Difference between revisions of "Sonic Team"

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'''Sonic Team''' (ソニックチーム) is a long-standing [[Sega]] brand name typically associated with the ''[[Sonic The Hedgehog]]'' franchise.
  
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'''Sonic Team''' (ソニックチーム), originally known as '''Sega Consumer Department #3''' or '''AM8''', is best known as the main developers of the ''[[Sonic:Games Featuring Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' franchise. The development team is one of the longest running within the company, with over 50 titles credited to them. Currently run by [[Takashi Iizuka]], the team is still an active force both creatively and financially for [[Sega]].
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The original "Sonic Team", formed by programmer [[Yuji Naka]] and artist [[Naoto Oshima]], came into being when developing [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega Drive)|the first ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game]] and was a colloquial term for describing the people involved with said games' development. After Naka moved to the United States to produce ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Mega Drive)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' at [[Sega Technical Institute]], the term was relegated exclusively to Japanese game packaging, but returned to screens in 1996 when it became a trading name for the newly established [[Sega CS3]] and its first product, ''[[NiGHTS into Dreams]]''.
  
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==History==
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While the Sonic Team name has since stuck, the team members and corporate structure has changed radically in the intervening years, with the Sonic Team name being used for products developed on both sides of the Pacific. The brand has been used to describe [[Sega CS3]], [[Sega Software R&D Dept. 8]], a separate [[Sonic Team (company)|Sonic Team company]], [[Global Entertainment R&D Dept. 1]] and [[Sega CS2 (2008-current)|the 2008 Sega CS2]]. There was also briefly a [[Sonic Team USA]].
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===1990-1997===
 
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Back in 1990, Sega had one goal in mind - to create a game that would rival ''[[wikipedia:Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Bros.]]'' and put the company on the map. The call went out internally to create a mascot character to replace [[Alex Kidd]], who was the de-facto mascot during the [[Sega Master System|Master System]] years. Among the many development teams who began conceiving proposals was the newly formed AM8, which included  [[Naoto Ohshima]] and [[Yuji Naka]]. Having previously worked on the ''[[Phantasy Star]]'' series together, the pair set off to create the concept that would evolve into the original ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]''. With Ohshima creating the [[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog|title character]] and Naka working on the engine, [[Hirokazu Yasuhara]] was brought on to lead game development after the project was approved by the company. Through the many [[sonic:Game Development:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|twists and turns of development]], the game was finally set to be released, the 15-strong team dubbing themselves "Sonic Team," after the work they were proud to call their own.
 
  
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With the title becoming an international success, Naka, who had grown restless with upper management at Sega of Japan, left the company only to be rehired by the [[Sega Technical Institute]], wooed by its original head [[Mark Cerny]]. Coming to America along with Yasuhara (who had been scheduled to become a part of STI before ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' had begun development), the pair would go on to continue the main line of ''Sonic'' titles that would define the Mega Drive's library. Though no longer in the game's credits, the Sonic Team moniker would live on the Japanese packaging for ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 3|Sonic 3]]'', ''[[sonic:Sonic & Knuckles|Sonic & Knuckles]]'', and the Ohshima-led ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog CD|Sonic CD]]'' developed in Japan.
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All of these companies have fulfilled the same basic role; to manage the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise, be it directly developing new games, or overseeing external ''Sonic'' development. Naka and Oshima's desire to make other types of games in the 1990s and early 2000s also means Sonic Team is the face of other Sega properties, including ''NiGHTS'', ''[[Burning Rangers]]'', ''[[ChuChu Rocket]]'', ''[[Samba de Amigo]]'', ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'', ''[[Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg]]'' and following the demise of [[Compile]], ''[[Puyo Puyo]]''.
  
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After the completion of ''Sonic & Knuckles'', Yasuhara chose to remain in America, while Naka returned to Sega of Japan to become the president of AM8. Once there, he teamed back up with Ohshima, the two resurrecting the Sonic Team moniker to work on a new project that had nothing to do with their namesake, ''[[NiGHTS Into Dreams]]''. With most members of the Japanese side of STI returning to their native land, AM8 was a far bigger team than what they had back in 1991. Among those to return was [[Takashi Iizuka]], who had gotten his official start as a Senior Game Designer in ''[[sonic:Sonic 3 & Knuckles|Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]''. With old and new blood, Sonic Team wanted their Saturn-era work to show they weren't afraid to try new ideas and concepts, as demonstrated not only by ''NiGHTS'' but their follow-up title, ''[[Burning Rangers]]''. The only Sonic-related output was the compilation ''[[sonic:Sonic Jam|Sonic Jam]]'', along with some supervised work on ''[[sonic:Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island|Flickies' Island]]'' and ''[[sonic:Sonic R|Sonic R]]''. Though he would remain with the company until 2002, ''Sonic R'' was also the last Sonic Team-related production Yasuhara had any direct involvement with, eventually departing to work for game studio Naughty Dog.
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label and production team for Sega's development and supervision of the ''[[Sonic The Hedgehog]]'' franchise. It first became used for the original staff of the first ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' game. It became a consistent name in 1996, with the release of the non-Sonic game, ''[[NiGHTS Into Dreams]]''. Since then Sonic Team existed with the corporate division names of [[Sega CS3]], [[Sega Software R&D Dept. 8]], [[Global Entertainment R&D Dept. 1]] and currently [[Sega CS2 (2008-current)|Sega CS2]]. It was it's own standalone division and subsidiary from July of 2000 up to April of 2005. This page compiles all games from these entities, regardless if they have Sonic Team branding or not.
  
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===1998-2001===
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Due to ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' being mainly popular in North America and Europe, it is in much more communication with overseas subsidiaries [[Sega of America]] and [[Sega Europe]] than other development studios of Sega of Japan. Sonic Team existed as an entity outside of Japan for three times, 1991 to 1994, 1999 to 2008 and finally most recently from 2015 onwards.-->
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In the twilight moments of the 32-bit era, Sonic Team decided to return to their namesake to create the first fully 3D ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' title. Though initial development began on [[Sega Saturn]] hardware, ''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure|Sonic Adventure]]'' would instead become one of the flagship video games for the [[Sega Dreamcast]], in one final bid by Sega as a whole to return to the successes they once felt in the early 90's. Met with critical acclaim, it was also the last title Ohshima worked on with the team, leaving the company to form his own gaming studio, [[Artoon]].
 
  
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Though interested in pursuing other projects but knowing the demand for further games featuring Sonic, 12 members of the team were sent back to San Francisco to form Sonic Team USA, led by Takashi Iizuka. Those that remained in Japan were directed by Yuji Naka, that team focusing on original titles such as ''[[Chu Chu Rocket]]'', ''[[Samba De Amigo]]'', and the return of the ''Phantasy Star'' series with ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]''. Sonic Team USA, on the other hand, focused primarily with Sonic. Though their first official assignment was simply making sure ''Sonic Adventure'' was ready for a western release, the real reason they came into existence was made clear with 2001's ''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure 2|Sonic Adventure 2]]''. It was also around this time that Sonic Team began their long-term partnership with [[Dimps]], who worked to create ''[[sonic:Sonic Pocket Adventure|Sonic Pocket Adventure]]'', and become involved in nearly every handheld Sonic title that would follow.
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==Current members==
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{{multicol|
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*[[Eigo Kasahara]]
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*[[Eitaro Toyoda]]
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*[[Hideaki Moriya]]
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*[[Hiroshi Miyamoto]]
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*[[Kazuyuki Hoshino]]
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*[[Kenjiro Morimoto]]
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*[[Morio Kishimoto]]
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*[[Outa Sano]]
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*[[Sachiko Kawamura]]
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*[[Shinkichi Tanahashi]]
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*[[Shun Nakamura]]
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*[[Takeshi Sakakibara]]
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*[[Takao Hirabayashi]]
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*[[Takashi Iizuka]] (Head of Studio)
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*[[Yoshitaka Kawabata]]
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*[[Tetsu Katano]]
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*[[Takumi Yoshinaga]]
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*[[Yoshitaka Miura]]
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*[[Yuji Uekawa]]
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|cols=4}}
  
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In April 2000, as Sega began reeling from the financial woes they hoped the Dreamcast would erase, the decision was made to have the main development departments of Sega, including Sonic Team, become semi-autonomous. Becoming Sonic Team Ltd, the group continued in earnest to create quality games. But even this corporate action and the impending release of ''Adventure 2'' could not stop Sega from dropping out of the hardware market, ''[[Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2]]'' becoming the last Sonic Team title released on Sega hardware in the western world.
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==Former members==
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{{multicol|
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*[[Akinori Nishiyama]]
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*[[Akio Setsumasa]]
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*[[Hirokazu Yasuhara]]
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*[[Makoto Suzuki]]
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*[[Masahiro Kumono]]
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*[[Mika Okada]]
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*[[Motomu Hayashi]]
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*[[Naoto Ohshima]]
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*[[Satoshi Sakai]]
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*[[Shiro Maekawa]]
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*[[Takahiro Hamano]]
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*[[Takao Miyoshi]]
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*[[Takumi Miyake]]
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*[[Takashi Yuda]]
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*[[Osamu Ohashi]]
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*[[Yasushi Yamaguchi]]
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*[[Yojiro Ogawa]]
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*[[Yoshihisa Hashimoto]]
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*[[Yuji Naka]]
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*[[Yutaka Sugano]]
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|cols=4}}
  
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===2002-2006===
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==History==
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Releasing titles on a variety of systems including the [[Nintendo GameCube]] and [[PlayStation 2]], Sonic Team strove to still prove itself as a viable entity in the everchanging gaming landscape. Continuing to produce titles for existing franchises such as ''[[sonic:Sonic Heroes|Sonic Heroes]]'' and ''[[Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II]]'', the team still experimented with new ideas including ''[[Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg]]''. 2002 also saw Sonic Team's first acquisition in the form of the [[:Category:Puyo Puyo|''Puyo Puyo'' series]], which was bought after [[Compile]] was forced to go out of business. The first game they worked on, the Arcade title ''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'', also became the last Sonic Team game for the Dreamcast in Japan. Continued financial woes for the whole of Sega saw yet another restructuring, with [[United Game Artists]] being merged with Sonic Team. Responsible for such titles as ''[[Space Channel 5]]'' and the critically acclaimed ''[[Rez]]'', the UGA staff members would continue to work together, being responsible for ''[[Feel the Magic XY/XX]]'' and ''[[The Rub Rabbits!]]'' for the [[Nintendo DS]], and the multi-platform ''[[sonic:Sonic Riders|Sonic Riders]]'' series.
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===[[Sega CS|Sega Consumer R&D]]/Sonic Team presents era===
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In the late eighties, there was an atmosphere at Sega that they needed to create a striking game that can compete against games like Super Mario Bros.. Senior game designer and Alex Kidd creator [[Kotaro Hayashida]] discussed this among executives, and eventually set up the project for ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]''.{{ref|Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works - Kotaro Hayashida Interview}}
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In early 2004, with rumors abounding as to the future of Sega with its ailing finances, arcade company [[Sammy]] bought a major stake in SEGA, forming Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. Shaking things up once more, the subsidiaries of Sega including Sonic Team Ltd. were merged back into the parent company. It was during this time that Sonic Team USA, now busy with the development of ''[[sonic:Shadow the Hedgehog (game)|Shadow the Hedgehog]]'', changed their name to Sega Studios USA. Directed by Iizuka as had been the case for the last few major Sonic titles, the game was met with less than favorable reviews.
 
  
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With Sega looking to set itself back on a profitable path, the pressure for Sonic Team to create on a new generation of consoles began. At 2005's E3, Yuji Naka unveiled the initial footage for what would become ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2006]]'', Sonic's first foray on a next-gen console. Though many thought Naka would assume a role in the project similar to what he had with ''Adventure'', it was less than a year later that he announced his departure from the company. Creating his own studio [[Prope]], Naka's new venture was completely autonomous though it did secure some financial backing from Sega. Between his announcing and actual resignation in May of 2006, Sonic Team also revealed that the previously announced ''[[Phantasy Star Universe]]'' would be ported to the [[Xbox 360]], which became the group's first official release on the seventh generation of video game hardware.
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[[Naoto Ohshima]] who had six designer credits, and [[Yuji Naka]], who had eleven programmer credits, presented proposals to Sega. The two set off to create the concept that would evolve into the original ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]''. With Ohshima creating the [[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog|title character]] and Naka working on the engine, level designer [[Hirokazu Yasuhara]] was brought in round out the project. Through the many [[sonic:Game Development:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|twists and turns of development]], the game was finally set to be released.
  
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With Naka's departure signaling the end of an era, the sudden changes in management coupled with unending pressure from the powers-that-be helped to doom the tent-pole title ''Sonic 2006''. Meant to be a complete reinvention of the franchise, it was forced to hit shelves before it was ready, being released with much fanfare but met with just as much, if not more, disappointment.
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With the title becoming an international success, Naka joined the American based [[Sega Technical Institute]], headed by [[Mark Cerny]]. Coming to America along with Yasuhara (who had been scheduled to become a part of STI before ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' had begun development), the pair would go on to continue the main line of ''Sonic'' titles. Though no longer in the game's credits, the Sonic Team moniker would live on the Japanese packaging for ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 3|Sonic 3]]'', ''[[sonic:Sonic & Knuckles|Sonic & Knuckles]]'', and the Ohshima-led ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog CD|Sonic CD]]'' developed in Japan. By this time Sonic Team was not an official division, however.
  
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===2007-Present===
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===Sega Consumer R&D3 era===
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Back in the United States, Sega Studios USA finished its final game, ''[[NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams]]'' for the [[Nintendo Wii]]. Met with mixed reviews, that, along with the failure of ''Sonic 2006'', prompted Sega to merge the two studios back into a single entity. Returning to Japan, Takashi Iizuka was promoted to become the head of Sonic Team in 2008. With this latest shift, the development group looked to refocus their energies on their core brands, including ''Phantasy Star'', ''Puyo Puyo'', and ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. 2007 saw the release of the first ''[[sonic:Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games|Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games]]'', a joint effort between Sonic Team, [[Nintendo]] and [[Smilebit|Sega Sports Design R&D Dept.]], which would become a bi-yearly series. ''[[sonic:Sonic Unleashed|Sonic Unleashed]]'', released a year later, was the team's first major overhaul of the franchise since 1998, which would continue to evolve with  ''[[sonic:Sonic Colours|Colours]]'', ''[[sonic:Sonic Generations|Generations]]'', and ''[[sonic:Sonic Lost World|Sonic Lost World]]'', attempting to preserve the core Sonic experience while experimenting with new ideas to keep things fresh.
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After the completion of ''Sonic & Knuckles'', Yasuhara chose to remain in America, while Naka returned to Sega of Japan, heading up his own new division, [[Sega CS3]]. Once there, he teamed back up with Ohshima, the two resurrecting the Sonic Team moniker to work on two new projects, ''[[NiGHTS Into Dreams]]'' and ''[[Burning Rangers]]''.  Naka planned to deliver a Sonic game for the Sega Saturn, however development of ''NiGHTS'' took longer than expected. To compensate he and much of his team travelled to the UK, to assist Travellers Tales on ''[[sonic:Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island|Flickies' Island]]'' and ''[[sonic:Sonic R|Sonic R]]''.{{ref|http://soahcity.com/uploads/2016/06/67979-.png}} Though Yasuhara would remain with the company until 2002, working on different projects, ''Sonic R'' would be the last Sonic Team-related production Yasuhara had any direct involvement with, eventually departing to work for game studio Naughty Dog.
  
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2011 saw the team not just celebrate Sonic's 20th anniversary, but also the Puyo Puyo franchise, with the release of ''[[Puyo Puyo 7]]'', co-developed with [[h.a.n.d.]]
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The first fully 3D ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' title, ''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure|Sonic Adventure]]'' would become one of the flagship video games for the new [[Sega Dreamcast]]. It was also the last title Ohshima had any involvement with, leaving the company to co-found the studio [[Artoon]]. Sonic Adventure signalized a new era for Sonic Team, with Yuji Naka no longer leading the programming and having neither Oshima or Yasuhara directing. Takashi Iizuka, who worked on ''[[Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]'' succeeded Yasuhara in directing and leading the design. [[Kazuyuki Hoshino]], visual designer of ''[[Sonic CD]]'' and ''[[Knuckles Chaotix]]'', succeeded Oshima in determining the look of the franchise. On the programming side, 1992 hire [[Tetsu Katano]] was brought in as the lead engineer from then on.
  
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==Softography==
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===Sega Software #8/Sonic Team Co., Ltd. era===
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{{multicol|
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Around the time Sega became a platform agnostic developer and publisher, Sega Chairman [[Isao Okawa]], had a request to develop a fully online game for the Sega Dreamcast. Sonic Team was the only team to have free staff at the time. So they took on the project and made strides with action puzzler ''[[Chu Chu Rocket]]'' and then the entire ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'' franchise. ''[[Samba De Amigo]]'' was also a successfull project for the arcade market, as it was always Yuji Naka's desire to develop an arcade game for Sega. Altough Sonic Team Japan had developed an action platformer in-house during that period, with ''[[Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg]]''. In October of 2003, Sega decided to consolidate their in-house development teams. Sonic Team Japan gained members who worked on the ''[[Space Channel 5]]'' and ''[[Roommania #203]]'' games. Those developers would go on to create several games. Such as the PlayStation 2 [[Astro Boy]] game, as well as the reboot of the [[:category:Puyo Puyo|''Puyo Puyo'' series]], ''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]''. For handhelds, they developed the ''[[Feel the Magic XY/XX]]'' and ''[[The Rub Rabbits!]]'' games.
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===[[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive]]===
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (1991)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' (1992) (w/ [[Sega Technical Institute]])
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 3|Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' (1994)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic & Knuckles|Sonic & Knuckles]]''  (1994)
 
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*''[[Ristar]]'' (1995) (art only?)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island|Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'' (1996) (w/ [[Traveller's Tales]])
 
  
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===[[Sega Mega CD|Mega CD]]===
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[[Sonic Team USA]] was established to further develop 3D Sonic games. Headed by Takashi Iizuka, it had only 11 members of the then 120 man strong Sonic Adventure development team.{{ref|1=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/11/09/where-sonic-went-wrong.aspx?PostPageIndex=2}} Though their first official assignment was making sure ''Sonic Adventure'' was ready for a western release, the real reason they came into existence was the 2001's ''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure 2|Sonic Adventure 2]]'' and Sonic Team's first multiplatform title, ''[[:sonic:Sonic Heroes|Sonic Heroes]]''.
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*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog CD|Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]'' (1993)
 
  
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===[[Sega Model 2|Model 2]]===
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It was also around this time that Sonic Team began their long-term partnership with [[Dimps]], who worked to create ''[[sonic:Sonic Pocket Adventure|Sonic Pocket Adventure]]'', and become involved in nearly every handheld Sonic title that would follow. Long time Sega employee, [[Akinori Nishiyama]] would manage that relationship working as a director since ''[[Sonic Advance]]'' onwards.
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*''[[sonic:Sonic the Fighters|Sonic the Fighters]]'' (1996) ([[Sega AM2]] w/ minor assistance from Sonic Team)
 
  
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===[[Sega Saturn|Saturn]]===
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===Global Entertainment R&D1 era===
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*''[[NiGHTS into Dreams]]'' (1996)
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In April of 2005, Sega decided to move their development studios back into the structure before July of 2000, with unbranded R&D studios. The core development Sonic Team group was stationed at Global Entertainment R&D1, headed by [[Akinori Nishiyama]], while the ''Phantasy Star'' team spunned of off into [[Global Entertainment R&D Dept. 3]] headed by [[Takao Miyoshi]]. [[Global Entertainment R&D Dept. 2]] also existed, but was a continuation of [[Sega Wow]], previously Overworks. Yuji Naka was asked to oversee all three of those departments, eventually becoming dissatisfied with the position of having almost no hands-on development. So he decided to leave Sega to form the company Prope in May of 2006. Prope had financial backing by Sega, which lead to  Sega publishing the first two games of the studio, ''[[Let's Tap]]'' and ''[[Let's Catch]]''.
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*''[[Christmas NiGHTS]]'' (1996)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island|Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'' (1996) (w/ Traveller's Tales)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Jam|Sonic Jam]]'' (1997)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic R|Sonic R]]'' (1997) (w/ Traveller's Tales)
 
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*''[[Burning Rangers]]'' (1998)
 
  
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===PC===
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The teams behind the ''Puyo Puyo'' and ''Rub Rabbits games'' continued to develop games mainly for the Japanese audience, with the many ''Puyo Puyo'' sequels, as well as three entries in the Sega edutainment series ''[[:category:Naruhodo|Naruhodo]]''.
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*''[[sonic:Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island|Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'' (1996) (w/ Traveller's Tales)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic R|Sonic R]]'' (1998) (with Traveller's Tales)
 
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*''[[Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2]]'' (2001)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut|Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut]]'' (2003)
 
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*''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'' (2004)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Heroes|Sonic Heroes]]'' (2004) (as Sonic Team USA)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Mega Collection Plus|Sonic Mega Collection Plus]]'' (2006)
 
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*''[[Phantasy Star Online Episode IV: Blue Burst|Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst]]'' (2004)
 
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*''[[Phantasy Star Universe]]'' (2006)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Riders|Sonic Riders]]'' (2006) (w/ [[Now Production]])
 
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*''[[Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus]]'' (2007)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I]]'' (2010) (w/ [[Dimps]])
 
  
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===[[Sega Dreamcast|Dreamcast]]===
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Sonic Team USA (eventually renamed Sega Studio USA in 2004), developed further games with ''[[:sonic:Shadow the Hedgehog|Shadow the Hedgehog]]'' and ''[[NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams]]'' along with supervising ''[[Sonic Rivals]]'' and ''[[Sonic Rivals 2]]''. Sonic Team in Japan returned to developing entries for the ''Sonic'' franchise. They developed the ''[[Sonic Riders]]'' games, ''[[:sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 game)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2006]]'', ''[[:sonic:Sonic and the Secret Rings|Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'', ''[[:sonic:Sonic Unleashed|Sonic Unleashed]]'' and ''[[:sonic:Sonic and the Black Knights|Sonic and the Black Knight]]''.
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure|Sonic Adventure]]'' (1998)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure International|Sonic Adventure International]]'' (1998) (as Sonic Team USA)
 
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*''[[ChuChu Rocket!]]'' (1999)
 
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*''[[Samba de Amigo]]'' (2000)
 
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*''[[Samba de Amigo Ver. 2000]]'' (2000)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Shuffle|Sonic Shuffle]]'' (2000) (w/ [[Hudson]])
 
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*''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'' (2000)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure 2|Sonic Adventure 2]]'' (2001) (as Sonic Team USA)
 
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*''[[Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2]]'' (2001)
 
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*''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'' (2004)
 
  
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===[[Sega NAOMI|NAOMI]]===
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The Sonic games received negative to middling reviews, particulary it was ''Sonic 06'' that received a wide negative reception. Meanwhile ''Sonic Unleashed'' and ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'' were better received, providing templates for future Sonic games.
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*''[[Samba de Amigo]]'' (2000)
 
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*''[[Samba de Amigo Ver. 2000]]'' (2000)
 
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*''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'' (2003)
 
  
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===[[Neo Geo Pocket Color]]===
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Akinori Nishiyama and Takashi Iizuka referred to tight deadlines, as well in Iizukas case, too little resources, on the less than stellar reception of these titles.
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*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure|Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure]]'' (2000) (w/ Dimps)
 
  
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===[[Game Boy Advance]]===
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In 2006, Yuji Naka, the last original member of Sonic Team, left the company during the development of ''Sonic 06'' to form his own development studio [[Prope]].
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*''[[ChuChu Rocket!]]'' (2001)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Advance|Sonic Advance]]'' (2002)  (w/ Dimps)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Advance 2|Sonic Advance 2]]'' (2003)  (w/ Dimps)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Pinball Party|Sonic Pinball Party]]'' (2003) (w/ [[Jupiter]])
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Battle|Sonic Battle]]'' (2004)
 
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*''[[sonic:Sonic Advance 3|Sonic Advance 3]]'' (2004) (w/ Dimps)
 
  
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===[[N-Gage]]===
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===Sega Consumer R&D2 era===
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*''[[sonic:Sonic N|Sonic N]]'' (2003)  (w/ Dimps)
+
In May 2008, Sega GE1 was renamed Consumer R&D2. Sega Studio USA moved back into Sonic Team Japan and Takashi Iizuka was made the head of the operation. Since, Sonic Team developed ''[[:sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4|Sonic the Hedgehog 4]]'', ''[[:sonic:Sonic Colors|Sonic Colors]]'', ''[[:sonic:Sonic Generations|Sonic Generations]]'', ''[[:sonic:Sonic Lost World|Sonic Lost World]]'', and is currently developing ''[[:sonic:Sonic Forces|Sonic Forces]]''.
  
−
===[[Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]]===
+
While previously ''[[:sonic:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]'' was co-developed with [[Sega Sports Design R&D Dept.]], following games were solely developed within CS2 or Sonic Team since the dissolvence of Sports Design after the first game.
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure 2: Battle|Sonic Adventure 2: Battle]]'' (2002)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Mega Collection|Sonic Mega Collection]]'' (2002) (w/ [[VR-1 Japan]])
 
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II]]'' (2002)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut|Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut]]'' (2003)
 
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II|Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II Plus]]'' (2003)
 
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution]]'' (2003)
 
−
*''[[Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg]]'' (2003)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Heroes|Sonic Heroes]]'' (2003) (as Sonic Team USA)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'' (2004)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Gems Collection|Sonic Gems Collection]]'' (2005)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Shadow the Hedgehog (game)|Shadow the Hedgehog]]'' (2005) (as Sega Studios USA)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Riders|Sonic Riders]]'' (2006) (w/ [[Now Production]])
 
  
−
===[[Xbox]]===
+
Following the poor reception of the ''[[Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric]]'' game, Sonic Team once again established a office within Sega of America. However it does not have a development team like before, but mainly serves to better supervise western Sonic projects.
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II]]'' (2002)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Heroes|Sonic Heroes]]'' (2003) (as Sonic Team USA)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Mega Collection Plus|Sonic Mega Collection Plus]]'' (2004)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'' (2004)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Shadow the Hedgehog (game)|Shadow the Hedgehog]]'' (2005) (as Sega Studios USA)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Riders|Sonic Riders]]'' (2006) (w/ Now Production)
 
  
−
===[[PlayStation 2]]===
+
==Softography==
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Heroes|Sonic Heroes]]'' (2003) (as Sonic Team USA)
+
{{CompanyHistoryAll|Sonic Team}}
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Mega Collection Plus|Sonic Mega Collection Plus]]'' (2004)
 
−
*''[[Sega Superstars]]'' (2004)
 
−
*''[[Astro Boy]]'' (2004)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'' (2004)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Gems Collection|Sonic Gems Collection]]'' (2005)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Shadow the Hedgehog (game)|Shadow the Hedgehog]]'' (2005) (as Sega Studios USA)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo Fever 2]]'' (2005)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Riders|Sonic Riders]]'' (2006) (w/ Now Production]])
 
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Universe]]'' (2006)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary]]'' (2007)
 
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus]]'' (2007)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity|Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity]]'' (2008)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Unleashed|Sonic Unleashed]]'' (2008) (w/ Dimps )
 
  
−
===[[Nintendo DS]]===
+
[[Category:Use CompanyHistoryAll template]]
−
*''[[Feel the Magic XY/XX]]'' (2004)
 
−
*''[[The Rub Rabbits!]]'' (2005)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Rush|Sonic Rush]]'' (2005) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo Fever 2]]'' (2005)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary]]'' (2006)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Rush Adventure|Sonic Rush Adventure]]'' (2007) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]'' (2008) (w/ [[Smilebit|Sega Sports Design R&D Dept.]] and [[Nintendo]])
 
−
*''[[Phantasy Star 0]]'' (2008)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo 7]]'' (2009) (w/ [[h.a.n.d.]])
 
−
*''[[sonic:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'' (2009) (with Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. and Nintendo)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Colours|Sonic Colours]]'' (2010) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo!!]]'' (2011) (with h.a.n.d.)
 
  
 
===[[PlayStation Portable]]===
 
===[[PlayStation Portable]]===
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo Fever 2]]'' (2005)
+
* ''[[Sonic Rivals]]'' (2006) (as Sega Studio USA with [[Backbone Entertainment]])
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Rivals|Sonic Rivals]]'' (2006) ([[Backbone Entertainment]] w/ Sega Studios USA)
+
* ''[[Sonic Rivals 2]]'' (2007) (as Sega Studio USA with [[Backbone Entertainment]])
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Rivals|Sonic Rivals 2]]'' (2007) (Backbone Entertainment w/ Sega Studios USA)
 
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Portable]]'' (2008) (w/ Alfa System)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo 7]]'' (2009) (w/ [[h.a.n.d.]])
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo!!]]'' (2011)
 
  
−
===[[Xbox 360]]===
+
===[[Wii]]===
−
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (2006)
+
*''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]'' (2007) (with [[Sega Sports Design R&D Dept.]])
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Universe]]'' (2006)
+
* ''[[The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return]]'' (2008) (with [[Sega AM1 (2005-2011)|Sega AM1]])
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary]]'' (2007)
+
*''[[Wacky World of Sports]]'' (2010) (with Tabot)
−
*''[[Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus]]'' (2007)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Unleashed|Sonic Unleashed]]'' (2008)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I]]'' (2010) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic  Free Riders|Sonic  Free Riders]]'' (2010)  
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Generations|Sonic Generations]]'' (2011)  
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II]]'' (2012) (w/ Dimps)
 
  
−
===[[PlayStation 3]]===
+
=== [[Nintendo 3DS]] ===
−
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (2006)
+
* ''[[Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure]]'' (2012) (with xeen)
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Unleashed|Sonic Unleashed]]'' (2008)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I]]'' (2010) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Generations|Sonic Generations]]'' (2011)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II]]'' (2012) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo Tetris]]'' (2014)
 
  
−
===[[Nintendo Wii|Wii]]===
+
=== [[PlayStation Vita]] ===
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic and the Secret Rings|Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'' (2007) (w/ Now Production)
+
* ''[[Uta Kumi 575]]'' (2014)
−
*''[[sonic:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]'' (2007) (w/ Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. and Nintendo)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary]]'' (2007)
 
−
*''[[NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams]]'' (2007) (as Sega Studios USA)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity|Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity]]'' (2008)
 
−
*''[[The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return]]'' (2008) (w/ [[WOW Entertainment|Sega WOW]])
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Unleashed|Sonic Unleashed]]'' (2008) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic and the Black Knight|Sonic and the Black Knight]]'' (2009)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo 7]]'' (2009) (w/ h.a.n.d.)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'' (2009) (w/ Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. and Nintendo)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1]]'' (2010) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Colours|Sonic Colours]]'' (2010)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games|Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]'' (2011) (w/ Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. and Nintendo)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo!!]]'' (2011)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games|Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games]]'' (2013) (w/ Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. and Nintendo)
 
−
 
 
−
===[[iOS]]===
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I]]'' (2010) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II]]'' (2012) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Runners | Sonic Runners]]'' (2015)
 
−
 
 
−
===Android===
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1]]'' (2010) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II|Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II]]'' (2012) (w/Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Runners | Sonic Runners]]'' (2015)
 
−
 
 
−
===[[Nintendo 3DS]]===
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo!!]]'' (2011) (w/ h.a.n.d.)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Generations|Sonic Generations]]'' (2011) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games|Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]'' (2011) (w/ Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. and Nintendo)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Lost World|Sonic Lost World]]'' (2013) (w/ Dimps)
 
−
*''[[sonic:Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games|Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games]]'' (2013) (w/ Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. and Nintendo)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo Tetris]]'' (2014)
 
−
 
 
−
===[[PlayStation Vita|Vita]]===
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo Tetris]]'' (2014)
 
−
 
 
−
===[[Nintendo Wii U|Wii U]]===
 
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic Lost World|Sonic Lost World]]'' (2013)
 
−
*''[[Puyo Puyo Tetris]]'' (2014)
 
  
 
===Canceled Titles===
 
===Canceled Titles===
 
*''[[Air NiGHTS]]'' (1998)
 
*''[[Air NiGHTS]]'' (1998)
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic DS|Sonic DS]]'' (2004)
+
*''[[Sonic DS]]'' (2004)
−
*''[[Fifth Phantom Saga]]'' (2005)
 
−
|cols=3}}
 
  
 
==Filmography==
 
==Filmography==
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (anime)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (Anime, OVA, Japan) (1996)
+
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (Anime, OVA, Japan) (1996)
−
*''[[sonic:Sonic X|Sonic X]]'' (Anime, TV Series, Japan) (2003)
+
*''[[Sonic X]]'' (Anime, TV Series, Japan) (2003)
−
*''[[sonic:Night of the Werehog|Night of the Werehog]]'' (Short 3D Animation) (2008)
+
*''[[Night of the Werehog]]'' (Short 3D Animation) (2008)
 +
*''[[Sonic Boom]]'' (TV Series, USA and France) (2014)
 +
 
 +
==Photographs==
 +
:''Main article: [[:Category:Photos of {{PAGENAME}}|Photos of {{PAGENAME}}]]
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
*[http://www.sonicteam.com Official website]
 +
*''[https://sonicretro.org/2011/06/23/once-upon-a-time-or-twenty-years-ago/ Once Upon A Time (Or Thirty Years Ago)]'' article by David the Lurker at [https://sonicretro.org/ Sonic Retro]
 +
*''[https://sonicretro.org/2021/06/23/once-upon-a-time-or-thirty-years-ago/ Once Upon A Time (Or Thirty Years Ago)]'' article by David the Lurker at [https://sonicretro.org/ Sonic Retro]
  
−
==External Links==
+
==References==
−
*[http://www.sonicteam.com Sonic Team] official website
+
<references />
  
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
−
{{SegaDevs}}
+
{{SoJ}}
−
[[Category:Sega companies]]
 

Revision as of 12:32, 2 January 2024

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https://segaretro.org/images/d/dd/Sonicteam.svg

Sonicteam.svg
Sonic Team
Founded: 1996
Merged with: United Game Artists (2003), Sega Sports Design R&D Dept. (2008)
Headquarters:
Japan

Sonic Team (ソニックチーム) is a long-standing Sega brand name typically associated with the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise.

The original "Sonic Team", formed by programmer Yuji Naka and artist Naoto Oshima, came into being when developing the first Sonic the Hedgehog game and was a colloquial term for describing the people involved with said games' development. After Naka moved to the United States to produce Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at Sega Technical Institute, the term was relegated exclusively to Japanese game packaging, but returned to screens in 1996 when it became a trading name for the newly established Sega CS3 and its first product, NiGHTS into Dreams.

While the Sonic Team name has since stuck, the team members and corporate structure has changed radically in the intervening years, with the Sonic Team name being used for products developed on both sides of the Pacific. The brand has been used to describe Sega CS3, Sega Software R&D Dept. 8, a separate Sonic Team company, Global Entertainment R&D Dept. 1 and the 2008 Sega CS2. There was also briefly a Sonic Team USA.

All of these companies have fulfilled the same basic role; to manage the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, be it directly developing new games, or overseeing external Sonic development. Naka and Oshima's desire to make other types of games in the 1990s and early 2000s also means Sonic Team is the face of other Sega properties, including NiGHTS, Burning Rangers, ChuChu Rocket, Samba de Amigo, Phantasy Star Online, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg and following the demise of Compile, Puyo Puyo.


Current members

Former members

History

Sega Consumer R&D/Sonic Team presents era

In the late eighties, there was an atmosphere at Sega that they needed to create a striking game that can compete against games like Super Mario Bros.. Senior game designer and Alex Kidd creator Kotaro Hayashida discussed this among executives, and eventually set up the project for Sonic the Hedgehog.[1]

Naoto Ohshima who had six designer credits, and Yuji Naka, who had eleven programmer credits, presented proposals to Sega. The two set off to create the concept that would evolve into the original Sonic the Hedgehog. With Ohshima creating the title character and Naka working on the engine, level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara was brought in round out the project. Through the many twists and turns of development, the game was finally set to be released.

With the title becoming an international success, Naka joined the American based Sega Technical Institute, headed by Mark Cerny. Coming to America along with Yasuhara (who had been scheduled to become a part of STI before Sonic the Hedgehog had begun development), the pair would go on to continue the main line of Sonic titles. Though no longer in the game's credits, the Sonic Team moniker would live on the Japanese packaging for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and the Ohshima-led Sonic CD developed in Japan. By this time Sonic Team was not an official division, however.

Sega Consumer R&D3 era

After the completion of Sonic & Knuckles, Yasuhara chose to remain in America, while Naka returned to Sega of Japan, heading up his own new division, Sega CS3. Once there, he teamed back up with Ohshima, the two resurrecting the Sonic Team moniker to work on two new projects, NiGHTS Into Dreams and Burning Rangers. Naka planned to deliver a Sonic game for the Sega Saturn, however development of NiGHTS took longer than expected. To compensate he and much of his team travelled to the UK, to assist Travellers Tales on Flickies' Island and Sonic R.[2] Though Yasuhara would remain with the company until 2002, working on different projects, Sonic R would be the last Sonic Team-related production Yasuhara had any direct involvement with, eventually departing to work for game studio Naughty Dog.

The first fully 3D Sonic the Hedgehog title, Sonic Adventure would become one of the flagship video games for the new Sega Dreamcast. It was also the last title Ohshima had any involvement with, leaving the company to co-found the studio Artoon. Sonic Adventure signalized a new era for Sonic Team, with Yuji Naka no longer leading the programming and having neither Oshima or Yasuhara directing. Takashi Iizuka, who worked on Sonic 3 & Knuckles succeeded Yasuhara in directing and leading the design. Kazuyuki Hoshino, visual designer of Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix, succeeded Oshima in determining the look of the franchise. On the programming side, 1992 hire Tetsu Katano was brought in as the lead engineer from then on.

Sega Software #8/Sonic Team Co., Ltd. era

Around the time Sega became a platform agnostic developer and publisher, Sega Chairman Isao Okawa, had a request to develop a fully online game for the Sega Dreamcast. Sonic Team was the only team to have free staff at the time. So they took on the project and made strides with action puzzler Chu Chu Rocket and then the entire Phantasy Star Online franchise. Samba De Amigo was also a successfull project for the arcade market, as it was always Yuji Naka's desire to develop an arcade game for Sega. Altough Sonic Team Japan had developed an action platformer in-house during that period, with Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. In October of 2003, Sega decided to consolidate their in-house development teams. Sonic Team Japan gained members who worked on the Space Channel 5 and Roommania #203 games. Those developers would go on to create several games. Such as the PlayStation 2 Astro Boy game, as well as the reboot of the Puyo Puyo series, Puyo Pop Fever. For handhelds, they developed the Feel the Magic XY/XX and The Rub Rabbits! games.

Sonic Team USA was established to further develop 3D Sonic games. Headed by Takashi Iizuka, it had only 11 members of the then 120 man strong Sonic Adventure development team.[3] Though their first official assignment was making sure Sonic Adventure was ready for a western release, the real reason they came into existence was the 2001's Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Team's first multiplatform title, Sonic Heroes.

It was also around this time that Sonic Team began their long-term partnership with Dimps, who worked to create Sonic Pocket Adventure, and become involved in nearly every handheld Sonic title that would follow. Long time Sega employee, Akinori Nishiyama would manage that relationship working as a director since Sonic Advance onwards.

Global Entertainment R&D1 era

In April of 2005, Sega decided to move their development studios back into the structure before July of 2000, with unbranded R&D studios. The core development Sonic Team group was stationed at Global Entertainment R&D1, headed by Akinori Nishiyama, while the Phantasy Star team spunned of off into Global Entertainment R&D Dept. 3 headed by Takao Miyoshi. Global Entertainment R&D Dept. 2 also existed, but was a continuation of Sega Wow, previously Overworks. Yuji Naka was asked to oversee all three of those departments, eventually becoming dissatisfied with the position of having almost no hands-on development. So he decided to leave Sega to form the company Prope in May of 2006. Prope had financial backing by Sega, which lead to Sega publishing the first two games of the studio, Let's Tap and Let's Catch.

The teams behind the Puyo Puyo and Rub Rabbits games continued to develop games mainly for the Japanese audience, with the many Puyo Puyo sequels, as well as three entries in the Sega edutainment series Naruhodo.

Sonic Team USA (eventually renamed Sega Studio USA in 2004), developed further games with Shadow the Hedgehog and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams along with supervising Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2. Sonic Team in Japan returned to developing entries for the Sonic franchise. They developed the Sonic Riders games, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic Unleashed and Sonic and the Black Knight.

The Sonic games received negative to middling reviews, particulary it was Sonic 06 that received a wide negative reception. Meanwhile Sonic Unleashed and Sonic and the Secret Rings were better received, providing templates for future Sonic games.

Akinori Nishiyama and Takashi Iizuka referred to tight deadlines, as well in Iizukas case, too little resources, on the less than stellar reception of these titles.

In 2006, Yuji Naka, the last original member of Sonic Team, left the company during the development of Sonic 06 to form his own development studio Prope.

Sega Consumer R&D2 era

In May 2008, Sega GE1 was renamed Consumer R&D2. Sega Studio USA moved back into Sonic Team Japan and Takashi Iizuka was made the head of the operation. Since, Sonic Team developed Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World, and is currently developing Sonic Forces.

While previously Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was co-developed with Sega Sports Design R&D Dept., following games were solely developed within CS2 or Sonic Team since the dissolvence of Sports Design after the first game.

Following the poor reception of the Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric game, Sonic Team once again established a office within Sega of America. However it does not have a development team like before, but mainly serves to better supervise western Sonic projects.

Softography

Mega Drive

Mega-CD

Saturn

Game Boy Advance

PlayStation 2

GameCube

Xbox

Nintendo DS

PlayStation Portable

Xbox 360

PlayStation 3

Wii

Nintendo 3DS

PlayStation Vita

Wii U

PlayStation 4

Xbox One

PlayStation Now

Nintendo Switch

PlayStation 5

Windows PC

Steam

Android

iOS

PlayStation Portable

Wii

Nintendo 3DS

PlayStation Vita

Canceled Titles

Filmography

Photographs

Main article: Photos of Sonic Team

External links

References

  1. ↑ [Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works - Kotaro Hayashida Interview Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works - Kotaro Hayashida Interview]
  2. ↑ http://soahcity.com/uploads/2016/06/67979-.png
  3. ↑ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/11/09/where-sonic-went-wrong.aspx?PostPageIndex=2


Timeline of Sega of Japan research and development divisions








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