personal meaning to me.

Senoue: Sonic Adventure 2 was being made in America by the local development team. The new atmosphere created a stimulating environment for everyone in the group. We had lots of fun and worked hard to develop the game.

Which Sonic the Hedgehog video game do you prefer?
Iizuka: Sonic Mania would be my first recommendation. This title combines the best of all classic Sonic titles in one enjoyable experience. Sonic Colors Ultimate is a great choice for those who like 3D Sonic games. It offers a variety of play options.

Nishiyama: Sonic Heroes was a title I worked on that had a lot of variety in the world, needing to strategically use the unique skills of each character to play the game with a high level of teamwork, so I really like that.

Hoshino:Sonic Heroes is an enjoyable game that I enjoyed playing with my friends. It was fun because we could strategize together while we were playing. Each team has its own finishing move, so it was always so fun matching up each member’s unique abilities.

Uekawa:It would be the original Sonic the Hedgehog. You will find simple controls and vivid graphics. It also has very basic gameplay.

Senoue:Sonic the Hedgehog 2, on the Genesis. While I liked the original Sonic the Hedgehog title, it took so little time to obtain this updated version. This was a great game and a joy to play. This was a title I loved as a fan and one that was truly memorable.

Sonic is the most beloved Sonic the Hedgehog character.
Iizuka: Shadow is the only choice. It is possible that I am a part of the creation and formation of Shadow, but I really enjoy his backstory.

Nishiyama: Before I joined Sega, I was still playing Sonic games. I used to call him Knuckles. It was the mystery behind the Master Emerald that I enjoyed the most. Shadow is another character that I like. Shadow was created when I joined the team.

Hoshino: It is incredible to me how Dr. Eggman finds the drive and passion to create whatever challenges he may face. It is amazing to me how much time he puts in each day just to create all this stuff.

Uekawa:Big the Cat is a favorite of mine. Sonic is so hectic, I find his relaxed approach to slowing down a refreshing contrast.

Senoue: Shadow. Shadow is a result of me being part of the creation team. However, I like his dialog (especially in Japanese) and the combination of red and black.

Do you remember when the series was first started? Did you think that it would grow to 30 years old and continue strong today?
Iizuka:Since I was just 21 when the series began, I didn’t think about the 30 years ahead. At the time, however, I felt a strong urge to continue making Sonic games.

Nishiyama:My focus was on the present and not on the future. While I was developing the game, my impression was that Sonic was fun and cool.

Hoshino:Sonic Adventure really opened up the world to the Sonic characters. I was really impressed by the number of stories and challenges that the series offered. Sonic will go on as long this is true.

Uekawa:Truth be told, I wasn’t even aware of the future for the next two years. We just kept making more games, licensing more and Sonic IP never stopped. We are still here 30 years after we started moving forward because it feels that way.

Senoue:In my 20’s I couldn’t imagine my life in 50 years. I can still remember not being able to imagine Sonic in 30 years. Sonic began this adventure, and we’re now celebrating this landmark 30 years after it all started.

What does franchising’s 30th anniversary signify to you?
Iizuka: It has been 30 years since our team started and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to share the joy with people all over the world. Sonic’s fans have been a huge supporter over the last 30 years, which I find very rewarding.

Nishiyama:It is a great feeling to see that Sonic, after thirty years of having fun, has made a lasting impression on people’s lives. In the future, I look forward to more games.

Hoshino: This industry has been my career for 30 years. Looking back makes it clear how far we’ve come. For the next thirty years, I am looking forward to coming up with new ideas to entertain my fans!

Uekaya:It’s a long time. But I do not think that it is exaggerated to say the Sonic fan base is a testimony to the dedication of all the members. We look forward to the next chapter with our fans.

Senoue: The past 30 years were built together with our fans. I want to thank everyone who made this possible. Sonic, Happy 30th anniversary!!

You can read more about the 30th anniversary Sonic the Hedgehog by checking out Takashi Iizuka’s interview. He talks about the various announcements made at the Sonic Central presentation held in May. The full Sonic Symphony performance, which Jun Senoue (and Crush 40) performed at the end of the presentation can be viewed here. The articles below provide more history on the Sonic series. They include Sega’s greatest hope Sonic 2, why Sonic 2 suffered a decline, how Sonic moved to Nintendo consoles after the Dreamcast died, and why Sonic 2 is now obsolete.