Sonic’s Run On “Non-Sega Hardware” Made Yuji Naka Both Sad And Happy

Following the short-lived lifespan of Dreamcast, Sega made the decision to exit hardware development and become a third-party developer and publisher. While it was somewhat welcome news for fans of other companies at the time, it was no doubt a difficult period for the team at Sega.

One person who had “mixed feelings” about Sonic’s run on “non-Sega hardware” was the character’s co-creator, Yuji Naka. This week marks the 20th anniversary since Sonic Adventure 2: Battle made its debut on the Nintendo GameCube in North America, and Mr. Naka used it as an opportunity to reflect on how he felt – describing the moment as “both sad and happy”.

“I had mixed feelings about Sonic’s run on non-Sega hardware, both sad and happy. It’s been 20 years now.”

Sonic’s relationship with Nintendo has improved over the years – with a large number of Sonic games gracing just about every modern Nintendo platform. The Sega mascot even joined the Super Smash Bros. roster, teamed up with Mario in a series of sports games, and will later this year return to the Switch in Sonic Frontiers.

As for Yuji Naka, he released Balan Wonderworld in 2021 (published by Square Enix) and most recently has been dabbling in mobile game development. Do you have any fond memories of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle on the Nintendo GameCube? Leave a comment down below.