Sonic Developer Highlights Lessons from Backrooms’ Popularity for the Gaming Industry

Sonic the Hedgehog series producer Takashi Iizuka believes the gaming industry can draw valuable lessons from the recent success of low-budget horror films like Backrooms.

“It’s a different type of media, but the movie industry is facing challenges similar to those in gaming,” Iizuka shared in an interview. “Then you have films like Backrooms and Obsession, which are smaller creative projects that have become major hits. This reflects a trend in gaming where the level of investment doesn’t always correlate with the entertainment value that players enjoy.”

Iizuka’s remarks about Backrooms came during a discussion about Sonic Pico Park, a game developed in collaboration with indie studio Tecopark. He commended Tecopark for their ability to rapidly iterate on ideas, a flexibility that larger studios often lack due to high expectations and lengthy development cycles.

In recent weeks, Backrooms and Obsession have surprisingly excelled at the box office. Despite their lower budgets compared to blockbuster titles, they have resonated with audiences and turned a profit, demonstrating that significant financial investment isn’t a prerequisite for success in theaters.

Iizuka is optimistic that this mindset can translate to video games, and the industry appears to be validating his perspective. As noted during a recent showcase, 10 out of the 14 new games on Steam that have sold over a million copies in 2026 are from indie developers. In contrast, high-budget titles like Marathon are struggling to meet their publishers’ lofty expectations, even when they receive positive feedback.

It seems that both the film and gaming industries are beginning to recognize that bigger and more expensive doesn’t always equate to better or more successful creations. This shift could lead to more engaging games like Sonic Pico Park and films like Backrooms.