Sega says the reveal of a new Sonic game coming in 2022 was perhaps "a bit premature," seemingly in response to fans upset about the sparse amount of footage seen in the announcement trailer.
The untitled Sonic game was revealed earlier this year with a teaser trailer that flashed by faster than Sonic passes through a shuttle loop (obviously ignoring the times he doesn't quite make it through because he isn't running fast enough, because the simile wouldn't really work otherwise). All we saw was a few seconds of Sonic dashing through a forest before a mysterious symbol flashed onto the screen and the trailer ended. Needless to say, Sonic fans wanted more, especially since we've known since late last year that multiple Sonic games are in development.
Granted, publishers show off cryptic, half-minute teasers all the time, but considering it's Sonic's big 30th birthday this year, folks were expecting a bit more from the big reveal. Well, as it turns out, it was the anniversary itself that prompted Sega to reveal the new game a little earlier than would've been ideal. In a recent interview with 4Gamer, translated by Nintendo Enthusiast, Sonic Team lead Takashi Iizuka explained that the studio didn't want to let the occasion pass by without something to show for it.
"We haven't announced a brand new action game for the Sonic series since Sonic Forces, and that caused fans to worry," said Iizuka. "While it was a bit premature, I wanted to at least take the occasion of the 30th anniversary to announce that a brand new title was in development."
Iizuka was also asked about the symbol at the end of the trailer, to which he replied: "It is something symbolic that appears in the game, but the meaning is still a secret. However, I will say that it's not something one would figure out through deduction. we'll eventually share more details, so please wait a little longer."
What I worry about is what this all means for the new Sonic game's planned 2022 release. If it's still so early in development, and surely the impact of the pandemic on the Japan-based studio Sonic Team has not been fun, it's possible we'll see a delay.
For now though, the new Sonic game is due in 2022 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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