Sonic The Hedgehog is in a very different place than he was 10 years ago. What was once a consistently mocked series is now back to being on a level akin to its 90s popularity. Takashi Iizuka, who has led the series through this rough spell until today – and is the de facto face of the franchise following Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara's exits from Sega – is reflecting on this difficult time.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Iizuka says, "Ten years ago, I moved from Tokyo to Burbank. At that time, the Sonic brand was not in a very positive space. A lot of people were bashing on the brand. They really weren't happy with the things coming out."
