Archived on 2020.12.30
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Translation by Windii https://twitter.com/lesbianmamiya
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Original interview: https://www.famitsu.com/news/201606/24107383.html
『ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ』誕生・ヒット・新生の真実をソニックチームのレジェンドクリエイターが、25周年のいま明かす 秘蔵資料満載の永久保存版！
The legendary creators of Sonic Team reveal the truth about the birth, success, and rebirth of "Sonic the Hedgehog" on the 25th anniversary: A permanent collection of treasured documents!
Written by: Manami Rei
Photographed by: Nagayama Wataru
"The secrets of the Sonic series, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary"
The 2010s have been a series of anniversary years for various video game titles, but 2016 is also a memorable year for Sonic the Hedgehog, which was released in 1991 for SEGA's Mega Drive, marking the 25th anniversary of its release. Although it was released on the lesser-known hardware of the Mega Drive, it was a big hit, especially in North America, thanks in part to the dramatic speed that hasn't been seen before in previous games and the cool character modeling of its protagonist. After continuous releases of sequels and several rebirths, the number of titles released in the series has now reached nearly 100.
How was Sonic, known around the world as "the face of SEGA," created, and how did it become popular and turn into a series? We invited Naka Yuuji, Ooshima Naoto, and Iizuka Takashi, the main creators of the "Sonic" series, to talk about the birth of Sonic, its hits, and how it has evolved over the years. Since they are old acquaintances who spent their 20's and 30's together, the conversation was very lively, and lasted for an unusually long time, over three hours in total. There are many anecdotes that could be revealed today for the first time, making this interview a valuable "biography of Sonic Team" and not only about the "Sonic" series. We hope that this article will remind not only fans of the "Sonic" series, but also the "SEGA people" who lived through the era from the Mega Drive to the Dreamcast, of their passionate feelings at that time.
Naka Yuuji
Born in 1965 in Osaka, he joined SEGA in 1984 and worked on the SEGA Mark III version of Phantasy Star and Space Harrier as a programmer. He attracted attention as a genius programmer. Since then, he has produced many titles for Sonic Team, such as the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series and "Phantasy Star Online". In 2006, he left and established PROPE. He serves as its president and CEO.
Ooshima Naoto
Born in 1964 in Osaka. After working at an advertising agency, he joined SEGA in 1987. As a graphic designer, he was in charge of character design for Sonic. As a director, he was involved in works such as "Sonic the Hedgehog CD", "NiGHTS into dreams..." and "Burning Rangers". In 1999, he retired from SEGA and became a founding member of Artoon, where he created "Blinx: The Time Sweeper" and other titles. Currently, as the executive vice-president of Arzest, he is also involved in the development of "Mario & Sonic AT Rio Olympics" for Nintendo 3DS.
Iizuka Takashi
Born in 1970 in Saitama Prefecture. He joined SEGA in 1992 and worked on the Mega Drive version of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" as a planner, then became a director on "Sonic Adventure" and producer on "Sonic Colors", and has been involved in the development of the "Sonic" series almost constantly. He has developed games in the United States twice, and in March 2016, he travelled there for the third time to oversee the Sonic series.
