How Sonic Rumble departs from Mario Party with its multiplayer style

For decades now, Mario Party The franchise has reigned supreme as the best multiplayer party games you can play with friends on your couch – or now online. Despite the challenges presented by games like Fuzion Frenzy, Super Monkey Ball, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and more, none of them stole Nintendo’s crown.

But now, Sega is making a play in the casual party game space with Sonic Rumble, a new title featuring the company’s iconic hedgehog and his friends. The free-to-play game is now available on PC, as well as on mobile devices for iOS and Android phones, allowing up to 32 players to join matches.

Sega’s hedgehog mascot is no stranger to party games, but entries like Sonic Shuffle on the Dreamcast and Sega Superstars on PlayStation 2 appeared decades ago. For the publisher’s latest take on Sonic’s multiplayer title, Sonic Rumble producer Takashi Iizuka answered questions via email, ranging from adapting Sonic’s “I’ve Gotta Go Fast” move to multiplayer multiplayer and whether other famous Sega stars will make cameo appearances.

Q: There are some party games that have solidified the genre, like Mario Party. Aside from the cast of Sonic characters, how does Sonic Rumble differentiate itself from other party games?
Iizuka: While many other party games have their charm, our vision for Sonic Rumble was to combine the speed of classic arcade games with the high-stakes competitive energy of a battle royale game. We call this combination “Arcade Royale.”

Each stage is designed to keep the mayhem in full blast, whether players are hurtling through obstacle courses or scrambling to collect rings before time runs out. What really sets Sonic Rumble apart is how it blends accessibility with intensity. We wanted it to be easy for anyone to get involved and play, while maintaining the excitement that fans have come to know and love from the Sonic series.

With the live service aspect of Sonic Rumble, we plan to continually introduce new elements, from surprise collaborations to limited-time events, keeping the game fresh and fun for years to come.

When designing Sonic Rumble, what guidelines did the team/studio adhere to to make sure it felt like a Sonic game?
Iizuka: We wanted to create a game that both new and old fans would love, and that could be played on the go or at home on their PC.

Sonic Rumble needed to embody what makes Sonic special, not just through the characters, but through the gameplay itself. This means focusing on movement, momentum, and controlling characters within the environment, so even in this new multiplayer format, gameplay still feels authentic to the Sonic experience. We also wanted to make sure that Toy World itself captured the spirit of Sonic, with bright arenas, upbeat music, and lots of personality. Even if Sonic Rumble is a completely new type of Sonic game, players will instantly recognize the spirit and rhythm of the series in every match and mode.

The gameplay shown in the trailer has a clear audio feel – racing along tracks, jumping on bumpers, collecting rings and so on. How did the team adapt this to team play?
Iizuka: We didn’t just put the Sonic characters in a stereotypical party environment; We’ve made Sonic’s mechanics and gameplay the foundation of Sonic Rumble. We achieved this adaptation through strategic shifts in familiar elements.

In Sonic Rumble, rings are the high-risk resource, not protection as in previous Sonic titles. We’ve made the Ring collection essential to victory, allowing players to steal it from each other. The Dashing mechanic is another example, where something normally used for speed can now be used to attack. By updating these core moves and abilities, we’ve added another layer of strategy and skill to the competition.

The recently released Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds features a deep roster of Sonic characters as well as several other Sega franchises, such as Yakuza and Super Monkey Ball. Will Sonic Rumble also have crossover characters? What about characters from Sonic lore (like Chaotix or Sonic the Werehog)?
Iizuka: Our immediate priority is to ensure that Sonic Rumble is fun and satisfying for our core fan base as well as for players new to the Sonic series. This means focusing on the amazing depth of the sonic universe. We know how necessary customization is and are deeply committed to allowing players to customize Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Dr. Fully empower Eggman through unique skins, skills, and in-game emotes.

Since Sonic Rumble is a live-service title, it has the potential to evolve and expand over time. At launch, fans can look forward to the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie Crossover event, which brings together elements like the Movie Shadow skin and epic battles in the iconic Shibuya Crossing arena. We’ve also incorporated characters and figures from the SEGA Stars Crossover event, featuring beloved icons like Opa-Opa and Upa-Upa from Fantasy Zone, AiAi and MeeMee from Monkey Ball, and characters from Altered Beast, Bonanza Bros., Pengo, and Phantasy Star.

Sonic Rumble is available now on PC, iOS App Store, and Google Play Store.