SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG NEWS // INTERVIEW
Takashi Iizuka says Shadow is approaching Sonic's popularity — and he wants more focus on him
Shadow the Hedgehog's popularity has climbed dramatically following Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka says he wants to give the character more opportunities and more focus.
Shadow is reaching Sonic-level popularity
Speaking in a Sonic 35th anniversary interview with One More Game, Iizuka said Shadow's popularity has risen following the third Sonic movie and is now reaching roughly the same level as Sonic's. The comment puts a notable marker on Shadow's current position in the franchise after the recent run of Sonic X Shadow Generations, movie attention, merchandise, and other appearances.
Iizuka wants to focus on Shadow more
Iizuka also identified Shadow as his personal favorite character. He said he wants more opportunities for Shadow to appeal to audiences and wants to focus on him more. No specific new Shadow game or project was announced in the interview, but the comments make his interest in continuing to use the character explicit.
Shadow's popularity already changed his history once
Iizuka revisited Shadow's original fate in Sonic Adventure 2: the character was initially intended to die at the end of the game. Fan popularity changed those plans, leading Sonic Team to bring Shadow back for Sonic Heroes. More than two decades later, Iizuka is again describing Shadow's popularity as a major force around the character.