Sega has said it recognised the need to revitalise Sonic and bring something new to the franchise during discussion on the recently announced Sonic RPG for DS.
"An RPG was something totally different for Sonic, it felt fresh and exciting. Knowing that we had the opportunity to work with a renowned developer like BioWare on this game confirmed that it was the right opportunity for us to now bring this vision to life", Sega of America President and COO Simon Jeffrey told IGN.
"Collaborating with the BioWare team was an ideal way to ensure that there were two solid reputations behind the game - the creators of Sonic and experts in the RPG genre", Jeffrey explained when asked why Sega decided not to develop the DS game internally.
BioWare itself is still keeping lips tightly sealed when it comes to game details, but the developer's president Greg Zeschuk did say, "the Nintendo DS capabilities will allow us to innovate and create a very compelling game that will appeal to an all-ages worldwide audience while still providing a deep, rich experience to satisfy the traditional BioWare fan".
CEO of BioWare Ray Muzyka added, "...we can say that we will be using many of DS's feature sets and we'll really be pushing the limits of what the system can do, always striving to innovate in what we deliver, as in all BioWare games."