Series Producer reveals SEGA wanted to outright kill the Sonic franchise at one point

Despite being one of the most recognisable mascots in gaming, Sonic the Hedgehog as a franchise has had many ups and downs over the years, with the quality of its games in particular varying wildly between releases. While the Blue Blur and co. are currently riding on a high following the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog films (and Frontiers), franchise producer Takashi Iizuka revealed that at its lowest, SEGA higher-ups wanted to outright “cancel the entire franchise.”

In an interview with long-time Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka in celebration of the franchise’s 35th anniversary (conducted by the publication OneMoreGame), the creative spoke on all manner of topics, ranging from the highest highs to the lowest of lows.

As mentioned, Sonic as a game series in particular has suffered from a mixed line-up of releases, with the likes of Sonic 06 being an infamous failure and others – such as Sonic Generations – being bonafide hits.

Regardless of quality, Sonic remains one of SEGA’s biggest and most recognisable brands, and so it comes as quite the surprise that the publisher at one point was considering cancelling the entire franchise as a whole.

According to Iizuka “There had been good times, and there had been bad times… during the worst times, I was told by the higher-ups that we should cancel the entire franchise. I had to fight within the organization to keep the franchise as long as possible.”

While Iizuka did not elaborate on when exactly this took place, it seems to have been prior to the release of the Sonic the Hedgehog films – attributing their success to Sonic’s revival – stating: “The biggest milestone for me was the first movie… that had been a great hit and definitely changed the course of this franchise.”

The Sonic the Hedgehog film remains one of the most interesting cinematic projects in years, with its initial trailer being overwhelmingly hated due to Sonic’s ugly design. This would eventually lead to SEGA / Paramount delaying the film in order to redesign the character entirely to more closely match his video game counterpart; a decision which would ultimately prove to be the correct one.

Sonic has had countless highs and lows over the past 35 years. Even so, it is surprising to see just how close the franchise was to being abandoned. Thankfully, in 2026, Sonic appears to be bigger and better than ever.

KitGuru says: Are you surprised that SEGA almost got rid of Sonic? Where do you place the Blue Blur on the totem pole of most recognisable video game characters? At this point, is Sonic more known for his games or films? Let us know your thoughts down below.

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