Iizuka: Collaboration with Sonic Mania Team Could Happen Again, But Not Active Right Now

Sonic Mania (2017) was a collaborative effort: Sonic Team worked with independent developers led by Christian Whitehead. The project was widely praised and later expanded as Sonic Mania Plus. After Mania's success, Sonic Team and Evening Star (the studio Whitehead and others formed) discussed directions for a new Classic Sonic title and did some prototyping. That prototype work did not lead to a finished Mania sequel.

Iizuka has described those post-Mania conversations as constructive but inconclusive. He told Game Informer that while the two sides explored concepts for the next generation of Classic Sonic, the project ultimately did not become a completed game. Iizuka also said the Sonic Superstars result represents one of the directions they discussed, achieved with Arzest alongside Sonic Team.

Evening Star's account lines up with Iizuka's version. Christian Whitehead said Evening Star intended to move beyond 2D pixel art into 3D and original IP. The studio created prototypes that experimented with 2.5D depth and other ideas, but did not continue to full production on a Sonic Mania sequel. Evening Star then focused on its own title, Penny's Big Breakaway, and built its Star Engine.

Iizuka says Sega and Evening Star remain on good terms. He noted the teams socialize and keep relationships active by meeting up. That ongoing contact means a future collaboration "isn't off the books," but he also made clear that "it's not something that's moving forward currently." Evening Star has active projects of its own, and Sonic Team is working with other outside developers when their skills match a needed gap.

Iizuka described picking partners by matching missing capabilities. He used the upcoming Sonic Pico Park collaboration with TecoPark as an example: TecoPark specializes in action-puzzle design, a format Sonic Team hadn't made before, so it made sense to partner rather than try to build that expertise internally. Iizuka framed collaborations as a way to combine Sonic Team's action-game experience with studio-specific strengths.

Evening Star CTO Hunter Bridges saw Iizuka's quote in Game Informer and tried to set up a meetup in Tokyo with the subject line "Eating and Drinking." The timing didn't work out for a meeting during Tokyo Game Show 2026, but Bridges confirmed the companies keep in touch and that Evening Star is working on something "exciting right now," which he specified is not Sonic. What this means for fans and future projects There's ongoing goodwill and mutual interest between Sega and Evening Star, but no active Mania sequel. Evening Star pursued its original 3D ambitions and Sonic Team has pursued other partnerships where appropriate. A future collaboration remains possible, dependent on both studios' schedules and business priorities.