During Tokyo Game Show 2024, we were fortunate to interview Shun Nakamura, producer of Sonic x Shadow Generations. With the upcoming game and live-action film due to launch later in 2024, he shares insights with us about the development process, new and exciting gameplay mechanics, and how the dev team really connected with Shadow as a character.

The interview has been edited for clarity.

All About The Doom Power

Media: How did the new Doom Powers affect the game and level design, especially since these are new powers that will give Shadow brand-new abilities?

Nakamura: One of the most interesting challenges about Sonic x Shadow Generations was creating an experience that’s very different than a typical Sonic game. As you know, Sonic is all about going fast, but in Sonic x Shadow Generations, the Doom powers allow the player playing as Shadow to enjoy the process of discovering new things on the stage. It allows the player to enjoy deeper combat than before, using Shadow’s Doom Power and his Chaos Control ability. We want the players to experiment and see what’s possible.

As we created Shadow’s new powers, we thought about what kind of functionality and gameplay they would offer. Because of Shadow’s past as an anti-hero in the series, we wanted to give him the impression that it’s almost as if he’s unleashing a type of forbidden power. In the past, you’ve seen Shadow fight using other methods. To be honest, Shadow is the type of character who will use anything at his disposal, and this time we chose to have him take on the powers of darkness.

The Doom Powers came from Shadow’s archenemy, Black Doom, and from the recent story trailer, Black Doom is trying to use Shadow and manipulate him. Shadow is the kind of character who will use any means necessary to get his hands on power, and we look forward to what kind of story that arises from this.

Media: Could you talk to us about what we can expect from the open zones in the game and how it will unique compared to another recent open zone game in Sonic Frontiers?

Nakamura: We drew inspiration from our previous work on the open-zone gameplay of Sonic Frontiers. We basically made it a little bit smaller, but we really wanted to experiment to see if fans really enjoyed the game’s open zone and freedom of gameplay.

In Sonic Frontiers, we put a strong emphasis on being able to go anywhere. In contrast, we designed the white space of Sonic x Shadow Generations with the idea that the space gradually expands as you unlock new Doom Powers. Doom Powers allow you to traverse to even more areas as you gradually unlock them throughout the game’s story progression.

There’s probably a number of you who have probably played the original Sonic Generations and some of you who will play Shadow Generations extensively. Ultimately, whichever title you pick, we want you to have a completely new experience with this collection.

Media: The Sonic title was a legendary game series in the 90s with iconic background music that many players come to recognize. Could you comment on the specific BGM that will be featured in Sonic x Shadow Generations?

Nakamura: In Sonic Generations, it’s all about revisiting some of our past work in the Sonic series. That’s why in Shadow Generations, when we revisited Shadow’s story, we wanted to remix and bring back some of the music associated with Shadow in previous entries of the series.

With respect to the 90’s era games, Shadow didn’t exist in that era of Sonic’s history. We wanted players to revisit that particular period of the Sonic franchise where Shadow first made his debut, and we hope you enjoy that aspect of the Sonic franchise’s music. If you’re a fan of some of Sonic’s classic music from the Genesis era of Sonic titles, there is Sonic Generations, and we hope you have a chance to enjoy the classic songs in that game.

In Shadow Generations, there will be new music that will be released. The key parts of the game’s soundtrack is this new take on past songs that appear in the series. These brand-new remixes incorporate the latest technology that we didn’t have when the original Sonic was released.

Media: Could you comment on the bosses in Sonic x Shadow Generations?

Nakamura: There will be no secret bosses in Sonic x Shadow Generations, but we will be revisiting Shadow’s greatest foes from his past titles in the series. We’ve added a new spin on them by introducing new mechanics, where you face them off using Doom Powers. We hope that you enjoy a fresh new take on some of the series’ past enemies.

It’s Time For Shadow Generations To Make A Name For Himself

Media: How much emphasis was placed on telling Shadow’s story, especially since he is a much deeper and more complex character compared to Sonic?

Nakamura: The story in Sonic Generations was quite simple in comparison. When we wanted to create Shadow Generations, we wanted to show a hidden layer behind that story, and that was our challenge in this title. Within the Sonic series, Shadow already has a very profound past, and what was really interesting this time was that we had the chance to explore it in this title. We hope you pay attention to this as you play Sonic x Shadow Generations.

We’re highlighting Shadow’s relationship with Sonic and Black Doom. And finally, we’re also highlighting Shadow’s relationship with Maria, a key character from his past. We’d like the players to see how that story unfolds. We’ve revealed the first episode of Sonic x Shadow Generations, Dark Beginnings. We hope that you enjoy it as a way of getting into Shadow’s story.

Media: What makes Shadow the best character to spotlight in the game, apart from the upcoming Sonic film featuring Shadow?

Nakamura: The Sonic film is the biggest reason why the game is coming out around this time, compared to anything that we’ve done in the series. It’s unprecedented that we’ve had the chance to bring a game and a live-action movie together at the same time. It’s a really good chance for audiences unfamiliar with the Sonic series to dive into it.

And of course, another reason for Shadow’s inclusion is that he’s one of the series’ most popular characters. We’ve got the year of Shadow celebrations going on, after all. Here in Japan, we’re also releasing an animated miniseries as well as a manga.

With Shadow Generations, we are going to be revisiting some of the players’ memories of what they’ve experienced previously with Shadow’s past adventures. We’ve offered a new take on them by allowing Shadow to take on the stages as well as the bosses with a new set of actions. While bringing in that kind of nostalgic factor, we’re also going to transform these past stages and past bosses into a completely new experience.

Shadow is a character who’s popular with the dev team. With respect to the dev teams’ work on Shadow, everyone has a certain passion for working on him. They feel the expectations for that too, because he’s such a huge hit with the series’ fans. Within the Sonic IP, Shadow has the potential to launch many things. I feel that’s what makes him such a cool and interesting character with a lot of potential.

Each of the dev team has their own reasons for liking Shadow. Yet the biggest reason being that Shadow has a presence that reminds the dev team of being “chunibyo” (eighth-grader syndrome). And many of the dev team grew up with this subculture really connected with Shadow.

Media: In what ways do Sonic x Shadow Generations explore the history and relationship between Sonic and Shadow, and will the two characters interact in the game?

Nakamura: In Sonic x Shadow Generations, the Time Eater has created a distortion in the timeline. Sonic and Shadow have met in the past, but what Generations focuses on is exploring Shadow’s side of the story. In the original Sonic Generations, there is actually a scene where Sonic and Shadow face off. When you play Shadow Generations, learn about Shadow’s side of the story, what really went down.

Media: What makes development different with Sonic x Shadow Generations than the traditional Sonic series?

Nakamura: There are some fans in the series that really immerse themselves deeply in the Sonic lore and there are casual players. We wanted to find a middle ground between the two as we approach the title. We wanted to evolve the gameplay and kick it up another notch. Our team had members who had experience on working on past Sonic properties and some who had not. This combination of the two allowed us to create possibilities on how to create new gameplay experience for our players.

When we created Sonic Generations in 2011, we collected fan responses to see which stages were the most popular. This time, we revisited our past data regarding this while consulting with Izuka-san, the lead of the Sonic team. We were able to select and carefully handpick choices that would appear in Shadow Generations.

One of the fun parts about creating Sonic x Shadow Generations was creating the distortion spaces. These are parts where the game’s reality warps as you explore the area. As developers, we saw the opportunity to create something that transcends reality, to create something surreal. Whenever we successfully create one of those experiences, it was really fulfilling for us.

Special thanks to Shun Nakamura and SEGA for the opportunity.

Sonic x Shadow Generations launches on October 25, 2024 on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.