Sonic Frontiers director teases that we should "look forward" to more side-scrolling Sonic games

Morio Kishimoto, the director of Sonic Frontiers, has teased that there may be good news on the way for fans of classic 2D Sonic games.

In a tweet – written in Japanese, so there's a chance Google Translate hasn't quite got the details right; consequently, please take this as hopeful speculation for now, just in case it's wrong – Kishimoto responded to a fan of the old-school Sonic 4 and told them to "please look forward to them".

After explaining that Sonic 4 was "made by Dimps", Kishimoto added: "In addition to 3D Sonic games, Sonic games also have side-scrolling Sonic games, so please look forward to them!"

こんにちは。日本語に翻訳していただきありがとうございました。ディンプス社が制作したソニックゲームですね。ソニックゲームは、3Dのソニックゲームとは別に、横スクロール型のソニックゲームもあるので、楽しみにしていて下さいね！February 12, 2023

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Given you can't look "forward" to something that's already happened - not technically, anyways - some fans have interpreted this as meaning that there may be more 2D side-scrolling Sonic games on the way. Watch this space, I guess (thanks, TheGamer).

Kishimoto also recently confirmed that Sonic Frontiers "still has a long way to go", whilst Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka thinks the open-world template set for Sonic Frontiers will be the "cornerstone of future Sonic games", stating that its' "brand-new approach" "marks another defining moment for the franchise".

"Our goal with Sonic Frontiers was to evolve the linear, stage-clearing 3D action that began with Sonic Adventure in 1998 into a new action-packed adventure game where players have the freedom to explore the environment around them," Iizuka said a little while back.

Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka has revealed that while he thinks 2022 was "the biggest year in Sonic history", there's "a lot more" still to come for Sonic fans to enjoy, too.

"This past year was the biggest year in Sonic history, including the release of the movie sequel, new titles Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontiers, and the Netflix animation Sonic Prime," Iizuka said.

"We are preparing a second wave to keep the fans happy and maintain that momentum going into 2023. We already announced additional content for Sonic Frontiers, but there is a lot more outside of that, so please look forward to it."

Take a look at our best Sonic games list to find out if Sonic Frontiers makes the cut.