- Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka says working on the franchise is “a lot of pressure”
- He believes that “he will continue to enjoy doing Sonic games” for the foreseeable future
- The comments come as the franchise celebrates its 35th anniversary.
At Summer Game Fest 2026, I had the opportunity to chat with Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka in a wide-ranging interview that covers everything from what was recently revealed. Sonic Peak Park to his thoughts on the current situation of the franchise as a whole.
Right now Blue Blur is celebrating its 35th anniversary, which began in January of this year, and the series is in a very good place. The latest games, racing spin-offs. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and the Sonic X Shadow Generations remake, were very well received, and Iizuka seems determined to keep the quality high for the sake of the series’ most devoted fans.
“When I started doing Sonic games over 30 years ago, I didn’t really think about [the community]. We were just making games, but the more I worked on Sonic“And the more games we made, the more we heard from fans that they really appreciated the content, that they really wanted to know what was coming next,” he said.
“We had games like sonic generationswhich was a game that parents and children could play together, because we had that early group of Sonic fans who were now older and had children of their own,” he added.
“Even now we have a wide range of players, not just adults Sonic games, but we also have children playing Sonic games. We have a huge audience of people who enjoy 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 do something that people don’t feel is faithful. Sonic“.
A great milestone
Iizuka has been working on Sonic games for decades, so I ask how spending so much time with a series has shaped you and if you see yourself moving on to something else.
“It’s strange when you say things like that, because when you think about it, I’ve been doing Sonic games and status with Sonic longer than I have spent with my own children,” he responds.
“I really enjoy being creative for such a great character and bringing this content to so many wonderful people. And in the future, I will continue to enjoy making Sonic games.”
He added that “of course” he sees Sonic almost like his own son too. “Please imagine your son 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 PST via the official site. Sonic the hedgehog YouTube channel.
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