Following the release of Sonic Forces (2017), Sonic Team began exploring multiple approaches for its next Sonic the Hedgehog game. In addition to celebrating the series' upcoming 30th anniversary, Sonic Team also sought to define what a modern Sonic game should be and solidify the series' direction for the next decade.[9] Sonic Team head and Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka wanted the next Sonic game to inform future games, similar to how Sonic Adventure (1998) set a template that following games continued to emulate for 20 years.[2]