Sonic Colors - what the writing team brings to the table

A portion of a UGDB interview with Keith Dwyer from Sega America…

UGDB: During E3 it was revealed that MadWorld and Happy Tree Friends writers, Ken Pontac and Warren Graff are writing the script for Sonic Colors, what have these two writers brought to the game that you haven’t seen before? Were there any ideas that didn’t make it to the final version, if so, why?

Keith Dwyer: Ken and Warren bring a unique wit to the story in the way they blend the base narrative and have fun with the idiosyncrasies of Sonic’s universe. They are really solid writers with a good sense of timing and humor and it was great to see their insights and experience influence the direction of the game. I think that you’ll see a fundamentally different kind of story than we’ve ever had in a previous Sonic game; it’s entertaining and without the incongruous attempts at “serious themes” seen in some past titles.

Their contribution is important not just for the good story but because it further illustrates that there is room for good and entertaining storytelling in video games and that storytelling should be treated with the same care and enthusiasm that goes into the graphics, audio and other game components. Also, as Sonic is so much more popular in the West, it helps greatly to have a story written to appeal to the West, rather than try to adapt one that is intended to resonate with a different culture.