Sonic producer had to fight SEGA at one point to keep franchise alive

At one point things were so bad that SEGA almost pulled the plug on Sonic the Hedgehog as a franchise.

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It's hard to imagine SEGA without Sonic, but a recent interview with One More Game, Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka reveals that he actually had to fight SEGA from cancelling the game series.

"There had been good times, and there had been bad times... during the worst times, I was told by the higher-ups that we should cancel the entire franchise. I had to fight within the organization to keep the franchise as long as possible," Iizuka, who has been working on the franchise since the 1990s, told the publication.

It's unclear which period that Iizuka is referring to here--e.g. when things were their worst at SEGA. The SEGA Saturn era comes to mind, as well as the failed Dreamcast that saw SEGA exit the console market entirely. Then there's Sonic '06, which is panned as one of the worst games on the Xbox 360. The series also faced setbacks from 2013-2015 when SEGA signed exclusivity deals with Nintendo for Wii U and 3DS games.

The franchise has rebounded tremendously thanks, in part, to the Sonic films. All three movies are mega-hits and have propelled the series to global fame, leading to a larger influx of game sales.

"The biggest milestone for me was the first movie... that had been a great hit and definitely changed the course of this franchise," Iizuka said.

Frequently Asked Questions

Open a question for an answer from TweakTown's coverage of this news, or ask your own below.

Question #1

Which Sonic era was Takashi Iizuka likely referring to when SEGA wanted to cancel the franchise?

It isn't clear which Sonic era he meant. The story says the worst times could have been the Sega Saturn era or the failed Dreamcast era, and it also mentions Sonic '06 and the 2013 to 2015 period as other possibilities.

Question #2

What role has Takashi Iizuka played in Sonic since the 1990s?

Takashi Iizuka has worked on the Sonic franchise since the 1990s and is now the Sonic series producer. He also said he had to push back inside SEGA during bad periods to keep the franchise from being canceled.

Question #3

Did SEGA ever come close to ending Sonic during the Saturn or Dreamcast years?

Takashi Iizuka said SEGA's higher-ups once told him the whole Sonic franchise should be cancelled, and he had to fight inside the company to keep it alive. He did not say which exact era he meant, but he pointed to the Saturn and Dreamcast years as possible examples of when things were at their worst. So the story supports that SEGA may have come close during that period, but it does not confirm one specific year.

Question #4

How much did the Nintendo exclusivity period from 2013 to 2015 affect the Sonic franchise?

It is described as a setback for the franchise during 2013 to 2015, when SEGA signed exclusivity deals with Nintendo for Wii U and 3DS games. The piece does not say how large the effect was, only that the series faced setbacks in that period.

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Iizuka and the rest of Sonic team are currently working on a new mainline Sonic game.