The director of Sonic Frontiers confirms that fans should look forward to more 2D side-scrolling games in the future. The director of the latest mainline game, Morio Kishimoto, has been on Twitter a lot, happy to answer fans' questions about the game and other inquiries regarding the status of the Sonic franchise. This includes responding to fan questions about future Sonic games and providing Sonic Frontiers' development updates on its DLC. One of the recent questions asked by a fan to the director was about the status of 2D Sonic games.

While Sonic the Hedgehog has had a fair number of 3D outings, the franchise has seen a number of 2D-centric spin-offs over the years as well. Sonic Team in the past has tried combining 2D and 3D gameplay perspectives in games like Sonic Generations and Sonic Forces with mixed results. Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka even stated that future Sonic games will keep 2D and 3D gameplay separate from now on, which is why Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontiers both came out in 2022. When Kishimoto was asked on Twitter whether there would be more 2D games to be developed, the director said yes.

The original inquiry was posted by @RealJellyLord on Twitter, where he noted that he loved Sonic 4 as a kid and wondered if fans would see another game like it again, maybe as a collaboration with Dimps to boot. Kishimoto stated that just like 3D Sonic games like Sonic Frontiers, there are more side-scrolling 2D games to look forward to in the future. This however is not confirmation that a game is currently in active development, but instead that the Sonic series will eventually get more 2D titles alongside 3D ones.

こんにちは。日本語に翻訳していただきありがとうございました。ディンプス社が制作したソニックゲームですね。ソニックゲームは、3Dのソニックゲームとは別に、横スクロール型のソニックゲームもあるので、楽しみにしていて下さいね！

— Morio Kishimoto (@moq_46) February 12, 2023

Spotty google translation gave many, including us, the initial impression that something was in active development. But according to RealJellyLord, know Kishimoto was responding to, that is not the case.

Thank you for the clarification!https://t.co/8XNpGCStpn

— Sonic Stadium ✪ Sonic News, Community & Fun (@sonicstadium) February 12, 2023

There was a leak that accurately predicted a number of Sonic announcements for 2022 from last summer. This included the first showcase of Sonic Frontiers, the premiere of Sonic Prime, the Sonic Origins bundle, along with two announcements regarding future Sonic games in 2023. One of these is a new mobile Sonic game, with a 2D game in development that features Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles, along with Shadow the Hedgehog. While this 2D Sonic game could likely fit the bill and could be one game Kishimoto could be referring to, it should be taken with a grain of salt, as with any other rumor or leak.

アップデートをお待たせして申し訳ございません。第一弾の制作は佳境に入っています。きっと楽しんで頂けると思います。もうしばらくお待ちください。

— Morio Kishimoto (@moq_46) February 11, 2023

In terms of Sonic Frontiers, the first DLC seems to be on its way to being released. Kishimoto posted this update on Twitter, where in a reply regarding Sonic Frontiers' recent sales update, he comments that the production of the first DLC update has entered its final stages of production. He thanked fans for their patience regarding Sonic Frontiers' first update.

Sonic Frontiers is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Posted: Feb 15, 2023 11:09 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://gamerant.com/sonic-frontiers-director-more-2d-sonic-games-future/