Sonic Team
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta
, Tokyo
, Japan
in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based studios such as STI and Visual Concepts
. Sonic Team are best known for the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The American division was discontinued in 2008.
's Mario
, resulting in the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog
. In 1991 AM8 took its name from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
and became Sonic Team.
Following the release of Sonic The Hedgehog, Yuji Naka grew dissatisfied with Sega Japan's policies and so moved to Sega of America to work in the offices of the newly established Sega Technical Institute, headed by Mark Cerny. Due to most of Sonic Team's key members moving to the Western branch, Sega Technical Institute got the job of handling Sonic's Mega Drive sequels. The American developers collaborated with Sonic Team in the development of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Most of the STI staff worked on the zone art and special stages, while most of Sonic Team worked on the level designs and the programming. However, due to most of the Sonic Team staff lacking the ability to speak English, there was trouble with language barriers and differences in approach to game design. Sonic Team members worked very late nights and sometimes slept under their desks in order to perfectly achieve Yuji Naka's guidelines.
After the completion of Sonic 2, Yuji Naka made the final decision to only allow the Japanese members in the core development team to work on Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Following the completion of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, Yuji Naka was offered the role of producer at Sega of Japan. Sonic Team oversaw the development of every major Sonic title released on the Sega Mega Drive.
The launch of the Sega Saturn
, and the cancellation of the beleaguered Sonic Xtreme title saw Sonic Team focus on other titles, including Nights Into Dreams and Burning Rangers
. The Sega Dreamcast
followed in 1998, and launched with the return of Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Adventure
. Other Sonic Team Dreamcast titles included ChuChu Rocket!
, Samba de Amigo
, and Phantasy Star Online
.
.
Also during this phase, United Game Artists (formerly Sega AM9) merged with Sonic Team Japan in 2003 to start the Sonic Riders
series. In 2004, following Sega's merger with Sammy
, Sonic Team once more became an internal division of Sega after being spun off as a second-party developer in 2000. The company name of Sonic Team USA is also changed to Sega Studio USA. Unlike most of the other divisions, Sonic Team still retains its internal structure and name. On May 8, 2006, Naka left the group with ten other members of Sonic Team to establish an independent game developer, Prope
.
In 2009, the director of Sonic Unleashed
and creator of the Hedgehog Engine, Yoshihisa Hashimoto, left Sonic Team to move to Square Enix
.
In 2010, it was confirmed that Dimps
, developers of the Sonic Advance
and Sonic Rush
titles, would be co-developing Sonic the Hedgehog 4
with Sonic Team.
In 2011, Sega announced the development of Sonic Generations
, a 2D/3D platformer that would blend classic levels from the original series up to the modern generation. Development is spread out across Sonic Team and Dimps with a HD version for the Playstation 3
and Xbox 360
and a strict 2D version for the Nintendo 3DS
being produced respectively.
and the international release of Sonic Adventure
. In 2005, the division changed their official name to Sega Studio USA.
The US branch's first game was the 2001 Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure 2
. The newly established Sonic Team USA was so influenced by their new San Francisco location, that the level designers of the game, Takashi Iizuka
and Eitaro Toyoda
, designed some of the levels, such as the City Escape, Mission Street, Radical Highway, Route 101, and Route 280 levels as references to major San Francisco locations. The City Escape level resembles the steep, downhill roads of the city.
In 2002, Sonic Team USA ported Sonic Adventure 2
to the GameCube, the first home console Sonic title to appear on a major non-SEGA system following the cancellation of the Dreamcast. They had 6 months to polish and refine the game for the GameCube. The port was renamed Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, after the added multiplayer mode enhancements. The developers made minor graphical improvements, included additional Chao Garden extras, and added in extra level geometry such as trees. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle was the only third party game on the GameCube to sell over one million copies in the United States alone.
Their next project was Sonic Heroes
, released in 2003. The team wanted to port this game on all platforms to achieve better sales and broaden the fanbase, so they decided to use RenderWare as a game engine to make programming the game on multiple consoles a lot easier, due to the studio's lack of experience developing for the Xbox. The game was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2
, Xbox
, and PC
platforms.
After Sonic Heroes, Sonic Team USA decided to change their official name to Sega Studio USA. Sega Studio USA went on to make their next multiplatform game, Shadow the Hedgehog
, using the studio's own game engine instead of RenderWare. The game was released on the Gamecube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Despite a largely negative critical reaction, the game sold in excess of a million copies. This helped increase Sega's profits in 2006.[6]. The game was notable for including references in the game to past Sonic Team games that some of the members at the studio had worked on.
Members of Sega Studio USA also supervised and designed the concept for Sonic Rivals
and Sonic Rivals 2
on the PSP
although the actual development of the games was done by Backbone Entertainment
.
Ota, Tokyo
is one of the 23 Special wards of Tokyo, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 676,458, with 348,492 households, and a population density of 11,376.69 persons per km²...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based studios such as STI and Visual Concepts
Visual Concepts
Visual Concepts is a California-based video game developer best known for developing Sega Sports' 2K series of sports games. After the success of the series, they were picked up by Sega and became a wholly owned studio with Sega, usually termed a first-party developer...
. Sonic Team are best known for the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The American division was discontinued in 2008.
1990 - 1998
In 1990, Sega asked to create a game with a character that was popular enough to rival NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
, resulting in the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
. In 1991 AM8 took its name from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
Sonic the Hedgehog series
Sonic the Hedgehog is the best selling video game series released by Sega starring and named after its mascot character, Sonic the Hedgehog...
and became Sonic Team.
Following the release of Sonic The Hedgehog, Yuji Naka grew dissatisfied with Sega Japan's policies and so moved to Sega of America to work in the offices of the newly established Sega Technical Institute, headed by Mark Cerny. Due to most of Sonic Team's key members moving to the Western branch, Sega Technical Institute got the job of handling Sonic's Mega Drive sequels. The American developers collaborated with Sonic Team in the development of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Most of the STI staff worked on the zone art and special stages, while most of Sonic Team worked on the level designs and the programming. However, due to most of the Sonic Team staff lacking the ability to speak English, there was trouble with language barriers and differences in approach to game design. Sonic Team members worked very late nights and sometimes slept under their desks in order to perfectly achieve Yuji Naka's guidelines.
After the completion of Sonic 2, Yuji Naka made the final decision to only allow the Japanese members in the core development team to work on Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Following the completion of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, Yuji Naka was offered the role of producer at Sega of Japan. Sonic Team oversaw the development of every major Sonic title released on the Sega Mega Drive.
The launch of the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, and the cancellation of the beleaguered Sonic Xtreme title saw Sonic Team focus on other titles, including Nights Into Dreams and Burning Rangers
Burning Rangers
Burning Rangers is a video game developed by Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn. The player takes on the role of a new recruit to the futuristic firefighting organization of the title, and must explore locations where various emergencies have taken place, extinguishing fires and rescuing survivors.The...
. The Sega Dreamcast
Sega Dreamcast
The is a 128-bit video game console which was released by Sega in late 1998 in Japan and from September 1999 in other territories. It was the first entry in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Microsoft's Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube.Dreamcast sales were...
followed in 1998, and launched with the return of Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure
is a 1999 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan by Sega for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG...
. Other Sonic Team Dreamcast titles included ChuChu Rocket!
ChuChu Rocket!
is a puzzle video game for Dreamcast developed by Sonic Team. The game was the first popular game with online mode support for any major video game console...
, Samba de Amigo
Samba de Amigo
Samba de Amigo is a rhythm game originally developed by Sonic Team and released in 1999 by Sega in arcades, 2000 for the Dreamcast video game console, and developed by Gearbox Software and Escalation Studios in 2008 for the Wii. The player uses controllers shaped like maracas with the goal of...
, and Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online is an online multiplayer action RPG title, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000, bundled with a demo of Sonic Adventure 2. Another edition, entitled Phantasy Star Online ver.2, was released for Dreamcast the following year...
.
1998 - Present
During the transitional phase of Sega dropping out of the console race to concentrate on software and game development, all of its main departments were separated from the main company and established on semi-autonomous subsidiaries. In 2000, Sonic Team officially became Sonic Team Ltd. In 2002, the other creator of Sonic, Hirokazu Yasuhara, left Sonic Team when he moved to Naughty DogNaughty Dog
Naughty Dog, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986 as an independent developer, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001...
.
Also during this phase, United Game Artists (formerly Sega AM9) merged with Sonic Team Japan in 2003 to start the Sonic Riders
Sonic Riders
is a video game spin-off produced by Sega and developed by Sonic Team in cooperation with NowPro, for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. It is the fourth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, preceded by Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2 and Sonic R.The game was released to start...
series. In 2004, following Sega's merger with Sammy
Sammy Corporation
was established on November 1, 1975 and is a leading developer and retailer of pachinko and pachislot systems in Japan.In 2001, Sammy Corporation created a subsidiary Sammy Entertainment, Inc. It would later change its name to Sammy Studios in 2002. Sammy Studios is responsible for developing and...
, Sonic Team once more became an internal division of Sega after being spun off as a second-party developer in 2000. The company name of Sonic Team USA is also changed to Sega Studio USA. Unlike most of the other divisions, Sonic Team still retains its internal structure and name. On May 8, 2006, Naka left the group with ten other members of Sonic Team to establish an independent game developer, Prope
Prope
Prope Ltd. is an independent video game development studio of famed programmer Yuji Naka.-Construct:...
.
In 2009, the director of Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed , is a video game and the 11th installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for multiple platforms...
and creator of the Hedgehog Engine, Yoshihisa Hashimoto, left Sonic Team to move to Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
.
In 2010, it was confirmed that Dimps
Dimps
is an Osaka, Japan-based video game development studio with an additional office in Tokyo, Japan. Employing a staff of 218 people, it is known for developing such games as the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai trilogy for the PlayStation 2, and the Sonic the Hedgehog games specific to the Game Boy Advance and...
, developers of the Sonic Advance
Sonic Advance
is a platform game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Dimps, published by Sega , by THQ and by Infogrames for Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan on December 20, 2001, in North America on February 4, 2002 and finally in Europe on March 23, 2002...
and Sonic Rush
Sonic Rush
is a 2005 platform handheld video game developed by Sonic Team and Dimps exclusively for the Nintendo DS as part of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released on November 15, 2005 in North America, November 18 in the PAL region, and November 23 in Japan. It is a 2D platform game, but Sonic's...
titles, would be co-developing Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
is an episodic platform video game and a sequel in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game was developed by Dimps alongside members of Sonic Team and is intended to be inspired by and similar to the original Sonic the Hedgehog titles on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.Episode I was released in October...
with Sonic Team.
In 2011, Sega announced the development of Sonic Generations
Sonic Generations
is a 2011 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, produced by Sonic Team for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 3DS...
, a 2D/3D platformer that would blend classic levels from the original series up to the modern generation. Development is spread out across Sonic Team and Dimps with a HD version for the Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and a strict 2D version for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
being produced respectively.
1999 - 2008
Sonic Team USA was the United States division of Sonic Team located in San Francisco, California. The division was formed in 1999. All of the team members that worked at Sega Studio USA were Japanese, with the exception of Brad Wagner (Artist) who was hired at the studio during the development of Shadow the Hedgehog.[3] The division first worked on ChuChu Rocket!ChuChu Rocket!
is a puzzle video game for Dreamcast developed by Sonic Team. The game was the first popular game with online mode support for any major video game console...
and the international release of Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure
is a 1999 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan by Sega for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG...
. In 2005, the division changed their official name to Sega Studio USA.
The US branch's first game was the 2001 Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...
. The newly established Sonic Team USA was so influenced by their new San Francisco location, that the level designers of the game, Takashi Iizuka
Takashi Iizuka (game designer)
is a Japanese game producer, game director, game designer, level designer, scenario writer and currently the head of Sonic Team.-Early career:His first collaboration with Sega involved working with STI on Sonic 3 and Knuckles as a designer. Later, he helped supervise Traveller's Tales with the...
and Eitaro Toyoda
Eitaro Toyoda
Eitaro Toyoda is a Sonic Team game designer and level designer. He first joined Sonic Team during the development of Sonic Adventure as an Event Scene Editor. Since then he has worked with Sonic Team USA on Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, and Shadow the Hedgehog. He then moved back to Tokyo to...
, designed some of the levels, such as the City Escape, Mission Street, Radical Highway, Route 101, and Route 280 levels as references to major San Francisco locations. The City Escape level resembles the steep, downhill roads of the city.
In 2002, Sonic Team USA ported Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...
to the GameCube, the first home console Sonic title to appear on a major non-SEGA system following the cancellation of the Dreamcast. They had 6 months to polish and refine the game for the GameCube. The port was renamed Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, after the added multiplayer mode enhancements. The developers made minor graphical improvements, included additional Chao Garden extras, and added in extra level geometry such as trees. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle was the only third party game on the GameCube to sell over one million copies in the United States alone.
Their next project was Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes
is a 2004 platforming single-player/multiplayer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team USA. It is the first multiplatform title in the Sonic series, developed for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and released in Japan in December 2003, in North America in...
, released in 2003. The team wanted to port this game on all platforms to achieve better sales and broaden the fanbase, so they decided to use RenderWare as a game engine to make programming the game on multiple consoles a lot easier, due to the studio's lack of experience developing for the Xbox. The game was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
platforms.
After Sonic Heroes, Sonic Team USA decided to change their official name to Sega Studio USA. Sega Studio USA went on to make their next multiplatform game, Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Shadow is an artificially-created life form. His trademark hover shoes propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic, and with a Chaos Emerald he has the ability to distort time and space using "Chaos Control." Often referred to as being...
, using the studio's own game engine instead of RenderWare. The game was released on the Gamecube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Despite a largely negative critical reaction, the game sold in excess of a million copies. This helped increase Sega's profits in 2006.[6]. The game was notable for including references in the game to past Sonic Team games that some of the members at the studio had worked on.
Members of Sega Studio USA also supervised and designed the concept for Sonic Rivals
Sonic Rivals
Sonic Rivals is a game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series in late 2006. It is the first Sonic game developed by a Canadian company, Backbone Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation Portable...
and Sonic Rivals 2
Sonic Rivals 2
Sonic Rivals 2 is the sequel to Sonic Rivals. The game was developed by Backbone Entertainment and supervised by Sega Studio USA, exclusively for the PlayStation Portable handheld videogame console. Sonic Rivals 2 was released on November 13, 2007 in North America...
on the PSP
PSP
PSP most commonly refers to the PlayStation Portable, a handheld game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment.PSP may also refer to:-Computing and programming:*Corel Paint Shop Pro, a graphics editor...
although the actual development of the games was done by Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment is an independent video game development company located in Emeryville, California.Backbone Entertainment is the result of a 2003 merger between Digital Eclipse Software and ImaginEngine...
.