Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka has suggested that a collaboration with Evening Star, the independent studio formed by key members of the Sonic Mania development team, could happen again in the future, though a direct sequel to Sonic Mania is not currently in development.
Sonic Mania, released in 2017, was a critical success, signaling a strong connection between Sega and its fanbase. The game was a collaboration between Sonic Team and independent developers led by Christian Whitehead. Following its acclaim, Sonic Team entered discussions with Evening Star in 2018 about potential concepts for a new Classic Sonic game. These conversations progressed to a prototyping phase, but ultimately did not result in a finished product.
Iizuka explained that his desire was to move towards 3D graphics for the next iteration of Classic Sonic, aiming for broader appeal, a direction that ultimately led to Sonic Superstars, developed with Arzest. "It's too bad that it didn't become a finished game," Iizuka stated. "Still, I'm pleased that the next generation of Classic Sonic that we talked about with them has been achieved with Superstars."
Christian Whitehead, co-founder of Evening Star, corroborated Iizuka's account, emphasizing that the studio's goal from its inception was to evolve beyond 2D pixel art and develop original intellectual property. "Sonic Mania 2 was never in development, though, because we actually agreed early on that we should try to make something fresh, like hand-drawn 2D or 2.5D," Whitehead said. "At the same time, Evening Star was developing our new Star Engine, so we also ended up making a cool Sonic prototype that played with depth in 2.5D, and some other gameplay ideas." Evening Star ultimately moved forward with its own original 3D title, Penny's Big Breakaway.
Despite the divergence in development paths, Iizuka stressed the importance of maintaining relationships with development partners. "We're still really close with them," he said. "We've gone out eating and drinking with them because relationships are important to us. We don't have anything to talk about now, but there's definitely a desire to want to work with them again, and we think they could make a great game. It's not off the books yet, but it's not something that's moving forward currently."
Evening Star's Chief Technology Officer, Hunter Bridges, confirmed the amicable relationship and acknowledged the possibility of future collaborations. "We are working on something exciting right now, but it's not Sonic this time. But if the right opportunity lines up on both sides, we'd be happy to make another great Sonic game. Whether that would be Mania 2 is up for debate; we are an ambitious team!"
Sonic Mania received an 86 on Metacritic and an 8.5 from Game Informer. In comparison, Sonic Superstars earned a 73 and Penny's Big Breakaway a 74. Iizuka recently indicated a desire to continue evolving both 2D and 3D aspects of the Sonic franchise in future projects.