Via the Sonic Stadium comes news that SEGA’s Hardlight studio, the team behind Sonic Jump, is now at work on another Sonic title named Sonic Dash. The news came by way of job advertisements posted by the studio on LinkedIn. Sonic Dash is listed as a recent title, with Sonic Jump also being listed. The title has since been removed, but Sonic Stadium screen capped it to prove that they’re not talking nonsense. The job posting, pre-edit, read as follows:
Hardlight is SEGA’s third UK based studio and is focused exclusively on creating high quality, innovative game experiences for mobile and handheld platforms.
The Studio comprises small, agile teams working on new IP & well-known SEGA IP. Project durations are 5-10 months, building on the success of their first projects on iOS – Sonic Jump & Sonic Dash – Hardlight is now working on some new & exciting projects.
The team follows an ethos of staying compact, agile and focused – combining talent from a variety of game genres and backgrounds, and welcomes applications from candidates of all levels of experience.
More than likely, Sonic Dash will be a sidescrolling endless runner, not unlike the free app released around Sonic’s 20th anniversary entitled Sonic the Sketchhog or the more recent Sonic and Nike game Sonic X Vapor. The job listing appears to be for projects following Sonic Dash, which implies that the game is already finished and is awaiting release. Given that the game’s name came right from Hardlight and SEGA, we’re treating it as news but will slap a “rumor” tag on it just in case.
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How about we get some news on a new console Sonic title Sega…….
Given that the original built off the success of Doodle Jump and the name, I say this game will be a Temple Run inspired Sonic game.
You’re right about the Temple Run comparison, however the Sonic Jump concept does predate Doodle Jump by 3 years. I do agree, though, that SEGA most likely saw Doodle Jump getting big bucks with a concept they executed 3 years before, and resurrected the game for iOS. Thus building off the success, even though they themselves were the originator.
Good call Aki-at, I think you’re right about this and I’m interested in seeing if it is true.
Off-topic but it would be nice if Hardlight would be also a Studio managing Arcade ports from Sega of Japan (the modern games). I mean they are of bigger caliber so far as we heard that the action/adventure title for VITA wasn’t cancelled. Also it’s mostly people form the closed Sega Racing Studio?
SUMO has been too busy for it, and Japan just takes too long, or has too few people.