Inside Scoop: The Shocking Truth Behind Sonic Mania 2's Cancellation
Former Sonic Mania developers reveal the disappointing reason behind the absence of Sonic Mania 2, leaving countless fans longing for a sequel to the beloved retro-inspired side-scrolling game
Highlights
The reason why the Sonic Mania sequel was never created is because the developers and Sonic Team were concerned that using pixel art graphics would restrict the game's appeal to a specific audience.Both parties were dedicated to creating a unique and innovative experience, which ultimately led them to the decision of not pursuing Sonic Mania 2.
Despite the lack of a sequel, Sonic Mania is widely regarded as one of the best recent additions to the franchise, leaving the possibility open for a future 2D pixel art project featuring Sonic.
Since its release in 2017, fans of the Blue Blur have eagerly awaited a follow-up to the nostalgic sidescroller. Finally, some of the game's developers have shed light on why the highly anticipated sequel never came to fruition. These revelations come in light of recent comments from Sega president Yukio Sugino, who has expressed enthusiasm for creating more reboots and remakes of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic Mania, a game that was released for PC and consoles in 2017, served as a nostalgic tribute to Sonic's Sega Genesis origins. The development team, led by programmer Christian Whitehead, collaborated with members of the Sonic ROM hacking community, as well as PagodaWest Games and Headcannon studios, to create an homage to the original games. Sonic Mania delighted fans with its combination of classic and original levels, maintaining the series' trademark high-speed side-scrolling gameplay. Despite the recent fame of games like Sonic Frontiers, which brought Sonic into the spotlight, fans were disappointed when a sequel to Sonic Mania never materialized.
In a recent interview with Game Informer, Christian Whitehead, the developer of Sonic Mania, and Takashi Iizuka, the producer of Sonic Team, shed light on the reasons behind the absence of a Sonic Mania sequel. The interview explored various factors that contributed to the failure of Sonic Mania 2, but the most prominent obstacle seemed to be the diverging preferences regarding the game's graphics. While fans eagerly anticipated another 2D pixel art game in the Sonic franchise, Sonic Team expressed concerns that this approach might limit the game's appeal. Iizuka explained that "creating a 2D pixel art game tends to target a very specific core audience."
Both parties were determined to move away from the 2D pixel art style of Sonic Mania and explore new creative directions. Whitehead reveals that the development of Sonic Mania 2 never even took off because they all agreed from the beginning that they wanted to create something innovative. While Whitehead's studio, Evening Star, did present a Sonic prototype to Sonic Team at one point, both sides eventually decided not to pursue it further. Although Sonic Mania 2 was not in the cards, Headcannon, another developer, joined forces with Sonic Team to work on Sonic Origins in the following years, successfully remastering several beloved classic Sonic titles.
Despite fans' disappointment of not getting Sonic Mania 2, the 2017 game remains one of the franchise's standout entries in recent times. Sega has even reached out to Sonic fans for suggestions on the next genre the series should explore, leaving the possibility open for another captivating 2D pixel art project in Sonic's future. Sonic Mania is currently available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: Game Informer
