Sonic Frontiers Devs Considered Adding A Chao Garden

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Sonic fans, we were so close to greatness. As it happens, the devs actually did consider adding a Chao garden in Sonic Frontiers, but decided against it, for whatever reason. That's according to Sonic Frontiers' director, Morio Kishimoto, who shared that he thought it would have been a great addition to the new open zone world.

However, don't get your hopes up for future updates. In a reply to a fan, Kishimoto makes it clear that the Chao garden won't be added to Frontiers further down the line, instead suggesting it could return in the next Sonic game.

Kishimoto's comments came after a fan asked if we could see the much-loved Chao garden feature return at some point. In response, Kishimoto confirms that it is indeed part of the conversation.

"This is a part that I thought about many times during the production of the main story," says Kishimoto (via Google Translate). "It is an attractive item that goes very well with the open zone."

Sadly, he then confirms we shouldn't expect it in the next update. "It's difficult with the scale of the update, but I also hope that there will be a chance to create an environment that we can actively consider in the next game."

本編制作時に何度も検討して悩んだ部分です。オープンゾーンと相性が非常に良い魅力的なモノです。アップデートの規模では難しいですが、次回作では積極的に検討できる環境が実現出来るチャンスがあることを私も期待しています。
— Morio Kishimoto (@moq_46) April 9, 2023

At the very least, we might be able to collect the adorable Chao in another game. And it's safe to say that Sega is actually aware of how much we want the garden to make a comeback now, so that bodes well.

In fact, Kishimoto himself has been keeping an eye on fan requests, and has already implemented a few of them into Sonic Frontiers. For example, the quality of life updates like quicker Cyber Space resets and being able to upgrade stats in bulk came from fan suggestions. At the time the update went live, Kishimoto said that it was bigger than the devs intended, with some of the additions not being advertised on the roadmap. So the playerbase is being listened to.

On that note, we already know that another much-requested feature will be added in the next Frontiers update. According to a datamine, Sonic will be able to spin dash soon, bringing back his most iconic ability. Once this was spotted, Kishimoto confirmed that this is indeed in the works, further pointing to how much attention he's paying to the community. C'mon Kishimoto, just chuck a few Chao in there after that, yeah?

The next Sonic Frontiers update will likely be with us in June, as it's meant to coincide with Sonic's birthday. So far, we know it will introduce new Koco, Open Zones challenges, and most likely the return of the spin dash ability.