Sonic Team facts for kids
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Native name
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ソニックチーム
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Romanized name
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Sonikku chīmu |
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Formerly
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| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1990 |
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| Headquarters | , |
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Key people
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| Products | List of Sonic Team games |
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Number of employees
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400+ (2023) |
| Parent | Sega |
Sonic Team is a special group of video game developers. They are owned by the Japanese video game company Sega. Sonic Team is super famous for making the long-running Sonic the Hedgehog games. They also created other popular games like Nights into Dreams and Phantasy Star Online.
The team first started in 1990. It included talented people like programmer Yuji Naka, artist Naoto Ohshima, and level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara. They officially became "Sonic Team" in 1991 when their first game, Sonic the Hedgehog, came out for the Sega Genesis. This game was a huge hit! It helped sell millions of Genesis consoles.
Later, some of the team worked in America, while others stayed in Japan. Yuji Naka came back to Japan in 1994 to lead a part of Sega. This group became known as Sonic Team. They even made games that didn't feature Sonic, like Nights into Dreams (1996). After Sonic Adventure came out in 1998, some team members moved to the United States. They formed Sonic Team USA to make Sonic Adventure 2 (2001). Over the years, Sonic Team changed its structure a few times. Today, Takashi Iizuka leads the studio. He has said that Sonic Team now focuses on making high-quality games.
Contents
History of Sonic Team
How Sonic Team Started: 1990
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In 1984, a programmer named Yuji Naka joined Sega. He worked on games like Phantasy Star (1987). On that game, he met an artist named Naoto Ohshima.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Sega and Nintendo were big rivals. Both companies had new game consoles: the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Sega really wanted a cool mascot character. They needed someone as famous as Mario was for Nintendo. Sega also wanted a game that would show off the Genesis's power. It needed to appeal to older kids and teens.
Sega held a contest to find a new mascot. Ohshima designed a blue hedgehog named Sonic. Naka then put Sonic into a test game. Sonic's design was made a bit friendlier to appeal to more people. Then, the team started making the game Sonic the Hedgehog. Ohshima said Sega wanted a game that would sell well everywhere. Their team had already done a lot of work on the game and character. This helped Sega choose their idea.
The Sonic the Hedgehog project started with just Naka and Ohshima. But it grew to include more programmers, sound engineers, and designers. Hirokazu Yasuhara joined to help with levels and became the lead designer. He made sure Sonic could attack enemies just by jumping. Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991. It was a huge success and helped sell millions of Genesis consoles. The team officially took the name Sonic Team when the game came out.
New Games and Ideas: 1994–1998
After the first Sonic game, Naka, Yasuhara, and other Japanese developers moved to California. They joined Sega Technical Institute (STI). There, Naka and Yasuhara worked on Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Meanwhile, Ohshima worked on Sonic CD in Japan.
In 1994, Naka returned to Japan. He became the head of a Sega development group called CS3. He reunited with Ohshima and brought Takashi Iizuka with him. In the mid-1990s, Sonic Team started creating brand new games. This led to Nights into Dreams (1996) and Burning Rangers (1998) for the Sega Saturn console. Naka said that Sonic Team truly became a famous brand when Nights was released.
Not many Sonic games came out for the Saturn. Sonic Team was busy with Nights into Dreams. So, they had other companies help make games like Sonic 3D Blast (1996). Yasuhara moved to London to help with Sonic R (1997), a Sonic racing game. The only other Saturn Sonic game was Sonic Jam (1997). This game was a collection of old Sonic games. It also had a 3D area that Sonic Team used to try out 3D Sonic gameplay.
The Saturn console didn't sell very well. Sega then focused on the Dreamcast. Sonic Team saw this as a chance to make a new Sonic game. They had started a 3D Sonic game for the Saturn. But they moved it to the Dreamcast. Iizuka led this project. He wanted to make a Sonic role-playing game. The Dreamcast was powerful enough for his ideas. This game became Sonic Adventure (1998). It was the best-selling Dreamcast game.
Dreamcast Era and Changes: 1999–2003
In 1999, after Sonic Adventure came out, twelve Sonic Team members moved to San Francisco. They started Sonic Team USA. Other key people, like Ohshima, left Sega to form a new studio. Sonic Team also had success with arcade games like the rhythm game Samba de Amigo (1999). They also started making online games. In 1999, they released ChuChu Rocket!, a puzzle game that used the Dreamcast's online features. In 2000, Sonic Team launched the role-playing game Phantasy Star Online. This game was very popular and got great reviews.
Sega changed how its studios were set up in 2000. Sonic Team became its own company called SONICTEAM, Ltd. Naka became the CEO, and Sonic Team USA became a part of it. Even though many games were popular, Sega stopped making the Dreamcast in 2001. Sega then started making games for other companies' consoles.
Sonic Team in Japan released fewer games after this. Some games included the puzzle game Puyo Pop and the action game Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. Yasuhara left Sega after the Dreamcast was stopped. Naka still wanted to make original games. Sonic Team made Sonic Heroes instead of Sonic Adventure 3. They also tried new things like the digital card game Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution. Naka believed Sonic was still popular because kids loved the character.
In 2003, Sega changed its leaders. Sonic Team was doing well financially. So, it took in another Sega studio called United Game Artists. This studio was known for music games like Space Channel 5 (1999) and Rez.
Recent Years and Focus on Quality: 2004–Present
In 2004, a company called Sammy bought Sega. Sonic Team USA became Sega Studios USA. SONICTEAM Ltd. became a part of Sega again. The team is still called Sonic Team. Yuji Naka left Sonic Team in 2006 to start his own studio. He left while they were making Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). This game was released for Sonic's 15th anniversary. However, it had many bugs and problems. Sonic Unleashed (2008) got mixed reviews but sold well. Sonic Team also made Sonic games for the Wii and Nintendo DS, like Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007).
By 2010, Sonic Team USA had joined back with the Japanese team. Iizuka became the head of Sonic Team. After some Sonic games that didn't get good reviews, Sonic Team decided to focus on speed and classic side-scrolling. They made games like Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Sonic Generations, and Sonic Colors. These games got much better reviews.
In 2015, Iizuka admitted that Sonic Team had sometimes rushed games instead of focusing on quality. He wanted the Sonic Team logo to mean "quality." He planned to release great games and make the Sonic brand even bigger. Sonic Team's first Sonic game for smartphones, Sonic Runners, came out in 2015. It was an endless runner game. But it didn't make much money and was stopped a year later.
In 2017, Sonic Team developed Sonic Forces. They also helped make Sonic Mania. Forces was for a wide audience, while Mania was for fans of the old Genesis games. Mania became the best-reviewed Sonic game in 15 years! In 2019, Iizuka confirmed Sonic Team was working on a new Sonic game, which became Sonic Frontiers. Sonic Team also helped with the 2019 game Sakura Wars.
Sonic Team USA / Sega Studios USA
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Formerly
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Sonic Team USA |
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| Industry | Video games |
| Fate | Merged with Sonic Team |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Headquarters |
San Francisco, California
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United States
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Key people
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| Parent | Sonic Team |
Sonic Team USA was a part of Sega and Sonic Team. It started in 1999 when twelve Sonic Team members, including Takashi Iizuka, moved to San Francisco, California. By 2000, it was a part of SONICTEAM, Ltd. This team worked on making games, translating them, and studying the game market in the United States. They moved back to Japan and joined Sonic Team again in 2008.
Sonic Team USA helped translate Sonic Adventure. They also tested ChuChu Rocket! in America. Then, they started working on Sonic Adventure 2. They got ideas from San Francisco and places like Yosemite National Park. Sonic Adventure 2 was released on June 23, 2001. It was also made for the GameCube.
Their next project was Sonic Heroes (2003). This was the first Sonic game made for many different game consoles. Sonic Team USA tried a new approach with Heroes. They focused on gameplay that was more like the old Genesis games. This made it easier for new players to enjoy.
After SONICTEAM, Ltd. became part of Sega again in 2004, Sonic Team USA changed its name to Sega Studios USA. Their next game was Shadow the Hedgehog, released in 2005. This game starred Shadow. Unlike earlier games, Shadow the Hedgehog was made for older players. It had different ways to play, like using guns, and many different endings. Some people didn't like its mature themes and level design. But it sold well, with over 1.59 million copies sold.
The last game from Sega Studios USA was Nights: Journey of Dreams. It was a follow-up to Nights into Dreams. Iizuka wanted to keep the original game's ideas but add new ways to play. They released it on the Wii, which was a console for families. Journey of Dreams was also designed to feel more European. Sonic Team in Japan did the sound and computer graphics. Sega Studios USA handled the rest of the game's creation for its 2007 release.
Sega Studios USA also helped with Sonic Rivals (2006) and Sonic Rivals 2 (2007). In 2008, Sega Studios USA joined with Sonic Team. This made Iizuka the head of Sonic Team. In 2016, Iizuka moved to Los Angeles. His goal was to make Sega's studios in Los Angeles a main center for the Sonic brand around the world.
Games by Sonic Team
Sonic Team has created many video games, and many of them have been bestsellers. The studio is most famous for its Sonic the Hedgehog series of platform games. These games make up most of Sonic Team's work. The first Sonic the Hedgehog game in 1991 was a very important moment in video game history. It helped the Genesis console sell a lot and made Sega a top game company.
Sonic Team has also made many other types of games. These include action games like Nights into Dreams, Burning Rangers, and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. They also made the online puzzle game ChuChu Rocket!, the online role-playing game Phantasy Star Online, and the music game Samba de Amigo. Phantasy Star Online is known for bringing online role-playing games to consoles. It was the first online RPG for many players.
Some experts say that few companies have made as many big, successful games for so long, especially between 1991 and 2000. Some Sonic Team games, like the original Sonic games for the Genesis and Nights, are thought to be among the best video games ever made. Iizuka has said that Sonic Team would be happy to make a third Nights game or a follow-up to Knuckles' Chaotix (1995) if Sega asked them to.
Sega and Sonic Team have sometimes been criticized for how they handled Sonic the Hedgehog after games started being made in 3D. Some people say that unlike Mario, Sonic's 3D games never had a "super amazing hit." Others felt that when Sonic started having voice acting and more story, he became less interesting. They felt he just became a "cool attitude dude." Some developers also felt that adding too many new characters to the series was a problem. In 2015, Sega's CEO, Haruki Satomi, said that Sega had "partially let down" fans. He hoped they would focus on making high-quality games instead of just many games.
See also
In Spanish: Sonic Team para niños
- Sega development studios
- Sega AM1
- Sega AM2
- Amusement Vision
- Smilebit
