By Reimaginings, enhancements, and upgrades are currently very popular, but Sonic Team leader Takashi Iizuka has indicated that the studio is not particularly eager to revisit the Blue Blur’s initial 3D journeys, such as the cherished Sonic Adventure titles, as the team could simply, you know, craft an entirely new game with similar resources.
In a conversation with the BBC regarding the recently launched kart racer Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, Iizuka expressed that the team aims to develop “more diverse, intricate, and captivating worlds” using new technology rather than using it to revisit prior concepts. Moreover, there’s the minor issue of time—developers have a limited amount to realize their visions.
“Rather than spending all that time and effort to recreate a game that fans have already enjoyed, we could focus on producing a completely new game instead,” Iizuka remarked. “I believe the team is genuinely keen on investing that same energy and time to genuinely deliver a fresh experience to the audience.”
The stance of the Sonic chief isn’t vastly different from that of publisher Sega, which is presently working on new installments in some classic cult franchises—including Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Shinobi—rather than remaking the originals.
Nonetheless, remakes such as Persona 3 Reload were still released under Sega’s jurisdiction. And, in fact, just the previous year Sonic x Shadow Generations revisited a fan favorite with added content, so perhaps the door isn’t entirely shut for Sonic Adventure.
At this moment, you can still purchase and play Sonic Adventure on Steam and Xbox Series X|S.