Sonic Team head on where the franchise will be in another 35 years — 'Iizuka-san does not think he's going to be alive'

Sonic the Hedgehog is officially 35 years old this year

Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka thinks he might not make it to the franchise's 70th anniversary, but will "definitely be wanting to play" future games if possible

Iizuka also says he is "really proud" of the series

Sonic the Hedgehog is officially 35 years old, with anniversary celebrations kicking off in January of this year, and to mark the occasion I sat down with Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka to discuss all things blue and spiky in a new interview at Summer Game Fest 2026.

The veteran developer explained that he "of course" considers it almost like his own child and revealed that he has "been with Sonic longer than I've been with my own children" in real life. "I'm really proud," he said.

Right now the franchise is undeniably in a strong position, with fans impressed by the recent Sonic x Shadow Generations remake and the support for the ongoing racing title Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, so I was interested to find out where he thinks it will be in another 35 years.

The Japanese-speaking staff sat in the interview room immediately began to chuckle as he replied, the translator barely containing his laughter as he revealed that "Iizuka-san does not think he's going to be alive" to see it.

My suggestion that his spirit "will continue to live on in Sonic" did not help get proceedings back on track.

"The Sonic Team in Japan is a great group of people," Iizuka added after a few more titters.

"It's really because of all of the great people who are making content for Sonic that we get things like Sonic X Shadow Generations, we get things like Frontiers, we get all these great, new experiences," he continued.

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"They're constantly challenging themselves, they're constantly trying to make new fun game experiences, and so 35 years from now, even if I do not believe I'm still going to be working at Sega making games, as a gamer, I'll definitely be wanting to play their experiences."

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Dash is an experienced tech journalist who specializes in video games, electronic entertainment products, and the wider industry that surrounds them. He currently serves as the Gaming Editor at TechRadar, leading our review, preview, feature, and news coverage of the latest and greatest releases.

Before joining the team, he was Contributing Writer at PLAY (formerly Official PlayStation Magazine UK) and has written articles for many of the UK's other biggest gaming magazines including the likes of Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX.

Now, when he's not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.