Recently, attendees at Gamescom were able to get a first look at Sonic Frontiers, the upcoming title which sees the Blue Blur enjoying a brand new adventure. Billed as an “open zone” game, Frontiers is Sega’s first title starring the world’s fastest hedgehog to fully dip into the open world genre. Although some attendees reported enjoying Frontiers more than expected, reviews from critics who got to experience the game at Gamescom were mixed, leaving fans still concerned about the upcoming game.
Unfortunately, it seems like Sega will not be doing anything to assuage these concerns. In an interview at Gamescom, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka stated that Sega currently has no plans to release a public demo of Sonic Frontiers prior to release. He did, however, state that Sonic Frontiers will appear at multiple events prior to its official debut, including the upcoming Tokyo Game Show and EGX in London. Iizuka encouraged fans interested in giving Sonic Frontiers’ gameplay a try to attend any of these events.
There will not be a free, public #SonicFrontiers demo released on different platforms, SEGA's Takashi Iizuka told French publication @ActuG.
According to a translation, Iizuka said that a Frontiers demo will be playable in conventions like @EGX and @tokyo_game_show. #SonicNews pic.twitter.com/ATsJXUaXQw
— TailsChannel@mastodon.social (@TailsChannel) August 30, 2022
Sonic fans did get an extended look at Frontiers’ gameplay as part of June’s Nintendo Direct broadcast event. The titular hedgehog was shown running through two cyberspace-inspired worlds, including one course which resembles iconic series level Green Hill Zone. Responses were mixed, with some appreciating the levels’ design and others concerned about how the game will handle its open world, feeling that that world seems empty. There was also concern that the game build shown off seemed unfinished and unpolished.
It is unknown whether the lack of a demo will affect Sonic Frontiers’ sales on release, but it is definitely possible. Fans interested in Sonic Frontiers may be wary about having to pay full price to experience the hedgehog’s latest adventure. Sonic Frontiers debuts on November 8, 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and the current expected cost is $79.99 for the standard edition of the game.
