Sonic 2022 Announcement Was “a Bit Premature,” Developer Says

Sonic the Hedgehog is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and Sega recently marked the occasion with a bunch of announcements of upcoming releases for the series. The most notable one of these was, of course, the confirmation that the next mainline Sonic game was in development. However, they didn’t reveal much else besides that- not gameplay, not a lot of details on what to expect from the title, not even a name.

If you’re thinking that perhaps the game may have been announced a bit too early- well, you’re not the only one. Speaking in a recent interview with 4Gamer (translated by Nintendo Enthusiast), Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka admitted that the game was announced a bit too early- but also added that Sega wanted to celebrate the series’ anniversary with the announcement nonetheless.

“We haven’t announced a brand new action game for the Sonic series since Sonic Forces, and that caused fans to worry,” he said. “While it was a bit premature, I wanted to at least take the occasion of the 30th anniversary to announce that a brand new title was in development.”

Iizuka also talked about the mysterious shape that Sonic leaves behind in his trails in the game’s teaser trailer, saying that it’s a mystery tied to the game that fans won’t be able to figure out. More details are “eventually” coming though, so Iizuka asks for your patience.

“It is something symbolic that appears in the game, but the meaning is still a secret,” he said. “However, I will say that it’s not something one would figure out through deduction. We’ll eventually share more details, so please wait a little longer.”

Leaks have stated that the game is going to be called Sonic Rangers and will be an open world action-platformer. Read more on that through here. Iizuka has previous also said that Sonic 2022 is going to lay down the foundations for the series’ future, the way Sonic Adventure did back when it first launched.

Currently, the game is schedule for a 2022 launch for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Before that, we do still have a couple other Sonic releases to look forward to, with the Sonic Origins collection launching next year and Sonic Colors Ultimate coming out this September.