IGN recently had the opportunity to sit down and discuss upcoming games in the Sonic series with the man himself, Yuji Naka.
Source: IGN CubeMay 13, 2004 – THQ will release the next iteration of the Sonic Advance series this summer with Sonic Advance 3. We recently had the opportunity to sit down for a brief few minutes to talk to him about the new platformer.
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IGN: What is your involvement with the latest Sonic Advance for the Game Boy Advance?
Yuji Naka: I am the father of Sonic, I originally created the character and concept. I oversee the project, make sure everything is okay. I came up with the idea of having two characters work together in the adventure, and have two players work together all the way to the end.
IGN: Does Sonic Team directly work on the GBA versions of Sonic?
Yuji Naka: We do the planning internally, but for Sonic Advance, we used an external developer only because we don’t have enough staff internally to work on the Game Boy Advance. I’d rather not reveal the name of the development team, because I need to ask them if it’s okay to mention them.
IGN: What particular aspect of the Sonic Advance evolution are you particularly proud of?
Yuji Naka: I was glad to see that the speed increased from the first game to the second, because speed is the most important aspect of the Sonic design. And from the second to third Sonic Advance game, I really like how two players can play the game and beat it together.
IGN: Will we ever see a return to the game’s roots, a 2D Sonic adventure on the console?
Yuji Naka: I definitely think it’s possible, because in order to really enjoy Sonic, 2D is truly the way to do it.
IGN: On the same note, will we ever see a 3D Sonic on a handheld?
Yuji Naka: After Sonic Advance 3, our next game will mix 2D with 3D. And there is already a 3D Sonic on the Nintendo DS, so we’re working on that.
IGN: Where do you see the Sonic series going in future iterations of the platform design?
Yuji Naka: We want to get feedback from the kids. They are the main consumer for the series. And then we will decide where to go for the series.
— Interview by Craig Harris