Izuka Looks Into Possibility of eSports Potential for the Series

[Multikaris]

https://gonintendo.com/stories/337836-sega-wants-to-take-on-a-new-sonic-challenge-for-the-franchise-s-3

 

This is a bit more proof of the Westward shift, given that Sonic Team in Japan already has an eSports-Franchise in Puyo. In addition, the comments to this on Twitter made me realize even MANIA’s not immune to the weird amnesia effect Roger noticed about Lost World.

[Polkadi~☆]

If they want to do Sonic eSports (and they're seemingly not going to bother with Puyo Puyo around here ;n;), then I simply MUST suggest... a Sonic fighting game. Highly competitive, and highly fun to watch, especially if one goes for a unique take on the fighting game formula.

[D.K.]

3 hours ago, Miragnarok said:

the weird amnesia effect Roger noticed about Lost World.

the what now

[Polkadi~☆]

21 minutes ago, Vertical Snoop [D.K.] said:

the what now

I think it's to do with people forgetting all the good things about Sonic, to blow the bad things out of proportion.

[shdowhunt60]

I mean, the online of their current online competitive multiplayer game is completely broken and dead, but whatever.

[Pengi]

Misleading thread.

 

Quote

4Gamer: With annual releases for the series it must be difficult to find time for something entirely original. eSports focused titles have become popular recently, so how do you feel about making a game for that audience?

Iizuka: I think there’s always the possibility… but Sonic will always be mainly an action-platformer, so going into that eSports arena might not be that feasible. But then I’m always willing to take on new genre challenges, like we did with the recent Team Sonic Racing. I think there’s always the chance that something suited to eSports might come out of those different projects.

 

Does this sound like it's something Iizuka is actively looking into?

[Badnik Mechanic]

Wow this is quite misleading for all concerned.

Here is the original interview which is over a month old.

https://www.4gamer.net/games/421/G042175/20190415016/

You will notice it's actually a rather excellent interview about Team Sonic Racing... Not Sonic in general.

E-Sports is brought up completely at random as part of the final throw away questions that most interviews do. I'm almost certain they asked that because TSR has been described as being a potential e-sports title, even I said so in virtually all my previews and reviews on it.

Iizuka responds by saying 'no it's not going to happen' but is open to it. It's a way to say no without being rude or completely ruling out an idea.

[Meta77]

Who in their right mind would all TSR into any esports tourney.

That said, if they have not already started work on the 30th anniversary title Its just going to be a rushed mess again. That said is there any reason they keep sticking to anniversary to release games. Does mario or any other franchise do that? Honest question.

[SBR2]

Honestly I'm on Team Fighting game here. Sonic the Fighters 2 with the 15 main Sonic Characters (counting Eggman), Maybe include the Babylon Rogues, Characters from the original Sonic The Fighters, Honey as a fully realized character (I say take her Archie counterpart and run with it) and maybe a few new fighters or various characters from throughout the series.

It'd make sense seeing as Dodon-Pa is supposedly going to be a mainstay and a Master of Ceremonies type character so more sports games seem obvious.

[Razule]

2 hours ago, Meta77 said:

Who in their right mind would all TSR into any esports tourney.

That said, if they have not already started work on the 30th anniversary title Its just going to be a rushed mess again. That said is there any reason they keep sticking to anniversary to release games. Does mario or any other franchise do that? Honest question.

Not really. Sonic Unleashed's development began in 2006, Sonic Generations' development began in 2009. That's a standard production time. Or at least, according to Google,  "typical AAA game averages 18–36 months". Is Sonic even AAA?

[Marco9966]

22 minutes ago, Razule said:

Not really. Sonic Unleashed's development began in 2006, Sonic Generations' development began in 2009. That's a standard production time. Or at least, according to Google,  "typical AAA game averages 18–36 months". Is Sonic even AAA?

it was AAA in Unleashed at least

[JosepHenry]

54 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

it was AAA in Unleashed at least

Unleashed wasn't AAA.

[Splash the Otter]

3 hours ago, Razule said:

Is Sonic even AAA?

It should be.

[StellarBlur]

1 hour ago, JosepHenry said:

Unleashed wasn't AAA.

Unleashed was the last game in the series to be AAA. There's a ridiculous amount of money poured into that game by Sega.

[Tornado]

Maybe they can work on making a game people actually want to play before they get in on that sweet "people want to play it professionally in front of others" money.

4 hours ago, JosepHenry said:

Unleashed wasn't AAA.

They went so far as to develop a new game engine specifically for it long before they started actually working on the game proper. Sega undoubtedly spent tens of millions of dollars on it, even amidst the tire fire that the series immediately became soon after Sonic Team had started working on it.

[Detective Kaito]

16 hours ago, Polkadi~♪ said:

If they want to do Sonic eSports (and they're seemingly not going to bother with Puyo Puyo around here ;n;), then I simply MUST suggest... a Sonic fighting game. Highly competitive, and highly fun to watch, especially if one goes for a unique take on the fighting game formula.

The only way a Sonic fighting game could become an eSport is if ArcSys worked on it, which will never happen. There's 9 games at EVO 2019, and not a single one was developed by SEGA.

A Sonic fighting game is something I'm hoping will happen one day, especially after Shadow and Knuckles were denied a spot in Smash Ultimate. Also since every Sonic spinoff game since Sonic Chronicles has been either a platformer or a racing game. I wouldn't mind if they tackled some other genres for once.

[DabigRG]

Guess they noticed how sparse the franchise has been on fun and spinoff material  for the last half decade.

Sonic for Madden 2020, ya'll!

17 hours ago, Miragnarok said:

https://gonintendo.com/stories/337836-sega-wants-to-take-on-a-new-sonic-challenge-for-the-franchise-s-3

 

This is a bit more proof of the Westward shift, given that Sonic Team in Japan already has an eSports-Franchise in Puyo. In addition, the comments to this on Twitter made me realize even MANIA’s not immune to the weird amnesia effect Roger noticed about Lost World.

Amnesia effect, eh?

17 hours ago, Polkadi~♪ said:

 a Sonic fighting game. Highly competitive, and highly fun to watch, especially if one goes for a unique take on the fighting game formula.

Oh, that'd be an absolutely wonderful boon!

9 hours ago, Meta77 said:

Who in their right mind would all TSR into any esports tourney.

That said, if they have not already started work on the 30th anniversary title Its just going to be a rushed mess again. That said is there any reason they keep sticking to anniversary to release games. Does mario or any other franchise do that? Honest question.

I think it's just been tradition that they feel is expected of them. Remember that they aren't producing as many games as they used to as well. 

[HywelAtTheMoon]

If they went with a fighting game, would you go for either an all-Sonic cast, or an All Stars roster (other Sega characters)? 

[Multikaris]

6 hours ago, HywelAtTheMoon said:

If they went with a fighting game, would you go for either an all-Sonic cast, or an All Stars roster (other Sega characters)? 

Sonic Team, specifically, not the whole of Sega. Kinda like Pinball Party and Riders. 

[Splash the Otter]

6 hours ago, HywelAtTheMoon said:

If they went with a fighting game, would you go for either an all-Sonic cast, or an All Stars roster (other Sega characters)? 

I'd stick with Sonic characters. Maybe a few guests from other series (like NiGHTS for instance) but it would still be predominantly Sonic.

[Perkilator]

On 6/17/2019 at 8:38 AM, Splash the Otter said:

I'd stick with Sonic characters. Maybe a few guests from other series (like NiGHTS for instance) but it would still be predominantly Sonic.

Yeah, kinda like Riders, in a sense!

[Eurisko]

I feel like I just opened click-bait.

Though after having a think TSR could be a good E-Sports title. The team mechanic would make things very interesting to watch on that sort of stage.

[jgcatindig]

On 6/16/2019 at 3:20 PM, Polkadi~♪ said:

If they want to do Sonic eSports (and they're seemingly not going to bother with Puyo Puyo around here ;n;), then I simply MUST suggest... a Sonic fighting game. Highly competitive, and highly fun to watch, especially if one goes for a unique take on the fighting game formula.

Sonic Battle 2.

Can be fighter,  can be battle royale. Would still be better than Fortnite,  lol. 

[thumbs13]

On 6/16/2019 at 8:09 PM, Detective Kaito said:

There's 9 games at EVO 2019, and not a single one was developed by SEGA.

 

The last SEGA fighting game coming out in 2007 might be a reason. If one came out today, and SEGA put even the tiniest amount of money towards it getting into EVO, it'd have a spot no question.

[jgcatindig]

Sonic, m-f-ing Battle 2.

That's all they need.