Last year Sonic turned 30, which is usually a good time to reflect on past achievements and refocus on future goals. One of those people who has been with Sonic almost all the time is Takashi Iizuka, the current head of Team Sonic, who made his debut as a game designer in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 1994.
When we recently had a chance to speak with Takashi Iizuka, we asked him what he’s hoped the future will bring to this iconic character as his dreams come true over the past 30 years.
“One of my early dreams was that if we had a Hollywood movie coming out, it would be amazing. That was nearly thirty years ago, and that dream has now come true. We got Sonic the Hedgehog out, and it was very popular. Welcome, it paved the way for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and hopefully the third Sonic movie after that. It was really successful, so it’s kind of like one of those dreams that have come true,” Takashi Iizuka said.
“But over the next three decades, there are more dreams to come true. One of those dreams – we don’t have a plan, we don’t have any jobs right now – but one of those dreams is a Sonic theme park. Isn’t that cool? We Can Sonic be a character with enough notoriety and popularity so we can build a theme park around Sonic the Hedgehog? Again, no plans, but these are our dreams when we talk about the next 30 years.
We can only agree with Iizuka-san. Sonic theme park is going to be pretty cool, and it’s sure to be great for fast-paced characters. Universal Studios Japan opened its Super Mario theme park last year, and who knows if the Blue Hedgehog will challenge his longtime rival again?