The fan reception was lukewarm it seems for Sonic Frontiers. Fans were unimpressed with what they saw, and the hashtag #DelaySonicFrontiers briefly trended on Twitter.
VGC recently spoke with Sonic Team studio chief Takashi Iizuka and inquired about the response. Iizuka said that although the open zone style is a departure for the series, he believes players would have a better understanding if they test it out for themselves.
Iizuka stated on Sonic Frontiers reactions
“It’s not exactly unexpected. We recognize that everyone is just responding to the trailers they watched, and since they don’t comprehend what this new gameplay is, they are comparing it to previous games they are familiar with. So we see a lot of people saying things like, “Oh, it’s kind of like this, it’s kind of like that, but it’s not like this, it’s not like that.” And actually, the team is going out and designing this new Sonic game type, which we’re calling a “open zone.” And since this new game concept is something that doesn’t really exist in any other similar games, we’re hoping that from now until launch, we can properly explain what open zone gaming is.”
“People can have that hands-on experience to play the game and learn what the game is if they come to Gamescom or Tokyo Game Show.” Because we’re now simply viewing footage of people responding to what they think the game is.”
Concerning the #DelaySonicFrontiers hashtag on social media and if the game may be delayed if fans are dissatisfied, Iizuka stated:
“Frontiers is now in production, and we’ve been conducting a lot of playtesting with our target audience, who are people that would play a Sonic game and like it.” We’ve been iterating based on our playtesting findings, listening to the input, but we’ve also been receiving a lot of excellent feedback from people who rate the game and say things like, ‘I had a lot of fun playing this game, I’d give it like an 80 or 90 point score out of 100.’ So we believe that we are nearing completion of this game, that people will like it, and that we want to get it into the hands of our fans as soon as possible.”
“We’re really confident in the playtest results we’re receiving.” Many individuals have said that they had a great time playing the game. So we understand that a lot of people are watching the videos online and making assumptions, but we’re confident based on the playtest results from the target demographic who are coming in and playing the game from start to finish that they really like the game and that we’re making a game that will be satisfying. So, if our whole development team contracts the coronavirus, or if they are all hospitalized, or if anything prevents us from delivering the game on schedule, we will need extra time. But we’re working right now with our team in Japan to make sure that this Christmas season, folks can purchase the game, pick it up, take it home, and have a good time with it.”
At Summer Game Fest, members of the media were able to play Sonic Frontiers, and the majority of their impressions were good.
Sonic Frontiers will be released on the Nintendo Switch this Christmas.
