Love 'em or hate 'em, if it weren't for the Sonic the Hedgehog films, the blue blur might have been canned entirely, so says series boss Takashi Iizuka

Oisin Kuhnke — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:15:10 +0000

I like Sonic. He charms me! But that doesn't mean I'm a fool. I know there are very few of his games that could actually be called "good," whatever that word might mean, I just don't care. Except making not good games, and having a reputation for doing so, will obviously result in waning returns financially. So it isn't a surprise to hear from Sonic boss Takashi Iizuka that, once upon a time, the entire series was at risk of cancellation. Which is where those of you that like the games but hate the movies need to say some thank yous.

Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka dismisses the apparent inevitability of remakes, saying "you’re essentially providing the same experience again"

Ashley Schofield — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:12:21 +0000

At this point, you can't even open the Steam front page without stumbling over remake after remake (sometimes remasters, just to spice things up). To say remakes are in vogue would be an understatement: they're an almost guaranteed moneymaker that can prey on nostalgia and a lust for a 'better time' to deliver games that can offer some ephemeral reproduction of the feeling of childhood, thus protecting from the Scaries of living in the current time. And, unless you're Square Enix having the Final Fantasy VII Remake series juggle both a new story and the original as a metanarrative, remakes usually grant that sweetest of temptations: the same thing you like, forever.

However, one person who seemingly takes issue with this is Takashi Iizuka, general producer of the Sonic series. In an interview with Automaton - which also touches on Sonic’s growing multimedia empire and Sega’s experience with Sonic Racing: Crossworlds as their first live service game - Iizuka suggests the blue hedgehog won’t be getting any remakes or remasters anytime soon, citing the concepts' lack of originality and still-high development costs.

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Love 'em or hate 'em, if it weren't for the Sonic the Hedgehog films, the blue blur might have been canned entirely, so says series boss Takashi Iizuka

Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka dismisses the apparent inevitability of remakes, saying "you’re essentially providing the same experience again"