Sonic Team

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Sonic Team
The developers behind Sonic itself.
Founded: 1988 (as Sega AM8) Founder(s): Yuji Naka Takashi Iizuka Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Key people: Yuji Naka (1988-2006) Naoto Ohshima (1988-1999) Hirokazu Yasuhara (1988-2001) Takashi Iizuka (1992-present) Parent: Sega Website: http://www.sonicteam.com/

Sonic Team (Japanese: ソニックチーム Hepburn: Sonikku chīmu), known as Sega AM8 from 1988 to 1990, is a Japanese video game developer and subsidiary of Sega. The company is best known for creating the Sonic the Hedgehog series and Nights into Dreams. The first Sonic game was a huge success and began the long-running Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. During the mid-1990s, Sonic Team began to create and develop new intellectual properties.

Following the release of Sonic Adventure in 1998, some staff of Sonic Team moved to the United States to form Sonic Team USA. Parent company Sega's financial troubles in the early 2000s led to structural changes at the studio, with United Game Artists being absorbed by Sonic Team in 2003, and Sonic Team USA becoming Sega Studio USA in 2004.

List of video games

• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
• Nights into Dreams (1996)
• Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
• Sonic Jam (1997)
• Sonic R (1997)
• Burning Rangers (1998)
• Sonic Adventure (1998)
• ChuChu Rocket! (1999)
• Space Channel 5
• Samba de Amigo (2000)
• Phantasy Star Online (2000)
• Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
• Puyo Pop (2001)
• Rez (2001)
• Sonic Advance (2001)
• Space Channel 5: Part 2
• Sonic Mega Collection (2002)
• Sonic Advance 2 (2002)
• Sonic Pinball Party (2003)
• Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003)
• Puyo Puyo Fever (2003)
• Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution (2003)
• Sonic Battle (2003)
• Sonic Heroes (2003)
• Astro Boy (2004)
• Sonic Advance 3 (2004)
• Sega Superstars (2004)
• Feel the Magic: XY/XX (2004)
• Sonic Gems Collection (2005)
• The Rub Rabbits! (2005)
• Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
• Sonic Rush
• Puyo Puyo Fever 2 (2005)
• Sonic Riders (2006)
• Jukugon (2006)
• Phantasy Star Universe (2006)
• Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach (2006)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
• Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary (2007)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007)
• Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007)
• Onsei Kanjou Sokuteiki: Kokoro Scan (2007)
• Sonic Rush Adventure (2007)
• Nights: Journey of Dreams (2007)
• Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008)
• Sonic Unleashed (2008)
• Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)
• Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games (2009)
• Puyo Puyo 7 (2009)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
• Sonic Free Riders (2010)
• Sonic Colors (2010)
• Puyo Puyo 20th Anniversary (2011)
• Sonic Generations (2011)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012)
• Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013)
• Sonic Lost World (2013)
• Puyo Puyo Tetris (2014)
• Sonic Runners (2015)
• Sonic Forces (2017)
• Puyo Puyo Champions (2019)
• Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (2020)
• Sonic Frontiers (2022)
• Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop (2024)

Why They Rock

1. Sonic Team has produced a variety of unique, colorful titles.
2. Created the Sonic the Hedgehog series and are named after it.
3. Excellent graphics.
4. Catchy and memorable soundtracks.
5. Their games are full of personality and heart.
6. Their games are also mostly free of DLC, microtransactions, and other anti-consumer practices.
7. Created games that were considered ground-breaking in their time, such as Phantasy Star Online.

Bad Qualities

1. They've constantly struggled with making Sonic work in 3D and alternative gameplay styles. Most notably, the Werehog and the Hedgehog Engine's boost formula.
2. Due to Sega's constant pressure, some of the key members left the team, to work with other companies like Artoon and later horrible Arzest (although Naoto Ohshima returned Sonic Superstars with his company), and some of them like Yuji Naka ended up creating mediocre to terrible games for his independent studio Prope, and also created Balan Wonderworld at Square Enix.
3. They've developed several terrible to mediocre games themselves including Sonic '06 (the worst offender), Sonic Free Riders and Sonic Forces, and the atrocious Game Boy Advance port of Sonic 1, Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis, due to Sega forcing them to rush the games in order to meet their deadlines.
4. Due to their constant purpose attempt to please the Sonic fanbase (mostly those who follow nostalgia), which is very notorious for constantly arguing with itself over what makes a Sonic game, the series has had a very mixed reception like a roller coaster in recent years.

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