In a bit of news that sounds completely unbelievable, Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka has stated that Sega was ready to cancel the Sonic series until the first live-action movie released.
Speaking to One More Game at TGS 2026 for the series’ 35th anniversary, Iizuka states, “There had been good times, and there had been bad times… during the worst times, I was told by the higher-ups that we should cancel the entire franchise. I had to fight within the organization to keep the franchise as long as possible.” According to Iizuka, it was the 2020 film that changed Sega’s mind despite the initial backlash to Sonic’s… unique redesign.
“The biggest milestone for me was the first movie… that had been a great hit and definitely changed the course of this franchise,” Iizuka tells the outlet. Since then, Sonic has branched off into more multimedia projects, including a Netflix series and some anime adaptations. While those existed before the live-action series, Sega had seemingly been running on fumes until newfound interest from younger generations propelled Sonic back into the spotlight.
Iizuka is quick to reassure that Sonic will not be abandoning video games, however. “The franchise itself is rooted in video games. We’re just going to base everything upon the video games. That’s our core principle,” he told the outlet. He even mentions how the split between older fans and younger ones has allowed Sonic to shift up focus from time to time. Older fans prefer the 2D games with classic Sonic, while younger ones are more interested in the “coolness” factor and deeper stories. Iizuka is keen to make a more story driven Sonic game, but also states, “we want to continue making things like the 2D platformers like Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins, which appeals to the fanbase that has been with us from the very beginning.”
All told, it seems Sega has a better understanding of where it should be taking Sonic going forward. That’s great to hear as the franchise has had many low points over the last 35 years. At times, I question why I even liked Sonic to begin with, but if Sega can continue to invest love into new projects, maybe they’ll be able to save lapsed fans such as myself.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
