Team Sonic Racing

Team Sonic Racing
Developer(s) Sumo Digital
Publisher(s) Sega
Producer(s) Takashi Iizuka
Designer(s)
  • Richard Acherki
  • Derek Littlewood
  • Ben Wilson
Composer(s) Jun Senoue
Series Sonic the Hedgehog
Platform(s)
Release Q4 2018
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Team Sonic Racing is an upcoming kart racing video game and a spinoff to Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series. Taking control of one of fifteen characters from the series' cast, players compete in races using sports cars. Gameplay is viewed from a third-person perspective, with players driving performing tricks, drifting, and collecting power-ups. Team Sonic Racing differs from traditional kart racers because of its focus on cooperative gameplay; the player is part of a team of racers, and races are won by efficiency rather than speed.

Sumo Digital, which worked on Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010) and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012), is developing Team Sonic Racing for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. Unlike Sumo Digital's previous Sonic racing games, Team Sonic Racing only features characters from Sonic. The team has aimed to make the game stand out compared to other racing games; Sonic Heroes (2003) was used as a reference for the team-based gameplay. Team Sonic Racing is scheduled to be released in late 2018.

Gameplay

An example of gameplay in Team Sonic Racing

Team Sonic Racing is a kart racing video game featuring single-player and multiplayer modes.[1] The player selects one of fifteen characters from the cast of the Sonic the Hedgehog series[lower-alpha 1] to control and participate in races using sports cars on courses thematically based on locations from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. There are three types of racing classes: speed, technique, and power. Each has their own unique abilities; for example, technique racers can drive over surfaces like grass without slowing down.[5] Gameplay is viewed from a third-person perspective and the player runs over panels to get speed boosts, performs tricks in midair, and drifts to make sharp turns. Power-ups based on the Wisps can be collected from canisters with "?" marks, granting players temporary offensive and defensive advantages.[2][6]

The game differs from traditional kart racers because of its focus on cooperative gameplay: the player is part of a team of racers and they must work together. While they control a single racer, the player must pay attention to how teammates are performing and share power-ups.[7] Instead of simply winning races by finishing them fastest, teams get points based on how they worked together. Thus, the most efficient team wins. Four teams of three compete, for a total of twelve racers at a time.[2][6] Any character can be in a team; the player also has the option for each teammate to be the same character.[8] As the characters work together, an "Ultimate" meter is filled. When full, it can be used to gain a temporary burst of speed. The meter's duration can be extended by hitting competing racers.[7]

There are twenty-one tracks in total, each split across seven zones and based on locations from main Sonic games.[8][9] Team Sonic Racing also features a wide variety of game modes, including Grand Prix, in which players compete to earn points; Time Trial, in which players race for the fastest time possible; and Exhibition, in which players can customize the racing rules.[10] It also features "Team Adventure",[1][11] a story-driven mode that serves as a tutorial[8] and provides an explanation for why the characters are racing.[7] It is divided into chapters and players must complete missions like collecting as many rings as possible.[10] Unlike the main game, the teams in Team Adventure are predetermined.[8] Progressing through Team Adventure will unlock extras that can be used in the other modes.[10] Players can customize their vehicles,[12] with new parts unlocked as they progresses through the game.[7] The game supports four-player local multiplayer and up to twelve online,[1] and up to three in Team Adventure.[8]

Development

Team Sonic Racing is being developed by the British video game developer Sumo Digital for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.[13][11] It will be Sumo Digital's third racing game featuring the Sonic intellectual property (IP), following Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010) and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012).[14] Sumo Digital was chosen to develop Team Sonic Racing because of their experience with the Sonic IP.[7] The majority of the staff did not work on the previous games, although some who did were contacted for advice.[5] The lead designer of the game is Richard Acherki,[5] while Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka is producing.[15] Team Sonic Racing is Acherki's first game at Sumo Digital.[5] According to Acherki, the proprietary game engine Team Sonic Racing runs on is a modified version of the one used to develop the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing games, and allowed them to easily port the game across platforms.[5]

Unlike the Sonic & Sega All-Stars games, which featured various Sega franchises, Team Sonic Racing will solely focus on Sonic.[16] Sega's community manager Aaron Webber said that Team Sonic Racing is not a sequel to Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed and is "very, very different" from previous Sonic racers.[17] Series producer Takashi Iizuka explained that the team wanted to make a game that took place solely in the Sonic universe, which is why it does not bear the Sega All-Stars name.[18] Webber added that they also wanted to expand the world and character roster of Sonic,[19] and designer Derek Littlewood said setting the game in the Sonic universe allowed them use to the series' "full suite" of characters and elements.[20] One of Sumo Digital's goals was to "provide plenty of fan service and also [give] people something new to look at and experience."[20] It features several new versions of the Wisp power-ups from previous Sonic games. Sumo Digital worked with the Japanese staff of Sonic Team to get approval for their concepts.[8] Designer Ben Wilson called working on a Sonic game "surreal" and said the team enjoyed working with Sega.[20]

Sumo Digital wanted to make Team Sonic Racing stand out compared to other racing games,[5] and with the engine of previous games they had a solid foundation to build a new experience.[15] Iizuka suggested that they design it so it was easy for beginners, as he wanted his children to enjoy it.[8] Sumo Digital also wanted to build upon the gameplay of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed, which many players enjoyed.[20] Observing other games, they found that team gameplay was very popular; noting that racing games were largely single-player experiences, they decided to combine the concepts to create a unique and exciting experience.[5][18] Iizuka echoed these sentiments, saying the development team was not inspired by other kart racing games like Mario Kart 8 (2014) because they wanted to make a game that emphasized teamwork instead of a "a network game". He cited Splatoon (2015) and Overwatch (2016) as examples of the cooperative gameplay Team Sonic Racing was designed to resemble.[21] Sonic Heroes (2003), which features team-based gameplay, was used as a point of reference.[15][7] The game does not support cross-platform multiplayer, which Iizuka stated is because of technical constraints.[18]

The soundtrack will be composed by Jun Senoue, his first major work in the Sonic series since Sonic Generations (2011).[22] The game's theme song, "Green Light Ride", was performed by Senoue's band Crush 40.[23]

Release

Team Sonic Racing is scheduled to be released in late 2018.[11]

Promotion

Rumors of a new Sonic-themed racing game arose in January 2018, when an internal Sumo Digital memo mentioning an "unannounced karting game" based on an "established global IP" leaked.[14] Sumo Digital's history with Sonic caused speculation that they were developing a new entry in the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing series. This was rejected by Webber, who stated he "saw rumors floating today about another SART game. Just wanted to confirm it's not a thing!"[14][24] Despite his response, multiple toy production companies alluded to a future Sonic kart racing game in February 2018.[25] In early February, a representative from Zappies reported at the Spielwarenmesse toy fair in Nuremberg that a third Sonic kart racing game was in development and that the company was planning on making toy figures for the game.[14] Similarly, later in the month, a separate toy company, Diamond Select Toys, also alluded to 2018 toys based on a Sonic racing game.[26]

Journalists noted Webber's comments just alluded to the Sega All-Stars name and did not discount the premise of a new Sonic racing game,[14] and further rumors of a game without any other Sega IPs involved arose in the same month.[27] A Sonic related announcement was scheduled for March 16, 2018 at the South by Southwest convention.[28][29] The game was not announced at that time, but a trailer on the Sonic Twitter account teased a new racing game on that same day.[30] In May 2018, after leaking in a Walmart retail listing,[1] Sega announced Team Sonic Racing would release for the Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in the fourth quarter of 2018.[11] Eurogamer expressed disappointment that Team Sonic Racing did not include any non-Sonic characters as playable racers, which they believed was one of the best things about Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing and its sequel. However, they remained optimistic, believing Sumo Digital's experience with Sonic would ensure the game would be a similar, "fundamentally brilliant arcade racer".[16]

A demo version was playable at the 2018 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).[13][21] The demo featured one track and six playable characters. Kotaku described the demo as underwhelming and unfavorably compared it to Mario Kart. They argued that it lacked ambition and called its character lineup shallow, especially when compared to that of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.[2] IGN was more optimistic: although they considered the power-ups generic, they felt the game still had a good foundation and wrote the team gameplay was satisfying.[6] Hardcore Gamer nominated it as E3's best racing game, but it lost to Forza Horizon 4.[31] A trailer was also released to promote the game at E3, featuring the theme song and an in-depth look at the gameplay.[32] Another demo was playable at Gamescom in August 2018. More details were revealed, including the new character Dodonpa, aspects of the story, and racetracks based on levels in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) and Sonic Unleashed (2008).[9] The game won the "Best Casual Game" award at the 2018 Gamescom Awards.[33] Team Sonic Racing was also present at PAX West 2018, where attendees were given an exclusive poster.[34]

IDW Publishing will release a promotional one-shot comic book in October 2018, written by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles scribe Caleb Goellner and illustrated by Sonic comic artist Adam Bryce Thomas.[35] The story is set before the game's events;[36] in the comic, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, with assistance from their friends, travel to a mysterious planet and must prevent "an old foe" from obtaining new technology.[37]

Notes

  1. ↑ Characters confirmed to be playable are Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, E-123 Omega, Big the Cat, Chao, Amy Rose, Blaze the Cat, Silver the Hedgehog, and Vector the Crocodile.[2][3][4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gach, Ethan (May 30, 2018). "Walmart Leak Reveals Team Sonic Racing [UPDATE: Confirmed]". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gach, Ethan (June 14, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing Could Be A Lot Weirder". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  3. ↑ Doolan, Liam (June 23, 2018). "Big The Cat, Chao And Amy Will All Be Playable In Team Sonic Racing". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ Jenni (August 16, 2018). "Blaze, Silver, And Vector Join Team Sonic Racing". Siliconera. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rosenberg, Jared (June 18, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing Interview with Richard Acherki". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Graebar, Brendan (June 15, 2018). "E3 2018: You Can't Win With Speed Alone in Team Sonic Racing". IGN. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Knezevic, Kevin (July 11, 2018). "Sonic's New Game Makes Racing Much More Cooperative". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 IGN (August 22, 2018). Team Sonic Racing Gameplay Showcase - Gamescom 2018 (Interview with Takashi Iizuka). Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Moyse, Chris (August 23, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing Gamescom details include new tracks, character and story mode". Destructoid. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 Wong, Alistar (September 16, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing Highlights Team Vector And Adventure Mode". Siliconera.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Osborn, Alex (May 30, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  12. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (May 30, 2018). "Sonic's next game is Team Sonic Racing". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  13. 1 2 Saed, Sherif (May 30, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing is official, coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch this year". VG247. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Wales, Matt (February 5, 2018). "Evidence of new Sonic Racing game mounts". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 Bishop, Sam (August 24, 2018). "New character Dodonpa joins Team Sonic Racing". Gamereactor. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  16. 1 2 Robinson, Martin (June 5, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing is another arcade racer that wants to reinvent the genre". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  17. ↑ Sato (June 4, 2018). "Sega Explains Why Sonic Rides A Car In Team Sonic Racing, Shares More On Its Characters". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  18. 1 2 3 Shacknews (June 5, 2018). Team Sonic Racing - Developer Interview (Interview with Takashi Iizuka). GameHubTV. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  19. ↑ Sonic Stadium (June 24, 2018). Sonic Stadium @ E3 2018 Interview with Aaron Webber (Interview with Aaron Webber). Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Sega of Europe (August 22, 2018). Team Sonic Racing Gamescom 2018 Developer Interview (Interview with Sumo Digital). Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Garst, Aron (June 13, 2018). "'Team Sonic Racing' Dev on How Game Is Like 'Overwatch,' 'Splatoon'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  22. ↑ Gallagher, Mathew (June 7, 2018). "Jun Senoue lead composer on Sonic Team Racing". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  23. ↑ Crush 40 [@crush40] (June 11, 2018). "TEAM SONIC RACINGの新しいトレイラーが公開されました！よろしくどうぞ！A new "Team Sonic Racing" trailer featuring a new Crush 40 song "Green Light Ride" had been published! Enjoy!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (February 6, 2018). "Sounds Like We Might Be Getting A New Sonic & All-Stars Racing Game Soon". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  25. ↑ Tamburro, Paul (February 20, 2018). "A New Sonic Racing Game is On its Way, According to Toymaker". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  26. ↑ GameCentral (February 20, 2018). "Sonic All-Stars Racing 3 game in development claim rumours". Metro. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  27. ↑ Hayes, Matthew (February 5, 2018). "British Toy Company Claims a New Sonic Racing Game Is Coming This Year". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  28. ↑ Moyse, Chris (February 6, 2018). "Toy-makers add fuel to Sonic All-Star Racing speculation". Destructoid. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  29. ↑ Jenni (March 16, 2018). "SXSW Sonic The Hedgehog Panel Will Announce Upcoming Projects". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  30. ↑ Wales, Matt (May 16, 2018). "Sega unleashes new Sonic Racing teaser". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  31. ↑ HG Staff (June 20, 2018). "Best of E3 2018 – Day Two: Indie, VR, Racing, Sports". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  32. ↑ Haash, Palmer (June 11, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing's new E3 2018 trailer promises high-octane action". Polygon. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  33. ↑ Sumo Digital [@SumoDigitalLtd] (August 21, 2018). "Some superb news fresh from #Gamescom! We're delighted to announce that Team Sonic Racing has won the award for 'Best Casual Game' at the 2018 Gamescom Awards! Here it is proudly modelled by our own Ben Wilson! #TSR #TeamSonicRacing #Gamescom2018" (Tweet). Retrieved August 24, 2018 – via Twitter.
  34. ↑ Sega [@sonicthehedgehog] (August 31, 2018). "We're here at PAX! Come play Team Sonic Racing, score an exclusive poster, and more at the SEGA booth!". Retrieved September 6, 2018 – via Instagram.
  35. ↑ Frank, Allegra (July 19, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing is officially speeding into comic book stores". Polygon. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  36. ↑ Workman, Robert (July 19, 2018). "Team Sonic Racing Gets Big the Cat, New Prequel Comic". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  37. ↑ "TEAM SONIC RACING Comic Book Drifts Into Your Local Comic Shop in October". San Diego, California: IDW Publishing. July 19, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
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