Among the Sonic series' many titles in its 30-year run, there's one feature that's been requested far more than any other. That feature would be the series' famous Chao Garden, which served as a fun little section on the side that allowed players to raise their own adorable pet-like creatures. The Chao Garden hasn't returned at its full capacity ever since the Sonic Adventure titles, but Sonic Frontiers has the greatest opportunity to do so.
Fortunately for fans, there may be some hope. The first open-world game for the franchise Sonic Frontiers was revealed at The Game Awards, with a spawling world shown off in-engine that offers some incredible exploration opportunities for the blue hedgehog. When it comes to what's in store for the series, and who is currently in charge of decisions with Frontiers, the stars may be aligning for the Chao Garden to finally make their return.
The Chao Garden Agenda on Sonic Social Media
While many fans have been clamoring for the return of the Sonic series' best-used interlude between stages, there hadn't been much in regards to showing that the little critters would be back for years beyond Sonic Team saying they might come back due to fan demand. However, in recent years, there's been an interesting shift as the social media team at Sega of America has been just as eager for Chao to return as the fans have.
One of the Sonic shorts on YouTube was shared for the holidays called "Chao in Space," full of Easter eggs and references to Chao and Star Wars as Sonic took care of a sleepwalking Chao. More recently, however, the Sega of America-run online store has also released a "Chao collection" of merchandise specifically for the fan-favorite critters. The biggest interesting thing regarding Chao on the social media platforms was that for the Sonic 30th Anniversary symphony, the intermission featured a "Chao Cam," showcasing the social media manager's personal creatures in Sonic Adventure 2 thanks to the help of mods.
The Producer of Sonic Frontiers' Role
As part of the press releases for Sonic Frontiers, it was revealed that Sachiko Kawamura would be producing the title, and this should be very exciting for Chao enthusiasts. Sachiko Kawamura is a long-time Sonic Team member, having worked on the series as far back as Sonic 3D Blast. She's mostly been the Art Director on titles such as Sonic Lost World, Sonic Runners, and more, but Sonic Frontiers is the first time she will be stepping in as producer.
What makes this interesting is that she was the Lead Chao Artist on the Sonic Adventure titles, being in charge of the system that makes the creatures operate in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut. She's also gone on to say in interviews that she considers the Chao to be one of her favorite characters far as the franchise is concerned. As the producer, if she wanted to bring the Chao Gardens back, she very much could, provided that no one higher up than her said no.
There have also been other things that the Sonic franchise has done lately that hints towards a possible Chao Garden return as well, such as the official Sonic Minecraft collaboration map featuring its own Chao Garden. Sonic Team has been asked constantly about when the feature will return to Sonic games, and its answer has always been for fans to ask for it through feedback. With the efforts and inclusion of Chao in things such as Minecraft, the official merch, and more, many players have been able to say they want Chao back just by purchasing these products.
With the open-zone nature of Sonic Frontiers, rumored to have individual level segments to find on the Starfall Islands through leaks, it seems like the perfect game to have a Chao Garden in the middle of Sonic's escapades. While the feature is far from confirmed, leaving it out seems like a missed opportunity, especially since the time seems right for Chao raising to make a return to the franchise for several reasons. For the Chao fans that would love to see this feature return, the only thing that can be a yes or no to the idea is Sega or Sonic Team themselves with further Frontiers announcements.
Sonic Frontiers is scheduled to come out holiday 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
