Even though it seems everyone's attention is on what's next for Nintendo, Sonic Team is keeping last-gen consoles in mind as it looks to the future.
That is according to Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, who, in a recent interview with IGN, claimed that he wants "as many people as possible to play" Sonic games, and the studio will keep supporting "lower spec consoles" to ensure that.
This isn't to say that the studio won't focus on future hardware, too — where Iizuka claims it will be able to better express Sonic's speed with an improved UI to boot — but it's nice to know that all those with a Switch or PS4 will still be able to get in on the fun (with the necessary compromises, of course).
You'll find Iizuka's full answer below:
As a market, we have the high-end machines, high-end consoles. Coming out with those consoles, we feel that we can make newer Sonic games that can express the speed of Sonic and with much better gaming UI as well. However, we want to support the lower spec constants as well. So even though the PS5 Pro is coming out, or new innovations or technology are coming out, we feel that it is important to support with the lower spec consoles and let many of the users keep playing Sonic.
While Iizuka's response relates to the upcoming PS5 Pro first and foremost, IGN notes that the Switch is included under his "lower spec consoles" umbrella — and we can only assume that the 'Switch 2' will be at the upper end... hopefully.
Given the Switch's monster sale numbers and Sonic's success on the system, this should come as no surprise. While 3D titles like Sonic Frontiers feel like they're showing their age on the Nintendo hybrid of late, last year's Sonic Superstars felt right at home on the handheld (even if releasing the same week as Mario Wonder might have harmed sales more than a little).
We'll witness the studio's continued support for Switch later this month when Sonic X Shadow Generations speeds our way on 25th October. This remaster gives the base game a thorough facelift and adds a beefy new campaign with Shadow in the spotlight.