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After the success of Sonic Adventure, a follow-up was planned as Sonic Adventure 2, but this time development took place in an international division of Sega, that being Sonic Team USA in San Francisco, California.
For this game, the team wanted to build on previously-established mechanics that were made substandard in 3D Sonic games and try out some new ideas in the process. Much of the game's development and conceptualization has been kept secretive compared to other Sonic titles, some of it has been released to the public over the years.
Upon the game's release, it was a success, especially after Sega had withdrawn from the console market some time prior. It was best hailed as the blue blur's final venture on a Sega console at that time, before jumping ship to the GameCube and eventually to other platforms. The game is also retrospectively seen as one of the best titles in the series.
Development Timeline#
1999
- Sep. - Sonic Adventure 2 begins development following the American release of Sonic Adventure, which was when Sonic Team USA was formed in America to handle the overseas release of that game.
- Oct. 4 - A "follow-up" to Sonic Adventure is teased.1
2000
- Jan. - Charles Belfield, a representative of Sega of America confirms that Sonic Adventure 2 is in development for the Sega Dreamcast.2
- May - The game is revealed at E3.
- Sep 22-Oct. 1 - New screenshots were revealed in the span of ten days.
- October 2 - Japanese voice recording sessions begin.3 These sessions were conducted before the English voices were recorded, as those were still in the process of being implemented by the March 18, 2001 prototype.
- October 8 - Japanese voice recording sessions are completed.
- November 15 - The Japanese and US versions of Sonic Adventure 2: The Trial are built.
- circa. November-December - Sega signs a deal with Soap Shoes, which would appear in the game as advertisement, and eventually affecting Sonic's design.
2001
- June 19 - The game is released in North America.
- June 23 - The game is released in Japan and Europe.
1999-2000#
September#
Early Development#
Sonic Adventure 2's development started shortly after the American release of Sonic Adventure, where localization and quality-of-life improvements of the latter was handled. Unlike the previous game, it was developed in San Francisco under Sonic Team USA, composed of several members from Sega Japan.
The main target of developing the game was to take what made the previous game successful and take them to the extra mile, which was where the expanding the story came in.
Early Concepts
One of the original ideas for the story for it to be based on the player's decisions, where they stated an example of the player sinking in a submarine, and they could either escape or bring the submarine back. A system would be retooled for Shadow the Hedgehog.
Character Concepts
2000#
May#
E3 2000#
Sonic Adventure 2 was first announced at E3 2000 on May 11, 2000. This build has many differences from the final.
Trailer#
Watch on YouTubeOnly City Escape, Green Forest, Sky Rail, Pumpkin Hill and Iron Gate are shown in the video, though screenshots also show Aquatic Mine and the Chao Garden.
- This trailer reuses Introduction... featuring Open Your Heart from Sonic Adventure.
Characters
- Sonic is wearing his normal shoes, this was changed to SOAP shoes in the final.
- Tails, Rouge and Shadow's gameplay are absent.
- Sonic's running animation is smoother.
- Sonic's shoes has a different model than early screenshots and The Trial.
City Escape
- The rest of City Escape doesn't exist, just a long path that isn't in the final.
- The skybox is very simplistic, just a blue gradient, you can also see it end at certain points in the video.
- The vehicles on the sides were different, sporting more futuristic designs.
- Some of the textures used here can be found in LANDTX02.PRS, which is a level that doesn't exist in any version.
- The design of the GUN Truck is different.
Green Forest
- There's two robots present that aren't there in the final, though they are present in Preview.
- There's a lot of complex camera work that isn't present in the final.
- Some parts of the level seem different.
Sky Rail
- Sonic is in Sky Rail, in the final, only Shadow is.
- The cameras present here are actually in the final, but can only be seen with the Debug Menu.
- The fog seems to be missing.
- Some parts of the level aren't animated yet.
Screenshots#
The following screenshots appear to be from the trailer in a higher resolution.
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E3 2000 |
International |
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- Differences go here.
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E3 2000 |
International |
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- Differences go here.
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E3 2000 |
International |
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- Differences go here.
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E3 2000 |
International |
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- Differences go here.
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E3 2000 |
International |
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- Differences go here.
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E3 2000 |
International |
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- Differences go here.
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E3 2000 |
International |
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- Differences go here.
September#
Sonic Team Festival#
From September 22 to October 1, 2000, two screenshots were posted in the span of ten days on the Sonic Team website.
Day 1
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 2
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 3
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 4
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 5
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 6
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 7
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 8
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 9
Late September 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
Day 10
Early October 2000 |
Final |
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- Differences go here.
November#
Sonic Adventure 2 The Trial Commercial#
Watch on YouTubeA trailer for Sonic Adventure 2: The Trial, still based on an earlier build. (2:15-3:15)
- This trailer, also reuses Introduction... featuring Open Your Heart.
- The lighting in the Hero Story intro is much darker.
- Sonic's running animation is still much smoother than The Trial.
- The demo tape version of Escape from the City plays. Prior to November 2020, this was its only known use.
circa. November-December#
The SOAP Shoes Deal#
Just after The Trial build, Sega signs a deal with skate shoe company SOAP in order for their brand to be in the game. Not only it would be depicted as advertisments, but Sonic himself would get a pair of iconic grind shoes just for the game.
While it is unknown when the deal really took place, this piece of art above with a "2000" copyright estimates it to be around November-December.
2001#
circa. January#
"Focus Test" trailer#
Footage of a "Focus Test" version, being made between The Trial (November 2000) and Preview (April 2001):
- Barring the text "FOCUS TEST VERSION" below the logo, the title screen has already reached its final design at this point.
- Sonic is still wearing his classic shoes, putting a time frame for when the change took place.
- White Jungle's music seems to be different, having the same overall feel, but using much rougher instrumentation; presumably Kumatani's original composition before Wall5's arrangement.
- White Jungle's doesn't have the 10-minute timer, suggesting the time limit hadn't been implemented yet.
- The Phantasy Star Online ad has already been replaced with the Chao in Space 2 ad, while "THE PIXEL NOISE" is still used instead of the SOAP Shoes advertisement.
Trailer #3#
- Sonic is still wearing his normal shoes.
- The cameras shown in Iron Gate can also be found in the final.
- When Sonic meets Shadow, the lighting is very different.
circa. April#
Trailer #4#
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- Sonic is now wearing his SOAP shoes.
- Rouge, Tails, and Eggman are now shown to be playable.
- Tails is using the Tornado 2 from Sonic Adventure 1 in one cutscene. The water also isn't animated.