Sonic Frontiers takes shot at players after gameplay backlash: “They don’t understand”
Sonic Frontiers devs are defending the game’s lackluster appearance after fans begged for the game to be delayed following the first official gameplay reveal.
Fans of the franchise eagerly awaited Sonic Frontiers gameplay footage following its announcement trailer in December of last year. With beautiful scenery sprawling across a massive open landscape, players quickly deemed Frontiers the “Breath of the Wild” of Sonic games.
But fans were met with disappointment when the first bit of gameplay was revealed on June 1. The open landscape was riddled with floating grind rails that fans thought looked out of place, and the combat didn’t do much to impress either.
While Sonic didn’t move all that fast in the gameplay reveal, fans were quick to call for a delay. The #DelaySonicFronteirs hashtag was trending on Twitter for a short period as fans expressed their concerns about a 2022 release.
Sonic Frontiers devs clap back
During an interview with Video Game Chronicle, Sonic Team studio head Takashi Iizuka was asked about the backlash and the outcry for a delay.
Iizuka responded, “It’s not really that surprising… because they don’t understand what this new gameplay is they’re kind of comparing it to other games that they already know.”
He explained that the team is creating a new Sonic format they’re calling “open-zone”, and that players will appreciate it more once they get their hands on it. “Right now we’re just kind of watching videos of people reacting to what they believe the game to be.”
In response to the idea of a delay, Iizuka didn’t feel one was necessary. He explained how the game had been playtested by its target audience and given favorable scores. He also stated, “So we do feel that we’re getting to the point where this game is done, and people will like it, and we do want to get that game into our fans’ hands as soon as possible.”
Despite his explanation, the community is still pushing back against the Sonic Team. Many fans replied to the interview stating the devs were to blame for them “not understanding” the new format.
“You literally gave an early test build that doesn’t represent the final product and didn’t give a good first impression to the fandom and you think we don’t understand this ‘new format’,” one user commented. “Release the free demo and let people give their feedback so you can refine the game.”
