The SSMB Forums have brought to light a discussion that has recently taken place on popular imageboard 4chan. In it, an anonymous tipster called “Wentos the Travelling Salesman” has hinted at details that could be included in the next major Sonic title. Click the image on the left there to give it a good read.
Claiming that he knows a few people in the Localisation department of SEGA, it appears he has been privvy to Hashimoto’s desire to create the perfect Sonic game, as he tells captivated posters on the imageboard that the current Sonic Team is built of old school fans fresh out of college. It is suggested that the new team will handle the series for some time yet. “Wentos” also let slip on the conclusion to the reaction of Unleashed;
“The next Sonic will be just Sonic with optional characters in the sense that they were optional back in Sonic 2 and 3; the levels will be in the style of Unleashed daytime levels, though there will be an increased focus on careful platforming to replace what the Werehog strived for.”
Having said that, it was then suggested that an announcement on this project is unlikely to happen for some time. Dubious 4chan readers were challenged to archive the thread and see if the crystal ball-gazing was in fact on the money. “Wentos” then wrote some development information regarding Sonic Unleashed, and how the Wii version was specifically made to recoup the losses of the intentionally superior Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases.
Various other things were asked of this supposed insider, including a campaign by posters to have the villainous dictator’s name changed back to ‘Dr. Robotnik’ for Western releases, and a change of storyline in the next Sonic game. Of this, the anonymous poster said that influencing SEGA Japan or Sonic Team themselves may be a challenge;
“There’s very little I can do to influence what the Japanese side of SEGA does; e.g. I couldn’t make them not to use huge, ancient boses that f**k Eggman up at the end of each game. I can suggest ideas indirectly, and there’s no guarantee they’ll go through, especially if they’re large changes that’ll disrupt the ideas they already have in place… I can try and help with little things, though. I can do a lot to the localization itself (like Eggman vs Robotnik) and I can certainly report exactly how things at Sonic Team are going if you guys would like.”
Sounds like an offer nobody can refuse, huh? At the moment this remains a heavy rumour at TSS Towers, so take it all with a pinch of salt. It seems to be the season for anonymous insiders to come out of the woodwork, with another (not-so-anonymous) tipster’s personal details discovered and published around various gaming websites over a blog entry made about NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams a year ago. Newsworthy, “Wentos”?
“That article is [as] old as sh*t and doesn’t apply even remotely to current SEGA policies anymore, nor does it even differentiate any of the seperate[sic] Sonic Team divisions from one another. It may have meant something two years ago but now it’s an absolute crock of sh*t… hopefully [the guy responsible for the NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams blog]’s having a fun time in unemployment.”
Geez, full of smiles, Wentos, eh? Forget I asked.
A Sonic Nostradamus? – SSMB Forums (Good eye, Sonicophage!)
The way it’s written seems very unprofessional for a real assosciate with Sega, and it just seems strange that he talks about changing things about the franchise here in the U.S, but hasn’t Sonic Team U.S simply just died out? It’s really hard to believe this at all.