Sonic Frontiers: No postponement due to negative fan feedback

Sonic Team Studio Head Takashi Iizuka has commented on the criticism of Sonic Frontiers and ruled out a postponement for quality reasons.

As a result of the first gameplay reveals about Sonic Frontiers, many Sonic fans were not impressed. Some vented their anger via Twitter, briefly trending #DelaySonicFrontiers. A clear request for the developers to postpone Sonic Frontiers for quality reasons.

In an upcoming interview, Sonic Team Studio Head Takashi Iizuka commented on the mixed reactions to the released gameplay:

“It’s not really surprising. We realize that everyone is only reacting to the videos they’ve seen and because they don’t understand what this new gameplay is, they’re comparing it to other games they already know.”

“So we see a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, it’s kind of like that, it’s kind of like that, but it’s not like that, it’s not like that’. And really, the team is going ahead and developing this new game format for Sonic, and we’re calling it an “Open Zone” format.”

“And this new game system itself is something that doesn’t really exist in any other titles like it, so we really hope that from now until release we can explain what open zone gameplay is.”

“When people come to Gamescom or Tokyo Game Show, they can see for themselves, play the game and understand what the game is. Because right now we’re just seeing videos of people reacting to what they think the game is.”

In addition, Iizuka assured that the development team is very satisfied with the Sonic Frontiers in its current form and therefore there is no reason for a postponement despite the fan protests:

“Frontiers is currently in development, and in fact we’ve done a lot of playtesting with our target demographic, which is a demographic of people who play and enjoy a Sonic game.”

“From our repeated playtest results, we’ve listened to the feedback, but we’ve also had a lot of great feedback from people rating the game and saying, ‘I had a lot of fun playing the game, I would give it an 80 or 90 out of 100 points.”

“So we feel like we’re going to get to that point where the game is done and people are going to like it and we want to get the game into the hands of our fans as soon as possible.”

“We’re really confident about the playtest results we’re getting. A lot of people say they had a lot of fun, they really enjoyed the game.”

“So we know a lot of people are watching the videos online and making assumptions, but we feel confident based on the playtest results of the target audience playing the game from start to finish. They really like the game and we’re confident that we can deliver a game that will be satisfying.”

“So if our entire development team gets the coronavirus, or everyone gets hospitalized, or there’s something that’s actually preventing us from delivering the game on time, then we’re going to need more time.”

“But we’re working with our team in Japan right now, who are working really hard to make sure people can buy the game, pick it up, take it home and have fun by the end of the year.”

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