'I've been making Sonic games and been with Sonic longer than I've been with my own children' Sonic Team head looks back on the franchise for its 35th anniversary

Date:
Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Description:
We chat to Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka about 35 years of the platformer franchise.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka says that working on the franchise is "a lot of pressure" He thinks he is "going to continue to enjoy making Sonic games" for the foreseeable future
The comments come as the franchise celebrates its 35th anniversary At Summer Game Fest 2026 , I had the chance to chat with Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka in a wide-ranging interview that touches on everything from the newly
revealed Sonic Pico Park to his thoughts on the current position of the franchise as a whole.

Right now the blue blur is celebrating its 35th anniversary, which kicked off in January this year, and the series is in a very good spot. The most recent games, racing spinoff Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and the Sonic X Shadow Generations remake, were very well received, and Iizuka seems driven to keep the quality up for the sake of the series' most devoted fans. "When I started making Sonic games over 30-plus years ago, I didn't really think about [the community]. We were just making games, but the longer I was working on Sonic
, and the more games we made, the more we heard from fans who really appreciated the content, who really wanted to know what's coming next," he said. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

"We had games like Sonic Generations , which was a game that parents and children could play together, because we had that early group of Sonic fans who were now grown up, and they had children of their own," he added.

"Even now we have a wide range of not only adults playing Sonic games, but we also have children playing Sonic games. We have a huge audience of people who are enjoying the content, which I really appreciate, but it's also a lot of pressure because I don't want to betray them. I don't want to make something that people are not going to feel is true to Sonic ." You may like Sonic Pico Park trades fast-paced platforming for cute co-op puzzling and was one of the most charming things I played at SGF 2026 Toys for Bob dev says the team
tried to capture 'the feeling that we fell in love with' when developing Spyro: A Realm Beyond instead of worrying about features first Spyro: A Realm Beyond studio CEO says there was no 'pushback' to becoming independent from Activision Blizzard, but the process and planning the game at the same time was 'complex' 'I think that was the biggest challenge' A big milestone
(Image credit: Sega) Iizuka has been working on Sonic games for decades, so I ask how spending such a long time with one series has shaped him and whether he sees himself moving on to anything else.

"It's strange when you say things like that, because when you think about it, I've been making Sonic games and been with Sonic longer than I've been with
my own children," he replies. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in
your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"I really enjoy getting to be creative for such a great character, and bringing this content to so many great people. And moving forward, I'm going to continue to enjoy making Sonic games."

He added that he 'of course' sees Sonic almost like his own child as well. "Please imagine your child on the screen," he jokes. "I'm really proud."

For the latest on the 35th anniversary celebrations, you can tune in to a special birthday livestream on June 23, 2026 at 9:30 AM PT via the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel . Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/ive-been-making-sonic-games-and-been-with-son ic-longer-than-ive-been-with-my-own-children-sonic-team-head-looks-back-on-the -franchise-for-its-35th-anniversary


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