Shintarou Shimazu
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Sonic Pico Park dev talks starting at Sega & partnering with Sonic's creator
Game Director Shimazu Shintaro, a former Sega employee, discusses how his company Tecopark partnered with Sega for the upcoming Sonic Pico Park. He explains his journey from Sega to founding Tecopark and how the collaboration came about. Sonic Team producer Takashi Iizuka was also involved in the discussion about bringing Pico Park and Sonic together.
"Is this gonna be a Sonic game?": Even Takashi Iizuka wasn't sure about Sonic Pico Park at first, but Sega's learned a lot from its indie collaborators
Sega is collaborating with indie developer Tecopark on Sonic Pico Park, a co-op puzzle platformer that integrates Sonic the Hedgehog elements into the existing Pico Park gameplay. Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka initially questioned the concept but gained confidence from previous indie collaborations like Sonic Mania. The partnership highlights Sega's evolving strategy of working with indie studios to leverage their rapid development cycles and creative ideas.
'It would be a lie to say there's no pressure taking on this great IP from this massive corporation' — Pico Park president says working with a huge company like Sega for its Sonic crossover was 'a little risky'
Pico Park president Shintarou Shimazu discussed the challenges and risks involved in collaborating with Sega for the upcoming Sonic Pico Park crossover. He highlighted the pressure of working with a major IP and a large corporation, but also noted that the shared childhood experiences with Sonic and the guidance from Sega's Takashi Iizuka made the development process smoother.
'You don't need to be super hardcore to be good at this one' — Pico Park president on bringing Sonic to a whole new audience with upcoming crossover game
Sonic Pico Park, an upcoming crossover game combining Pico Park's puzzle mechanics with Sonic the Hedgehog's platforming, aims to attract a wider audience, including non-gamers. Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka and Pico Park president Shintarou Shimazu discussed the collaboration, emphasizing the game's accessibility and potential to appeal to fans who experience Sonic through other media like movies and shows. The game is designed for up to eight players and is expected to release later this year.
