When Sonic Mania arrived in 2017, it was an enormous success for the franchise. A lot in order that it appeared inevitable {that a} sequel developed along with Christian Whitehead, PagodaWest Video games, and Headcannon can be subsequent for the Blue Blur. Sadly, it by no means occurred. We requested each Takashi Iizuka and Christian Whitehead what occurred to Sonic Mania 2.
Headcannon continued working with the Sonic model by 2022’s Sonic Origins and its 2023 replace Sonic Origins Plus, whereas Whitehead based his personal studio, Night Star, alongside fellow Sonic Mania builders in 2018. This previous June, Night Star introduced its first sport, titled Penny’s Large Breakaway, coming in early 2024.
Sonic Mania
As a substitute of the anticipated Sonic Mania 2, in June 2023, Sega, Sonic Workforce, and growth studio Arzest (headed up by Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima) introduced Sonic Superstars. The sport seems like a continuation of what Sonic Mania completed in 2017, however with trendy visuals, particular Emerald Powers, cooperative gameplay, and solely all-new zones. Nonetheless, many questioned why Sonic Mania 2, which looks as if it might have been an final slam-dunk hit, by no means got here to fruition.
In 2021, studies from a gaming insider named Zippo surfaced that inner plans to create a real successor to Sonic Mania had been scrapped because of variations between Sonic Mania’s exterior builders and Sega. Whereas circuitously confirming or commenting on that exact report, Iizuka confirms that he had talks with Whitehead following the discharge of Mania.
“There was a interval after the event of Sonic Mania after we labored with them to contemplate ideas for the following era of Traditional Sonic,” Iizuka says. “It is too dangerous that it did not change into a completed sport. Nonetheless, I am happy that the following era of Traditional Sonic that we talked about with them has been achieved with Superstars.”
Sonic Superstars
One main hurdle to offering a real successor to Sonic Mania is that Iizuka and Sonic Workforce wished to maneuver away from the pixel-art graphics with the following new title within the Traditional Sonic collection. “Whenever you make a 2D sport utilizing pixel artwork, you sort of find yourself concentrating on a really particular core viewers,” he says. “We wished to deliver this sport to as many individuals as potential and to be able to actually make it feel and look as interesting to a wider viewers, we would have liked to make use of the 3D property to actually give it that present look. However we do know that core followers need that previous Traditional Sonic look, they need that previous traditional Sonic really feel, so we targeted on ensuring the controls had been stable and the look and the texture was actually consultant of a traditional Sonic sport.”
Whitehead backs up this story together with his personal recounting of the occasions. “After we began Night Star, it was at all times our purpose to maneuver past 2D pixel artwork into 3D video games, and develop all-new, authentic IP,” he says. “Night Star did work with Sega to discover potential instructions Traditional Sonic might go after the success of Sonic Mania. Sonic Mania 2 was by no means in growth, although, as a result of we truly agreed early on that we should always attempt to make one thing recent, like hand-drawn 2D or 2.5D. On the identical time, Night Star was growing our new Star Engine, so we additionally ended up making a cool Sonic prototype that performed with depth in 2.5D, and another gameplay concepts.”
Following these preliminary planning classes and a mutual resolution to not proceed with growth, Night Star started work on Penny’s Large Breakaway. “As Iizuka-san mentioned, although, [Evening Star] didn’t proceed to full manufacturing on the sport, at which level Arzest took the helm and made Superstars alongside Sonic Workforce,” Whitehead says. “We moved ahead with our plans to develop an authentic 3D title, which is, in fact, Penny’s Large Breakaway! Superstars appears superior and our group is absolutely excited to play it when it comes out.”
Penny’s Large Breakaway
Whitehead additionally dashed away one of many huge factors of hypothesis amongst Sonic followers: that Sonic Mania 2 falling by was the results of dangerous blood between Sega and members of Night Star. “Opposite to any rumors, we keep a pleasant relationship with Sega and hope followers are pumped to play each video games as soon as they launch,” he says.
Although Whitehead and his group aren’t concerned with Sonic Superstars, the affect of their work and concepts is obvious. “Lots of the issues that we talked about with Christian, , ‘Let’s make it a visually wealthy sport that is not based mostly in pixel. Let’s not do the Mania factor of reusing stuff. Let’s make one thing model new with all-new ranges,’ that is the place the beginning of the concepting occurred after Mania, however the whole lot got here to a cease,” Iizuka says. “After we kicked off Sonic Superstars with Ohshima-san’s group, lots of the conversations that we had with Christian had been already in our heads, and we did begin creating a brand new sport already in the same vein of, ‘Let’s make one thing new’ and ‘Let’s make one thing not pixel.'”
Even past some ideas seemingly making the bounce from the early Sonic Mania 2 ideas to Sonic Superstars, Sonic Mania’s success was instrumental within the creation of Sonic Superstars. “Throughout Sonic Mania’s growth, I did not count on this degree of fan response or success,” Iizuka says. “That success created the chance to consider the following era of Traditional Sonic and led to Sonic Superstars. Sonic Mania helped us understand that followers nonetheless wished and loved the Traditional collection.”
Sonic Superstars
On Twitter, Whitehead has offered additional affirmation that he approves of the work being carried out on Sonic Superstars, with one retweet about the game’s physics engine merely containing the thumbs-up emoji, and another tweet stating, “Could have extra to say on this when it is applicable, however the Mania physics had been certainly absolutely translated to trendy 3D.”
Regardless of Whitehead’s affirmation that this work was carried out, Iizuka says the programming is totally distinctive to Sonic Superstars, created from the ground-up by Arzest. “The group referenced not solely Mania, however we referenced Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Mania after we had been creating Sonic Superstars,” Iizuka says. “The sport was created from zero – from completely nothing – however we had been nonetheless all these 4 Traditional video games and creating physics which can be going to match and really feel like what the Traditional collection must be, from scratch. After we’re speaking concerning the Traditional collection and the way we’re referencing the physics, these are the 4 titles we had been .”
Due to all that, Sonic Superstars appears to not be the Sonic Mania 2 that many envisioned or anticipated, however as a substitute a religious successor. The physics play very similar to followers of Sonic Mania and the opposite beloved Traditional Sonic video games play, however with trendy visuals and different varied options. Sonic Superstars is ready to reach on PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Change, and PC this fall. For extra on Sonic Superstars, you should definitely go to our unique content material hub by clicking the banner under.