Sonic Team is a Japanese video game development division of Sega. The initial team was composed of developers from Sega's Consumer Development division, including programmer Yuji Naka, artist Naoto Ohshima, and level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara. The team took the name Sonic Team in 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. The game was a major success, and started the long-running Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
The next several games were developed by Naka and Yasuhara in America at Sega Technical Institute. In late 1994, Naka returned to Japan to become the head of CS3, later renamed R&D #8. During this time, the division was branded with the Sonic Team name but also developed games that do not feature Sonic, such as Nights into Dreams (1996) and Burning Rangers (1998). Following the release of Sonic Adventure in 1998, some Sonic Team staff moved to the United States to form Sonic Team USA and develop Sonic Adventure 2 (2001). With Sega's diversification of its studios, R&D #8 became Sonic Team in 2000, with Naka as CEO and Sonic Team USA as its subsidiary. Sega's financial troubles led to several major structural changes in the early 2000s, the United Game Artists studio was absorbed by Sonic Team in 2003, and Sonic Team USA became Sega Studios USA in 2004. After Sammy Corporation purchased Sega in 2005, Sonic Team was restructured to become Sega's GE1 research and development department, and later, CS2. As of 2019, Sonic Team is a team within CS2.
In addition to the Sonic series, the company has developed other games for Sega, such as Nights into Dreams (1996) and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003). [1] [2] The 1991 release of Sonic the Hedgehog is considered significant in video game history, as it increased the Sega Genesis's sales and Sega displaced Nintendo as the leading video game company. [3] Some Sonic Team games, such as the Sonic games and Nights, are considered among the greatest of all time. [4] [5]
On this list, games are gathered that are either on the official Japanese Sonic Team website or titles where it is officially mentioned that Sonic Team is involved.
Game | Platforms | Release date | JP | NA | PAL | Role | Producer | Director | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sonic the Hedgehog | Sega Genesis | June 23, 1991 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Shinobu Toyoda | Hirokazu Yasuhara | [6] | |
Nights into Dreams | Sega Saturn | July 5, 1996 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Yuji Naka | Naoto Oshima | [7] | |
PlayStation 2 | February, 2008 | Yes | No | No | Supervision | Makoto Uchida | Akira Ogata | |||
Xbox 360 | October 5, 2012 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
PlayStation 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Sonic 3D Blast | Sega Genesis | November 7, 1996 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer Traveller's Tales | Kats Sato | Takao Miyoshi | ||
Sega Saturn | November 20, 1996 | No | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Sonic Jam | Sega Saturn | June 20, 1997 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Yuji Naka | Takashi Iizuka | ||
Sonic R (Co-developer) | Sega Saturn | November 18, 1997 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer Traveller's Tales | Masamitsu Shiino | |||
Windows | November 11, 1998 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Burning Rangers | Sega Saturn | February 26, 1998 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Naoto Ohshima | |||
Sonic Adventure | Dreamcast | December 23, 1998 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Takashi Iizuka | ||||
GameCube | June 17, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Kenjiro Morimoto | Includes more content, titled Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut. | ||||
Windows | December 18, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
ChuChu Rocket! | Dreamcast | November 11, 1999 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yuji Naka | ||||
Game Boy Advance | March 21, 2001 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Space Channel 5 | Dreamcast | December 16, 1999 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Originally developed by United Game Artist | Tetsuya Mizuguchi | Takashi Yuda | ||
Samba de Amigo | Arcade | December 1999 | Yes | Yes | No | Developer | Yuji Naka | Shun Nakamura | ||
Dreamcast | April 27, 2000 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Phantasy Star Online | December 21, 2000 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Takao Miyoshi | |||||
Windows | December 20, 2001 | Yes | No | No | Enhanced version subtitled Blue Burst, which includes a new exclusive episode, released in 2004. | |||||
GameCube | September 12, 2002 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Includes more content, titled Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II. A Plus enhanced version was later published. | |||||
Xbox | April 15, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Includes more content, titled Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II. | |||||
Sonic Adventure 2 | Dreamcast | June 19, 2001 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Takashi Iizuka | Developed by Sonic Team USA | |||
GameCube | December 20, 2001 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Includes more content, titled Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. | |||||
Puyo Pop | Game Boy Advance | October 18, 2001 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Caret House | Akinori Nishiyama | |||
Rez | PlayStation 2 | November 22, 2001 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Originally developed by United Game Artist | Tetsuya Mizuguchi | Jun Kobayashi | ||
Space Channel 5: Part 2 | PlayStation 2 | February 14, 2002 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
Sonic Advance | Game Boy Advance | December 20, 2001 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Yuji Naka, Hiroshi Matsumoto | Akinori Nishiyama | ||
Sonic Mega Collection | GameCube | November 10, 2002 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Yuji Naka | Yojiro Ogawa | Games were compiled by VR-1 Japan | |
PlayStation 2 | November 2, 2004 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Includes more content, titled Sonic Mega Collection Plus. | |||||
Xbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Sonic Advance 2 | Game Boy Advance | December 19, 2002 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Yuji Naka, Hiroshi Matsumoto | Akinori Nishiyama | ||
Sonic Pinball Party | Game Boy Advance | June 1, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Jupiter | ||||
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg | GameCube | September 23, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yuji Naka | Shun Nakamura | |||
Puyo Pop Fever | Arcade | November 26, 2003 | Yes | No | No | Co-developer with MileStone Inc. | Takashi Yuda | |||
PlayStation 2 | February 4, 2004 | Yes | No | Yes | Developer | |||||
Dreamcast | February 24, 2004 | Yes | No | No | ||||||
GameCube | February 27, 2004 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Xbox | Yes | No | Yes | |||||||
Mac OS X | June 24, 2004 | Yes | No | No | ||||||
Game Boy Advance | July 24, 2004 | Yes | No | Yes | ||||||
Windows | September 24, 2004 | Yes | No | Yes | ||||||
Pocket PC | October 24, 2004 | Yes | No | No | ||||||
Nintendo DS | December 24, 2004 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
PlayStation Portable | Yes | No | Yes | |||||||
Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution | GameCube | November 27, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yojiro Ogawa | ||||
Sonic Battle | Game Boy Advance | December 4, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Tomoyuki Hayashi | ||||
Sonic Heroes | PlayStation 2 | December 30, 2003 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Takashi Iizuka | Developed by Sonic Team USA | |||
GameCube | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Astro Boy | PlayStation 2 | April 18, 2004 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Tezuka Productions | Yuji Naka, Mineko Okamura | Hideki Anbo | ||
Sonic Advance 3 | Game Boy Advance | June 7, 2004 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Yuji Naka, Kochi Sakita | Akinori Nishiyama | ||
Sega Superstars | PlayStation 2 | October 22, 2004 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Yuji Naka | Yoshihisa Hashimoto | ||
Feel the Magic: XY/XX | Nintendo DS | November 16, 2004 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yuji Naka, Yojiro Ogawa | Takumi Yoshinga | |||
Sonic Gems Collection | PlayStation 2 | August 11, 2005 | Yes | No | Yes | Mizuki Hosoyamada | ||||
GameCube | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
The Rub Rabbits! | Nintendo DS | October 20, 2005 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Takumi Yoshinaga | ||||
Shadow the Hedgehog | PlayStation 2 | November 15, 2005 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yuji Naka | Takashi Iizuka | Developed by Sega Studios USA | ||
GameCube | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Sonic Rush | Nintendo DS | November 15, 2005 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Yuji Naka, Koichi Sakita | Akinori Nishiyama | ||
Puyo Puyo Fever 2 | PlayStation 2 | November 24, 2005 | Yes | No | No | Developer | Yuji Naka, Takashi Yuda | N/A | ||
PlayStation Portable | Yes | No | No | |||||||
Nintendo DS | December 24, 2005 | Yes | No | No | ||||||
Sonic Riders | PlayStation 2 | February 21, 2006 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Now Production | Yuji Naka, Takashi Yuda | Kenjiro Morimoto | ||
GameCube | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Windows | November 17, 2006 | No | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Jukugon | PlayStation Portable | July 13, 2006 | Yes | No | No | Developer | N/A | N/A | [8] | |
Phantasy Star Universe | PlayStation 2 | August 31, 2006 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yuji Naka, Takao Miyoshi | Satoshi Sakai | [7] | ||
Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox 360 | October 25, 2006 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach | Nintendo DS | September 14, 2006 | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | Takumi Yoshinaga | |||
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) | Xbox 360 | November 14, 2006 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Masahiro Kumuno | Shun Nakamura | |||
PlayStation 3 | December 21, 2006 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary | Nintendo DS | December 14, 2006 | Yes | No | No | Akinori Nishiyama | Mizuki Hosoyamada | |||
PlayStation 2 | March 21, 2007 | Yes | No | No | ||||||
PlayStation Portable | Yes | No | No | |||||||
Wii | July 26, 2007 | Yes | No | No | ||||||
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | Wii | November 22, 2007 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Supervisor | Osamu Ohashi | Eigo Kasahara | ||
Nintendo DS | January 17, 2008 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Sonic and the Secret Rings | Wii | February 20, 2007 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Yojiro Ogawa | Yojiro Ogawa | ||
Onsei Kanjou Sokuteiki: Kokoro Scan | Nintendo DS | August 16, 2007 | Yes | No | No | N/A | Takumi Yoshinaga | |||
Sonic Rush Adventure | Nintendo DS | September 13, 2007 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Akinori Nishiyama | Sakae Osumi | ||
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams | Wii | December 13, 2007 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Takashi Iizuka | Takashi Iizuka | Developed by Sega Studios USA | |
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity | PlayStation 2 | January 8, 2008 | No | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with O-Two | Kenjiro Morimoto | Kenjiro Morimoto | ||
Wii | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Phantasy Star Portable | PlayStation Portable | July 31, 2008 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Alfa System | Satoshi Sakai, Tatsuya Sasaki | Katsuya Kira | ||
Sonic Unleashed | PlayStation 2 | November 18, 2008 | No | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps, O-Two | Akinori Nishiyama | Yoshihisa Hashimoto | ||
Wii | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | ||||||
Xbox 360 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Toshiyuki Nagahara | |||||
PlayStation 3 | December 9, 2008 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Sonic and the Black Knight | Wii | March 3, 2009 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Tetsu Katano | Tetsu Katano | |||
Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games | Wii | November 5, 2009 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Supervisor | Osamu Ohashi | Takashi Iizuka | ||
Nintendo DS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Eigo Kasahara | ||||||
Puyo Puyo 7 | Nintendo DS | July 30, 2009 | Yes | No | No | Co-developer with h.a.n.d. | Mizuki Hosoyamada | Takumi Yoshinaga | ||
PlayStation Portable | November 26, 2009 | Yes | No | No | ||||||
Wii | Yes | No | No | |||||||
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I | Wii | October 11, 2010 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Takashi Iizuka, Hiroyuki Kawano | Toshiyuki Nagahra | ||
PlayStation 3 | October 12, 2010 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Xbox 360 | October 13, 2010 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Sonic Free Riders | Xbox 360 | November 4, 2010 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with O-Two | Kenjiro Morimoto | Kenjiro Morimoto | ||
Sonic Colors | Wii | November 11, 2010 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Takashi Iizuka | Morio Kishimoto | ||
Nintendo DS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Takashi Iizuka, Hiroyuki Kawano | Takao Hirabayashi | ||||
Nintendo Switch | September 7, 2021 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Blind Squirrel Games | Takashi Iizuka | Morio Kishimoto | Includes more content, titled Sonic Colors Ultimate. | ||
PlayStation 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox One | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | Wii | November 15 2011 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Supervisor | Osamu Ohashi | Eigo Kasahara | ||
Nintendo 3DS | February 9 2012 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Koji Shindo | |||||
Puyo Puyo 20th Anniversary | Nintendo DS | July 14, 2011 | Yes | No | No | Co-developer with h.a.n.d. | Mizuki Hosoyamada | Takumi Yoshinaga | ||
PlayStation Portable | December 15, 2011 | Yes | No | No | Co-developer with O-Two | |||||
Wii | Yes | No | No | |||||||
Nintendo 3DS | Yes | No | No | Co-developer with h.a.n.d. | ||||||
Sonic Generations | PlayStation 3 | November 1, 2011 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Takashi Iizuka | Hiroshi Miyamoto | ||
Xbox 360 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Windows | November 3, 2011 | No | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Nintendo 3DS | November 22, 2011 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Takashi Iizuka, Hiroyuki Kawano | Tetsu Katano | |||
PlayStation 4 | Late 2024 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Takashi Iizuka | Hiroshi Miyamoto | Includes more content, titled Sonic X Shadow Generations. | ||
PlayStation 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox One | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox Series X/S | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Nintendo Switch | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Sonic CD | Xbox 360 | December 14, 2011 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Naoto Ohshima | Includes in HD. | ||
PlayStation 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Android | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
iOS | December 15, 2011 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Windows | January 1, 2012 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II | PlayStation 3 | May 15, 2012 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Makoto Suzuki | ||||
Xbox 360 | May 16, 2012 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | Wii U | November 8, 2013 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Supervisor | Eigo Kasahara, Nobuya Ohashi | Hiroshi Miyamoto | ||
Sonic Lost World | Wii U | October 18, 2013 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Takashi Iizuka | Morio Kishimoto | ||
Nintendo 3DS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Dimps | Takashi Iizuka, Hiroyuki Kawano | Takao Hirabayashi | ||||
Windows | November 2, 2015 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Takashi Iizuka | Morio Kishimoto | |||
Puyo Puyo Tetris | PlayStation 3 | February 6, 2014 | Yes | No | No | Co-developer with O-Two | Mizuki Hosoyamada | Koji Shindo | ||
Nintendo 3DS | Yes | No | No | |||||||
PlayStation Vita | Yes | No | No | |||||||
Wii U | Yes | No | No | |||||||
Xbox One | December 4, 2014 | Yes | No | No | Developer | |||||
PlayStation 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Nintendo Switch | March 3, 2017 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Windows | February 27, 2018 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric | Wii U | November 11, 2014 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Supervision | Stephen Frost, Lisa Kapitas | Bob Rafei | ||
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal | Nintendo 3DS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Jenny Huang | Bill Spence | ||||
Sonic Runners | Mobile | February 25, 2015 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Hardlight | Takashi Iizuka | Takao Hirabayashi | Discontinued on July 27, 2016. [9] | [10] |
Sonic Forces | Windows | November 7, 2017 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Takashi Iizuka, Shun Nakamura | Morio Kishimoto | [11] | |
Nintendo Switch | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
PlayStation 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox One | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Sakura Wars | PlayStation 4 | December 12, 2019 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Sega CS2 | Tetsu Katano | Tetsuya Ohtsubo | Developed the battle portion, and lent the Hedgehog Engine 2 | [12] |
Sonic Origins | Nintendo Switch | June 23, 2022 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer | Takashi Iizuka | Katsuyuki Shigihara | Games ported by Headcannon and Christian Whitehead | [13] |
PlayStation 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
PlayStation 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox One | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox Series X/S | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Sonic Frontiers | Nintendo Switch | November 8, 2022 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Takashi Iizuka, Sachiko Kawamura | Morio Kishimoto | [14] | ||
PlayStation 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
PlayStation 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox One | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox Series X/S | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Sonic Superstars | Nintendo Switch | October 17, 2023 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-developer with Arzest | Takashi Iizuka, Naoto Ohshima, Yasuyuki Tsuzuki | Shunsuke Kawaraduka | ||
PlayStation 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
PlayStation 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox One | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Xbox Series X/S | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Nights into Dreams is a 1996 action game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. The story follows the teenagers Elliot Edwards and Claris Sinclair, who enter Nightopia, a dream world where all dreams take place. With the help of Nights, an exiled "Nightmaren", they begin a journey to stop the evil ruler Wizeman from destroying Nightopia and consequently the real world. Players control Nights flying through Elliot and Claris's dreams to gather enough energy to defeat Wizeman and save Nightopia. The game is presented in 3D and imposes time limits on every level, in which the player must accumulate points to proceed.
Sonic Team is a video game developer owned by the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 2 division. Sonic Team is best known for its namesake Sonic the Hedgehog series and games such as Nights into Dreams and Phantasy Star Online.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a character created by the Japanese game developers Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima. He is the star of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and the mascot of the Japanese video game company Sega. Sonic is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speed. He races through levels, collecting rings and avoiding obstacles, as he seeks to defeat his archenemy, Doctor Eggman. He is accompanied by supporting characters, such as his sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower, self-proclaimed girlfriend Amy Rose, and friendly rival Knuckles the Echidna.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. Like previous Sonic games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. They control Sonic and Tails, who attempt to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds to stop Doctor Robotnik from relaunching his space station, the Death Egg, after it crash-lands on a mysterious floating island. Sonic 3 introduces Knuckles the Echidna, the island guardian, who lays traps for Sonic and Tails.
Sonic Adventure is a 1998 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It was the first main Sonic the Hedgehog game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their quests to collect the Chaos Emeralds and stop Doctor Robotnik from unleashing Chaos, an ancient evil. Controlling one of the six characters—each with their own abilities—players complete levels to progress the story. Sonic Adventure retains many elements from prior Sonic games, such as power-ups and the ring-based health system. Players can play minigames such as racing and interact with Chao, a virtual pet.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a 1991 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. It was released in North America on June 23 and in PAL regions and Japan the following month. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog, who can run at near supersonic speeds; Sonic sets out on a quest to defeat Dr. Robotnik, a scientist who has imprisoned animals in robots and seeks the powerful Chaos Emeralds. The gameplay involves collecting rings as a form of health, and a simple control scheme, with jumping and attacking controlled by a single button.
Shadow the Hedgehog is a character who appears in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. He was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa and first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 (2001). Within Sonic's fictional universe, Shadow is an anthropomorphic black hedgehog created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of the series' antagonist Doctor Eggman. After witnessing the death of his best friend Maria Robotnik, Shadow initially seeks revenge, but later vows to keep his promise to her that he would protect the world from danger. An antihero, Shadow has good intentions but will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals, putting him at odds with Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic Adventure 2 is a 2001 platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It features two good-vs-evil stories: Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna attempt to save the world, while Shadow the Hedgehog, Doctor Eggman, and Rouge the Bat attempt to conquer it. The stories are divided into three gameplay styles: fast-paced platforming for Sonic and Shadow, multidirectional shooting for Tails and Eggman, and action-adventure exploration for Knuckles and Rouge. Like previous Sonic the Hedgehog games, the player completes levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. Outside the main gameplay, they can interact with Chao, a virtual pet, and compete in multiplayer battles.
Yuji Naka, credited in some games as YU2, is a former Japanese video game programmer, designer and producer. He is the co-creator of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and was the president of Sonic Team at Sega until his departure in 2006.
Naoto Ohshima is a Japanese artist and video game designer, best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Although Yuji Naka created the original tech demo around which Sonic's gameplay was based, the character in his prototype was a ball that lacked any specific features. Sonic Team considered numerous potential animal mascots before deciding on Ohshima's design, with an armadillo or hedgehog being the top choices because their spikes worked well with the concept of rolling into enemies.
Sonic Jam is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It was released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America and Europe the following August. It contains the four main Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Sega Genesis: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) and Sonic & Knuckles (1994). It also features a 3D environment, "Sonic World", which doubles as an interactive museum of Sonic the Hedgehog content.
Green Hill Zone is the first level of the platform game Sonic the Hedgehog, which released for the Sega Genesis in 1991. The level is grassy and lush, with environmental features such as palm trees, vertical loops and cliffs, and is the home of numerous forest animals. Like the game's other levels, Green Hill Zone comprises 3 acts; in the third, Sonic fights antagonist Doctor Eggman before moving to the second level, Marble Zone. It was constructed by level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara with its musical theme by Masato Nakamura.
Sonic X-treme was a platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute from 1994 until its cancellation in 1996. It was planned as the first fully 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game, taking Sonic into the 3D era of video games, and the first original Sonic game for the Sega Saturn. The storyline followed Sonic on his journey to stop Dr. Robotnik from stealing six magic rings from Tiara Boobowski and her father. X-treme featured open levels rotating around a fixed center of gravity and, like previous Sonic games, featured collectible rings and fast-paced gameplay.
Shadow the Hedgehog is a 2005 platform game developed by Sega Studios USA and published by Sega. It is a spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series starring the character Shadow. It follows the amnesiac Shadow's attempts to learn about his past during an alien invasion. Gameplay is similar to previous Sonic games, featuring fast-paced platforming and ring collecting, but introduces third-person shooter and nonlinear elements. Shadow uses a variety of weapons to defeat enemies and complete missions that determine the plot and playable levels.
Hirokazu Yasuhara is a Japanese video game designer. He is best known for designing the gameplay and stages of the initial Sonic the Hedgehog video games for Sega Genesis in the 1990s, based on technical demos and engines programmed by Yuji Naka. Yasuhara stayed with Sega until 1999. He then worked for Naughty Dog from 2002 to 2008, working on the Jak and Daxter series and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, collaborating again with former Sega employee Mark Cerny. He was the senior design director at Namco Bandai Games America from 2008 to 2012. In April 2012, Yasuhara joined Nintendo where he accepted a position at the Nintendo Software Technology division. He left Nintendo in 2016 and has since worked for Unity Technologies.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2006 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the Sonic series' 15th anniversary and as a reboot for seventh-generation video game consoles. Players control Sonic, Shadow, and the new character Silver, who battle Solaris, an ancient evil pursued by Doctor Eggman. Each playable character has his own campaign and abilities, and must complete levels, explore hub worlds and fight bosses to advance the story. In multiplayer modes, players can work cooperatively to collect Chaos Emeralds or race to the end of a level.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main Sonic the Hedgehog games are platformers mostly developed by Sonic Team; other games, developed by various studios, include spin-offs in the racing, fighting, party and sports genres. The franchise also incorporates printed media, animations, feature films, and merchandise.
Sega Technical Institute (STI) was an American video game developer owned by Sega. Founded by the Atari veteran Mark Cerny in 1990, STI sought to combine elite Japanese developers, including the Sonic Team programmer Yuji Naka and his team, with new American talent. STI developed games for Sega Genesis, including several Sonic the Hedgehog games, before it was closed at the end of 1996.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. Players control Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station. Like the first Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), players traverse side-scrolling levels at high speeds while collecting rings, defeating enemies, and fighting bosses. Sonic 2 introduces Sonic's sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower and features faster gameplay, larger levels, a multiplayer mode, and special stages featuring pre-rendered 3D graphics.
This is a list of development studios owned by Sega, a Japanese video game developer and publisher based in Tokyo, Japan. Accompanied with the list is their history of game development. Also included are the companies that Sega has acquired over the years. For a full list of games developed and published by Sega, see List of Sega video games, List of Sega mobile games and List of Sega arcade games.