Sonic The Hedgehog and failed consoles are the first thing that come to mind when I think of SEGA, however Yakuza or Ryu ga Gotoku don’t really follow a close third as it lives in its own stratosphere. However, in an interview celebrating SEGA’s 60 years in the industry, Yakuza producer Daisuke Sato expressed interest in “getting involved” in a Sonic the Hedgehog game. How funky would that be?!

Besides Sonic, it’s pretty difficult to think of another IP that carries the same weight with the company as much as Yakuza at the moment, with its newest installment Yakuza: Like A Dragon being released internationally on November 10th. Featuring a wide open world with SEGA Centers featuring fully playable arcade games such as Virtua Fighter 5, Outrun, and the infamous UFO Catchers that you can literally spend thousands of yen acquiring a damn Bun-chan. It goes to show that the IP waves the SEGA flag as strong as ever.

“It’s an IP that I haven’t come to before. In the sense that I want to try it… well, Sonic,” said Sato. “Anyway, when you hear SEGA you think Sonic. I’d like like to get involved once at least.”

Personally, with Yakuza‘s bombast and endearing over-the-top outing with new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, our recent review of Like A Dragon called it “an enjoyable JRPG experience with a layered story that exudes an off-beat charm and humor”. I’m excited to see what Sato, his buddy Toshihiro Nagoshi, and our friends at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio comes up with.

If they do come up with a Hedgehog Cabaret Club Grand Prix, I’m totally sold. If it has another damn baseball mini-game though, I think those should stay in Kamurocho.