Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and its 3DS counterpart Shattered Crystal failed to set the world on fire when the pair of Nintendo exclusives launched last year. This has led SEGA to call into question the viability of the franchise, including whether or not we'll see any more solo adventures staring SEGA's blue mascot.

As for why these two games turned out to be such a major disappointment, former SEGA producer Steven Frost cites over-ambition as the primary culprit.

"The biggest mistake in Boom was trying to cram too much into the game," he explained on SEGA Nerdcast. "Not only were we trying to make just a really good Sonic game, we were trying to add more to it. We overextended our grasp in some ways. We're trying to add in a bungee mechanic, and we're adding combat, and we're adding puzzles, vehicles, hopefully a more compelling story and a bunch of different environments. And it's just a lot, you know? If there's any lesson for me, it's that being too ambitious can be bad."

Frost then went on to discuss the future of Sonic, and how single-player games starring the blue hedgehog just aren't viable anymore. "Solo Sonic games, I don't know how long that can last - there isn't enough variety to sustain it. The future of Sonic games needs to be co-op," he explained. "It worked really well in Sonic Boom, community and online play, that sustains it. In general, you need to do multiplayer and add online multiplayer aspects. That will sustain and keep the franchise alive."

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric launched on Wii U back in November of last year. You can read IGN's not-so-glowing review to find out why it was such a disaster.

No, it's cause it was made by a team of clueless monkeys.

Somebody needs to force them to play a Mario game and work from there <_<

No. One of the main issues people had with Lost World is that is was too much like Mario Galaxy.

I don't mean make it a carbon copy. I mean understand why Mario, as a platform characters, still works in a World where there are virtually no platform type games.

They need to stop trying to make Sonic so complicated and in-depth. It's a hedgehog that runs fast. It ain't that bloody hard <_<

It must be hard since there hasn't been very many good titles for almost two decades

MooseNugget wrote:

It must be hard since there hasn't been very many good titles for almost two decades

Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Colors
Sonic Generations

I was gonna list them off (minus Heroes), but he did say "not very many". And there were several really bad ones.

The really bad ones in the last 2 decades were Sonic 06, Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic and the Black Knight. I liked Heroes, it's essentially what Boom is now.

Don't forget most of the handhelds.

I liked Heroes when it was new, but it's really not that great nowadays.

Nothing beats Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games

Dead: Forum MVP wrote:

MooseNugget wrote:

It must be hard since there hasn't been very many good titles for almost two decades

Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Colors
Sonic Generations

Damn. I give you 20 years and you're just able to come up with six games

Boogey Boy wrote:

Nothing beats Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games

That shit would be fun with lots of people

I actually have it

MooseNugget wrote:

Dead: Forum MVP wrote:

MooseNugget wrote:

It must be hard since there hasn't been very many good titles for almost two decades

Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Colors
Sonic Generations

Damn. I give you 20 years and you're just able to come up with six games

Its not my fault you stopped playing Sonic games after the Genesis