Sonic Frontiers Director Acknowledges Game's Modding Community as a Formidable Rival

Article Key Points

The director of Sonic Frontiers views the game's active modding community as a rival to surpass, finding inspiration in the mods created by skilled users.

The Sonic Frontiers' Final Horizon update introduced long-awaited playable characters, drawing inspiration from the passionate modding community and fan demands. The developers' goal was to surpass fan expectations and view the complete game as their own competitor, driving them to create updates that could rival the original version.

Sonic Frontiers' director, Morio Kishimoto, considers the game's active community and mods as a source of competition for the developers to exceed. Since its initial release in 2022, the modding community has displayed unwavering dedication, producing mods that enhance Frontiers' gameplay and introduce new costumes for Sonic. Some of these mods have gained significant popularity, with enthusiasts sharing them on social media and YouTube, even capturing the attention of the developers themselves.

Kishimoto, the director of Sonic Frontiers, has been transparent about the game's progress and reception, both prior to and following its launch. This transparency extends to soliciting feedback about Frontiers and incorporating fan requests for additional content in subsequent updates throughout 2023. The pinnacle of this endeavor was the "Final Horizon" update, which introduced three highly sought-after playable characters, Amy, Tails, and Knuckles. These additions, inspired by the modding community and Kishimoto's determination to surpass fan expectations, proved to be immensely satisfying.

In an interview with Famitsu that was translated by My Nintendo News, Kishimoto was asked about the third update to Frontiers and the additions featured in The Final Horizon. He explained that the update was initially created as a token of appreciation for those who purchased the original game. However, the developers soon realized that it should be comparable to the complete version, almost like a "rival" in its own right. Kishimoto also mentioned the thriving modding community surrounding Sonic Frontiers in the Western regions, viewing it as another form of competition.

Kishimoto praised the modders' abilities, recognizing their ability to create content that aligned with the development team's fan service goals. When asked about the types of mods he had seen, Kishimoto mentioned that modders were introducing new playable characters to Sonic Frontiers. He also found it amusing that the community was incorporating moves, such as the Spin Dash, which the development team had already planned to include in the "Birthday Bash" update. Inspired by this, Kishimoto expressed a desire to surpass these expectations and deliver even more to the players.

Sonic Frontiers' reception a year later has been tremendous, with over 3.5 million copies sold since its 2022 launch. Additionally, the updates have incorporated highly requested features based on fan feedback. When Kishimoto was questioned about the impact of this on the game's update, he acknowledged online feedback highlighting the game's punishing difficulty, especially for newcomers. Consequently, he concluded that it would be beneficial to lower the update's difficulty in order to create a more welcoming experience for newcomers.

Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Frontiers is a 3D action platformer game set in an open world. Developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega, players will embark on a journey through the Starfall Islands in order to collect Chaos Emeralds and reunite Sonic with his missing friends. Along the way, players will engage in puzzle-solving, battle robot enemies, and navigate the diverse landscape using grind rails. Uncover the mysteries behind Sonic's separation from his group through a wormhole.

Franchise: Sonic

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC

Release Date: November 8, 2022

Developers: Sonic Team

Publisher: Sega

Genres: Action, Adventure

Editor's P/S

Sonic Frontiers has been a huge success for Sega, selling over 3.5 million copies since its launch in 2022. The game has been praised for its open-world gameplay, beautiful graphics, and catchy music. However, some critics have found the game to be too difficult, especially for newcomers to the series.

In a recent interview, Sonic Frontiers director Morio Kishimoto acknowledged the game's modding community and said that he sees them as a rival to surpass. Kishimoto said that he is impressed by the mods that have been created for the game, and that they have inspired him to make the game even better.

One of the most popular mods for Sonic Frontiers is the "playable characters" mod, which allows players to control other characters from the Sonic series, such as Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Kishimoto said that he was particularly impressed by this mod, and that it inspired him to add more playable characters to the game in future updates.

Kishimoto's willingness to embrace the modding community is a great sign for the future of Sonic Frontiers. The game has a lot of potential, and with the help of the modding community, it could become one of the best Sonic games ever.