10 years ago, Sega producer was convinced he had to "save" Sonic the Hedgehog from certain death: "This brand isn't going to be around for much longer"

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"The Sonic brand was not in a very positive space"

Sonic animated series Netflix
(Image credit: SEGA)

Sonic The Hedgehog is in a very different place than he was 10 years ago. What was once a consistently mocked series is now back to being on a level akin to its 90s popularity. Takashi Iizuka, who has led the series through this rough spell until today – and is the de facto face of the franchise following Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara's exits from Sega – is reflecting on this difficult time.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Iizuka says, "Ten years ago, I moved from Tokyo to Burbank. At that time, the Sonic brand was not in a very positive space. A lot of people were bashing on the brand. They really weren't happy with the things coming out."

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Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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