Sonic Creator Left Sega to Avoid Making More Sonic Games

Fanghawk

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Sonic Creator Left Sega to Avoid Making More Sonic Games

Sonic the Hedgehog's Yuji Naka is really happy that he's not still making Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sequels tend to be the way of things when it comes to creative industries, perhaps most obviously in videogames. Love them or hate them, the majority of game advertisements tend to be follow-ups to previous, popular releases. While the issue <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104522-Cliffy-B-Gamers-Hate-Sequels-Like-Trilogies>can sometimes divide gamers, it turns out that developers themselves can feel just as strongly. In a recent interview, Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka even stated that one of the benefits of leaving Sega was that he wouldn't be required to make Sonic sequels.

"One of the reasons I left Sega was, if I stayed there, I would have had to just make Sonic games," Naka said. "Right now I don't have to make Sonic anymore, so I'm enjoying that freedom a lot."

Naka isn't claiming that he dislikes Sonic games, by the way. In fact, Naka even notes that his dream "is to be able to create a character that can be equal to Sonic". The problem, as he sees it, is that once publishers find a franchise that earns mad amounts of cash, its developers will be forced to churn out sequel after sequel instead of experimenting with original titles.

"Miyamoto has been making Mario games," Naka continues. "He has to keep on making Mario games. [Eiji] Aonuma has to keep making Zelda games. [Hideo] Kojima has to make Metal Gear games. I wish he could take that off of everyone's shoulders so they could create other stuff, like new stuff. Because that's healthier for the industry."

While I don't think sequels are necessarily a bad thing, or that all developers are unwilling to create them, I can understand Naka's point. Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear is actually an interesting example considering that <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118002-Hideo-Kojima-Confirms-Metal-Gear-Solid-5>the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5 follows the game that <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114311-Kojima-Admits-Eventual-Metal-Gear-Solid-4-Sequel>definitively ended Solid Snake's storyline. Hopefully Kojima isn't completely tired of the character just yet, but Naka is perfectly happy to create original titles through his mobile studio Prope. "Right now I can create a game without any limitations or dealing with any outside company," Naka says. "I want to keep on creating my type of games, no matter what."

Source: <a href=http://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/9/20/3360304/life-after-sega-the-sonic-creator-talks-about-his-newfound-freedom>Polygon via <a href=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/178042/Learn_to_let_your_directors_work_on_new_IPs_or_risk_losing_them.php>Gamasutra

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Covarr

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May 29, 2009
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"Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka"

Not quite. Naka was the lead programmer for the Genesis games, but Sonic was created by Naoto Oshima. That being said, I'm sure Sonic 4 would've been better had he been involved.

P.S. Thanks
 

Fappy

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Good on him. Devs shouldn't feel tied down by their past projects and I'm glad to see him pursue his dreams.
 

Charli

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I'm all for it man, really, but... people kinda know there was some stink up during 06 development and he left. This is old news.

There's wild debates on weather his leaving is what fouled up development but I argue no, since he was still had a hand in Shadow the Hedgehog so ...

I'd almost say they needed some time apart...
 

snekadid

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Angry Juju said:
There have only been like 6 Sonic games though...

Sonic 1, 2, 3, DX, adventure 2 battle + generations
yea.... no. So many sonic games out there that it is blinding and most of them are bad. Thank you Naka for standing up for yourself and making a stand for poor sonic, stop abusing his corpse and let us just remember the good times sega!
 

Shinsei-J

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Props to him, hoping he can create something to rival the original Sonic games.
Aiddon said:
kinda presumptuous of you to think you know what Aonuma and Miyamoto are thinking.
I think his point was that even if they wanted to do something else they can't because they've created something great and the company they work for just wants more of that.
I also think it presumptuous to think Miyamoto's thinking, guy plays jump rope with the line between geniusness and idiocy.
 

Aiddon_v1legacy

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Shinsei-J said:
Props to him, hoping he can create something to rival the original Sonic games.
Aiddon said:
kinda presumptuous of you to think you know what Aonuma and Miyamoto are thinking.
I think his point was that even if they wanted to do something else they can't because they've created something great and the company they work for just wants more of that.
I also think it presumptuous to think Miyamoto's thinking, guy plays jump rope with the line between geniusness and idiocy.
Problem with that statement: Miyamoto doesn't really make Mario or Zelda anymore. And keep in mind Nintendo DOES let Miyamoto do new things; Pikmin, Nintendo, and Wii Music for instance. They don't always work out, but Nintendo doesn't shackle him to franchises Sure, he still produces and supervises Zelda and Mario but he's not a designer for them anymore. The situation Naka's claims he was in is NOTHING like Miyamoto's.
 

The White Hunter

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Oct 19, 2011
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Angry Juju said:
SkarKrow said:
Angry Juju said:
There have only been like 6 Sonic games though...

Sonic 1, 2, 3, DX, adventure 2 battle + generations
8. You forgot Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic Colours.
True, how clumsy of me... Though I never played Sonic Colours and isn't Sonic and Knuckles an alternative version of Sonic 3?
Colours is amazing, better than Generations was. No, S&K is like what happens immediately after Sonic 3, it was supposed to be part of Sonic 3 but time restraints and budget issues meant it had to be 2 carts, when you clip Sonic 3 on top of the cart you get the full Sonic 3 as intended.

Play Sonic & Knuckles, if you haven't already, it's probably the best in the series, after Sonic 3 & Knuckles :p
 

Callate

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I recognize that Yuji Naka is probably trying very hard not to come across as though he's actually saying "I gazed forward at a professional life of making Sonic games, and began looking at razor blades with a feeling of yearning," but that's still kind of the impression one gets.