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6/15/2025, 9:27:10 PM
Why is Iizuka defending Flynn now?
—I remember, that was when Yuji Naka (the current President of Sonic Team) was working on the Sonic developments in America.
Iizuka: Yeah. After that he came back to Japan and worked up the plans for Sonic Adventure, and that first game was made in Japan. Since Sonic Adventure 2, though, they've been made in America, because we wanted to hear what Americans thought and get a better feel for this market.
—I imagine working in America is different from Japan?
Iizuka: Every game developer knows how the tastes of American players are very different from the Japanese, but when you actually live overseas, you come to understand that in a deeper, more direct way. I am sure that ends up being reflected in the way we make these games too.
Takashi Iizuka (2004)
—There's things you probably can't understand until you actually live there, in other words.
Iizuka: Another big reason for being here, is that as creators, the characters of Sonic are very precious to us. That feeling is what has brought these characters so far, but outside of Japan where we couldn't see what's happening, sometimes Sonic's image was used in ways that we didn't feel was appropriate. So one goal in setting up base here in the US was to be able to manage and control Sonic's image on a more international level, not just in Japan.
—Right, because Sonic is extremely popular in America.
Iizuka: Yeah. The truth is though, that before Sonic Adventure, some people were just doing whatever they wanted with Sonic's image. There were comics and cartoons that were completely off-brand, he was like a totally different character. It was a tangled mess, and by re-locating Sonic Team to America, we hoped to restore some consistency.
—I remember, that was when Yuji Naka (the current President of Sonic Team) was working on the Sonic developments in America.
Iizuka: Yeah. After that he came back to Japan and worked up the plans for Sonic Adventure, and that first game was made in Japan. Since Sonic Adventure 2, though, they've been made in America, because we wanted to hear what Americans thought and get a better feel for this market.
—I imagine working in America is different from Japan?
Iizuka: Every game developer knows how the tastes of American players are very different from the Japanese, but when you actually live overseas, you come to understand that in a deeper, more direct way. I am sure that ends up being reflected in the way we make these games too.
Takashi Iizuka (2004)
—There's things you probably can't understand until you actually live there, in other words.
Iizuka: Another big reason for being here, is that as creators, the characters of Sonic are very precious to us. That feeling is what has brought these characters so far, but outside of Japan where we couldn't see what's happening, sometimes Sonic's image was used in ways that we didn't feel was appropriate. So one goal in setting up base here in the US was to be able to manage and control Sonic's image on a more international level, not just in Japan.
—Right, because Sonic is extremely popular in America.
Iizuka: Yeah. The truth is though, that before Sonic Adventure, some people were just doing whatever they wanted with Sonic's image. There were comics and cartoons that were completely off-brand, he was like a totally different character. It was a tangled mess, and by re-locating Sonic Team to America, we hoped to restore some consistency.
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