

Frontiers, therefore, comes off less as jumping onto a bandwagon and more of a culmination of Sonic Team and Sega's relationship with fans. However, fans have been making 3D Sonic games focused around an open-world for over half a decade.

Some have noted that Frontiers seems to be falling into the all-too-common trend of Breath of the Wild and other AAA franchises adopting open-world gameplay. While technically not the first game in the Sonic series to have a sandbox-style hub-world, Frontiers appears to make what Sega is calling its "open-zone" its primary focus, with so many ramps and corners for the Blue Blur to run around in and explore. Showcasing a more epic fantasy tone and design similar to the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, the primary takeaway is a departure from traditional timed level-by-level mission design and an embracing of an open world for Sonic to run around in.

One of The Game Awards 2021's biggest announcements was the reveal trailer for Sonic Frontiers, a new game from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
