Sonic Team is a Japanese video game development team within Sega Division 2 (formerly Consumer Research & Development Dept. 2 (CS2)note ) founded in 1990 by Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima and headed by Eigo Kasahara since 2008. The team was formed with the express purpose of creating a mascot for Sega to compete directly with Nintendo's Mario. The studio was initially composed of 15 staff members, called Sega AM8, and these 15, with the leadership of Ohshima and Naka, produced the original Sonic The Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. The game was an instant success and instantly propelled Sega to being one of the top video game companies in the industry. Sega AM8 later renamed itself after their Breakthrough Hit, calling itself Sonic Team.
As suggested by their name, they are best known for creating and developing the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Sonic Team works directly on the main series console games and supervises development on spinoffs and handheld titles in the series developed by other companies.
However, they have produced other well-known games besides their namesake series. Other titles they have developed include NiGHTS into Dreams…, Phantasy Star Online, and Ristar. They would also become the developers of the Puyo Puyo series beginning with Puyo Pop after Sega had bought the rights from Compile a couple of years prior.
Beginning in 2016, due to a series of internal mergers and restructures, the Sonic Team banner would be semi-retired as the name of the division, with only the development team behind the Sonic franchise currently using it (likely because they originated it). The division's current games are currently just credited under Sega.
Games and game series produced by Sonic Team:
- Astro Boy 2004
- Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
- Burning Rangers
- ChuChu Rocket
- Feel the Magic
- NiGHTS into Dreams…
- Phantasy Star (Phantasy Star Online - Phantasy Star Portablenote )
- Puyo Puyo series (Puyo Pop (2001) onwards)
- Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure (collaboration with xeen Inc.)
- Ristar
- Sakura Wars (2019)
- Samba de Amigo
- Sonic the Hedgehog series
