'I've been making Sonic games and been with Sonic longer than I've been with my own children' — Sonic Team head looks back on the franchise for its 35th anniversary | Tech Radar
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'I've been making Sonic games and been with Sonic longer than I've been with my own children' — Sonic Team head looks back on the franchise for its 35th anniversary
Takashi Iizuka almost sees the blue hedgehog like his child
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Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka says that working on the franchise is "a lot of pressure"
He thinks he is "going to continue to enjoy making Sonic games" for the foreseeable future
The comments come as the franchise celebrates its 35th anniversary
At Summer Game Fest 2026, I had the chance to chat with Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka in a wide-ranging interview that touches on everything from the newly revealed Sonic Pico Park to his thoughts on the current position of the franchise as a whole.
Right now the blue blur is celebrating its 35th anniversary, which kicked off in January this year, and the series is in a very good spot. The most recent games, racing spinoff Sonic Racing: Cross Worlds and the Sonic X Shadow Generations remake, were very well received, and Iizuka seems driven to keep the quality up for the sake of the series' most devoted fans.
"When I started making Sonic games over 30-plus years ago, I didn't really think about [the community]. We were just making games, but the longer I was working on Sonic, and the more games we made, the more we heard from fans who really appreciated the content, who really wanted to know what's coming next," he said.
"We had games like Sonic Generations, which was a game that parents and children could play together, because we had that early group of Sonic fans who were now grown up, and they had children of their own," he added.
"Even now we have a wide range of not only adults playing Sonic games, but we also have children playing Sonic games. We have a huge audience of people who are enjoying the content, which I really appreciate, but it's also a lot of pressure because I don't want to betray them. I don't want to make something that people are not going to feel is true to Sonic."
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Iizuka has been working on Sonic games for decades, so I ask how spending such a long time with one series has shaped him and whether he sees himself moving on to anything else.
"It's strange when you say things like that, because when you think about it, I've been making Sonic games and been with Sonic longer than I've been with my own children," he replies.
"I really enjoy getting to be creative for such a great character, and bringing this content to so many great people. And moving forward, I'm going to continue to enjoy making Sonic games."
He added that he 'of course' sees Sonic almost like his own child as well. "Please imagine your child on the screen," he jokes. "I'm really proud."
For the latest on the 35th anniversary celebrations, you can tune in to a special birthday livestream on June 23, 2026 at 9:30 AM PT via the official Sonic the Hedgehog You Tube channel.
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Dash is an experienced tech journalist who specializes in video games, electronic entertainment products, and the wider industry that surrounds them. He currently serves as the Gaming Editor at Tech Radar, leading our review, preview, feature, and news coverage of the latest and greatest releases.
Before joining the team, he was Contributing Writer at PLAY (formerly Official Play Station Magazine UK) and has written articles for many of the UK's other biggest gaming magazines including the likes of Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX.
Now, when he's not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.
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