While longtime Sonic The Hedgehog comic writer Ian Flynn is working on the upcoming Sonic Frontiers as previously reported, new developments suggest that he may be only working on the in-game dialogue, rather than the plot as a whole. Last December, Flynn was confirmed to be lending his talents to Sonic Frontiers, with the assumption he would be crafting Sonic Frontiers' storyline that follows Sonic running through the mysterious Starfall Islands at the behest of a disembodied voice.
Ian Flynn’s involvement in Sonic Frontiers was welcome news for fans of the Blue Blur’s illustrated adventures, as he was the lead writer for Archie’s long-running line of Sonic The Hedgehog comics. While he wasn’t without his share of detractors, Flynn was praised by many for reviving the Archie Sonic series following the departure of former head writer Ken Penders, while skillfully mixing in the humor and drama of the Sonic The Hedgehog games. He proved so popular among readers that IDW hired him for its newly-rebooted Sonic comic series built off the story of 2017’s Sonic Forces in a separate continuity.
Reddit user Valiosao recently noticed a statement from Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka regarding Ian Flynn’s role in the upcoming Sonic Forces, which they shared on the Sonic The Hedgehog subreddit (via The Gamer). In this statement, Iizuka explains his team hired Flynn to write the dialogue for Sonic Frontiers, praising him for being great at capturing Sonic’s trademark attitude and penchant for snarky comments during a recent interview with the GameSpot YouTube channel. This emphasis on dialogue rather than narrative, and Sega’s previous attempts to downplay Ian Flynn’s role in writing the game’s storyline, have led users in the comment section of Valiosao’s post to conclude Ian Flynn isn’t Sonic Frontiers’ head writer - though SEGA has yet to make an official statement either way.
Despite Sonic Frontiers’ plot largely being kept under wraps at this time, SEGA has started to show off the new platformer’s revamped gameplay as part of this month’s Summer Game Fest. While the resulting Sonic Frontiers gameplay trailers have been met with a lukewarm response due to the large open world Sonic navigates appearing empty and lifeless, early hands-on previews have praised Sonic Frontiers for its dynamic combat - which Takashi Iizuka hopes will bring the Sonic The Hedgehog series to new heights.
While some Sonic fans might be disappointed that Ian Flynn might not be crafting the overall narrative in Sonic Frontiers, he will still get the chance to showcase his talent for channeling Sonic's cocky attitude through the game’s dialogue, provided the new speculation regarding his involvement in Sonic Frontiers proves to be accurate. Regardless of who is writing the game’s plotline, players will be able to run through Sonic’s next big adventure when Sonic Frontiers launches sometime later this year.
Source: Valiosao/Reddit, GameSpot/YouTube, The Gamer