'You don't need to be super hardcore to be good at this one' Pico Park president on bringing Sonic to a whole new audience with upcoming crossover game

Date:
Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:25:10 +0000

Description:
We talk to the Sonic Pico Park team about the upcoming crossover game.

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 Upcoming crossover puzzle game Sonic Pico Park is intended to bring Sonic to a wider audience It's intended to be "very easy to pick up and play" "A lot of people are aware of Sonic the Hedgehog , and it's interesting because not a lot of those people are
actually gamers," the head of Sonic Team explained Announced at Summer Game Fest 2026 , Sonic Pico Park is an upcoming crossover game that combines the casual puzzling of Pico Park with the platforming chaos of Sonic the Hedgehog .

A few days after the reveal, I chatted to Pico Park president Shintarou Shimazu and Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka about the unlikely pairing, which the developers hope will help bring the character to a wider audience. "We said, 'Hey, we're really popular in China, but a lot of people in the West don't really know Pico Park. How can we make a game format that's going to really reach out to a broader audience of people?'" Shimazu reveals. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

He explains that the original designer of Pico Park , Shunsuke Miyake, used
to work at Sega. "Let's see if we can collaborate with Sonic, who's really strong in the West, and put them together and make something that everyone around the world is going to be really interested in playing," he said.

Iizuka went on to say that, in addition to appealing to complete Sonic newcomers, he hopes that Sonic Pico Park will resonate with fans of the character that might not enjoy the traditional platformer games. 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 '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 'For Spyro: A Realm Beyond, we are very much focused on making it an accessible adventure' Toys for Bob wants the next Spyro game to be an 'approachable entry' in the series

"We have Sonic in movies, we have Sonic in Netflix animated shows, we have games coming out. There's lots of different ways that people can experience and enjoy Sonic," he explains.

"A lot of people are aware of Sonic the Hedgehog, and it's interesting
because not a lot of those people are actually gamers, but they're experiencing Sonic. Sonic Pico Park is one of these games that we think is perfect for those non-gamers. 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.

"It's going to be very easy to pick up and play, and have a lot of fun with, and it's good to get them to experience Sonic if they just watched the
movies, but haven't played the games."

"You don't need to be super hardcore to be good at this one," Shimazu says.
"A lot of people can play and enjoy the experience. They designed the game
for even up to eight people to be playing all at the same time, whether you have eight people in the room, or you're going online."

Sonic Pico Park is expected to release later this year. 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!



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/you-dont-need-to-be-super-hardcore-to-be-good -at-this-one-pico-park-president-on-bringing-sonic-to-a-whole-new-audience-wit h-upcoming-crossover-game


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)