Sonic Frontiers has caught the eyes of critics and fans due to the fact that the game promises to be Sonic's first attempt at emulating an open world. While Sega still hasn't released too much information regarding the game, it's been made perfectly clear that Sonic Team has been trying to make sure the next mainline Sonic game is impressive for fans. However, a recent Q&A meeting with analysts and investors has revealed that Sega isn't just aiming to please series fanatics, but critics as well.
The first time fans were given a look at just what Sonic Team was working on was during the Sonic Central presentation last year with a short and intriguing teaser trailer. The game's title and release window were revealed with a longer trailer at the Game Awards last December. Despite Sonic Frontiers showcasing what the game's location, the Starfall Islands, looks like in-engine at the event, Sega has yet to show the title's gameplay in action.
According to Video Games Chronicle, in a recent investors' meeting, Sega was asked if it aims to have Sonic Frontiers reach a target score on review aggregation sites. CEO of Sega Sammy Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa have said that good review scores might lead to Frontiers becoming a "must-buy game," and that good review scores might "possibly generate synergy with sales," and therefore there are internal targets set regarding the game's reception with critics.
This goes hand-in-hand with what Sega has said during previous internal meetings when asked about Frontiers' development. Late last year, a management meeting revealed that the game was purposefully held back from being released during Sonic's 30th anniversary to ensure that there were "no compromises in terms of quality."
