Endless runner or infinite runner is a subgenre of platform game in which the player character runs for an infinite amount of time while avoiding obstacles. The player's objective is to reach a high score by surviving for as long as possible. The method by which the game level or environment appears to continuously spawn before the player is an example of procedural generation . The genre exploded on mobile platforms following the success of Doodle Jump , Canabalt , and Temple Run being other popular examples. Its popularity is attributed to its simple gameplay that works well on touchscreen devices.
49-589: Sonic Dash is a 2013 endless runner mobile game developed by Hardlight and published by Japanese game studio Sega . It is Hardlight's second Sonic the Hedgehog game, the first being 2012's Sonic Jump . The game was released in March 2013 for iOS , November 2013 for Android , and December 2014 for Windows Phone and Windows , along with an arcade release in November 2015 as Sonic Dash Extreme . It
98-591: A British development studio owned by Sega, began developing Sonic Dash after completing Sonic Jump . Selection of the game for development came from the insistence of parent company Sega Sammy Holdings president and COO Haruki Satomi. Although the game received mixed reviews, Sonic Dash reached 500 million downloads in September 2021. Hardlight continues to support the game with updates , additional characters, and features. Sequels have also been produced based on Sonic Boom and Sonic Forces . Sonic Dash
147-442: A Christmas 2012 release, but was delayed to March 2013. In a November 2012 interview with UK toy trade magazine Toys 'n' Playthings , Sega Europe employee Sissel Henno confirmed that Sega would have "several new digital titles" in 2013. On February 28, 2013, the title Sonic Dash was spotted on a listing from a LinkedIn profile. On March 1, 2013, Sega announced the game, with an official press release going out on March 4. The game
196-432: A November 2017 interview, Hardlight was continuing to work on updates for Sonic Dash , Sonic Dash 2 , and Crazy Taxi: City Rush . In a February 2020 interview, Jones expressed the studio's surprise at the longevity of Sonic Dash , having been downloaded more than 350 million times and earned more than $ 10.1 million . He spoke on the implementation of new features to keep the game interesting, as well as additions such as
245-405: A demo of Sonic Dash and liked it so much that he insisted it be developed. Southall stated that the concept for Sonic Dash began with looking at elements of Sonic games and deciding what gameplay aspects would work on a mobile phone . He called an into-the-screen running game an "obvious thing" and not unlike some sequences in the console game series. Sonic Dash was initially scheduled for
294-537: A former Codemasters employee who helped to found Sega Racing Studio . According to Southall, Sega's desire to develop more mobile games led to Hardlight's foundation in 2012. Around the time of Hardlight's relaunch of Sonic Jump in October 2012, the studio was working on Sonic the Hedgehog and Crazy Taxi games. Although initially faced with difficulty deciding which to develop, Sega Sammy Holdings president and chief operating officer (COO) Haruki Satomi saw
343-469: A level set in an environment based on the Seaside Hill level of Sonic Heroes . Rings can be collected throughout the levels or purchased via microtransactions , along with red star rings. Accumulated rings and Red Star Rings can be used to purchase power-ups, upgrades, or unlock additional playable characters. The game also features a mission system, giving players an objective to target as they play
392-438: A new track, five new characters, two of which are exclusive to Prime Dash, a boss battle which are all from the series Sonic Prime , and a shortcut to Sonic Prime on Netflix, but the game is otherwise ad-free with any plan, and there are no in-app purchases. Review aggregator Metacritic labeled Sonic Dash as having "mixed or average reviews". Scott Nichols of Digital Spy referred to it as "the best Sonic has played on
441-438: A port of Team Sonic Racing — for Apple Arcade , which were released on the service's launch date of 19 September 2019. Production of ChuChu Rocket! Universe took approximately eight months starting with a team of 15 people that doubled in size over time. In designing the game, a sequel of the 1999 Dreamcast game ChuChu Rocket! , Hardlight had to redesign the game in full 3D. According to director Paul Twynholm, testing of
490-483: A recurring theme of endless running gameplay. Atomic Runner Chelnov (1988), while also a shooter, has many of the hallmarks of a modern runner with forced scrolling and long jumping onto platforms to avoid hazards. The 1990 Amiga and TV show game Hugo featured sequences of 3d endless running. SkiFree (1991) by Chris Pirih and released in Microsoft Entertainment Pack 3 is probably
539-460: A smartphone yet", while Jim Squires of Gamezebo lauded the game for being "the first time in 20 years that Sega has put out a Sonic game that you absolutely have to play". David Craddock of TouchArcade compared Sonic Dash favorably to the special stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . Chris Carter of Destructoid praised the controls, finding that the "swipe"-based motions worked better than
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#1732782544184588-583: A team, and served as chief technology officer for Sega Europe. According to Southall, Sega's desire for more development of mobile games led to Hardlight's foundation. The initial studio was in Dorridge , Solihull , in the West Midlands . Shortly after its formation, Sega announced that Hardlight was in development on a PlayStation Vita action-adventure game, to be released in late 2012. Hardlight also performed some research and development work for
637-645: Is a British video game developer founded by Sega and based in Leamington Spa , England. Revealed in January 2012, it is focused on mobile games for smartphones and became a part of Sega Europe in 2019. Founded by Sega employee Chris Southall, Hardlight initially began work on research and development for handheld game consoles , but soon shifted to mobile games after being asked by Sega as part of an initiative to increase mobile game development outside of Japan. Hardlight developed several mobile games in
686-634: Is a variant of Sonic Dash . It was released on April 5, 2022 for Apple Arcade members, and it requires an active membership to this service and a compatible device with iOS 13 / iPadOS 13 or newer. Dash+ is ad-free, and there are no in-app purchases. Sonic Prime Dash is another variant of Sonic Dash . It was released on July 13, 2023 for Netflix members, to coincide with the second season of Sonic Prime , and it requires an active membership to any Netflix plan. The game requires an Android device with Android 8 or newer, or an Apple device with iOS 15 / iPadOS 15 or newer. Prime Dash features
735-508: Is an endless runner , similar to Temple Run (2011) and Rayman Jungle Run (2012). The player directs Sonic or another character through levels , collecting rings and avoiding obstacles and enemies. Unlike other games in the series, Sonic automatically moves forward at all times, similar to Sonic and the Secret Rings . Players are able to share and compete for position on leaderboards. The game features 3D graphics , including
784-579: Is chasing them and die. The genre has its origins in the vertically scrolling video games of the 1970s, primarily racing games. The player always moves forward, avoiding obstacles and other vehicles. Taito's Speed Race , released in 1974, was the first. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the same concept was used in skiing games. Vehicle-oriented platform games, like Jump Bug (1981) and Moon Patrol (1982), added both jumping and shooting as ways to deal with obstacles in continually scrolling levels. The home game B.C.'s Quest for Tires (1983) uses
833-404: Is to have the character dodge obstacles, either by moving out of the way or using a specific button. Some form of points, currency, or other rewards are gained over time by maneuvering in the level or simply staying alive longer. The game progressively increases in difficulty as time goes on. The player has a game over if they are hindered enough by the obstacles that they are "caught" by whatever
882-475: The Sonic the Hedgehog and Crazy Taxi series. Although initially faced with difficulty deciding which to develop, Sega Sammy Holdings president and chief operating officer (COO) Haruki Satomi saw a demo of Sonic Dash and liked it so much that he insisted it be developed. Sonic Dash was initially scheduled for a Christmas 2012 release, but would not be released until March 2013. The studio's next title
931-475: The Sonic the Hedgehog and Crazy Taxi video game series and its games received numerous downloads, with Sonic Dash having been downloaded millions of times. Hardlight was founded by Chris Southall, a former Codemasters employee who also helped to found Sega Racing Studio and revealed by Sega in January 2012. After working with Sega Racing Studio, Southall worked in Sega technical support areas along with
980-528: The App Store was full of 2D endless runner clones . Some of the more popular 2D mobile titles included Tiny Wings (February 2011), Jetpack Joyride (September 2011), Punch Quest (2012) and Flappy Bird (2013). Running with Friends (2013) is notable in its effort to integrate with Facebook to support social multiplayer running. Endless runners became known for the addictiveness of their gameplay. This also led to them being monetized using
1029-567: The Danimals mascot in May 2021. The Android version of the game also features an exclusive character in the form of the Android robot. Content themed around the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog films and IDW comic series has been added, as well as a "Zone Builder" feature. Sonic Dash was developed by Hardlight , a development studio under Sega Europe . Hardlight was founded by Chris Southall,
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#17327825441841078-527: The Free to Play model. Monetization tactics used in endless runners included virtual currencies (using In app purchases on mobile and support for: Hugo featured 3D endless running already in 1990. Bit.Trip Runner (2010) added rhythm game elements and was also one of the first in the genre to be rendered in 2.5D . Another of the earliest 3D titles in the genre was Temple Run (August, 2011), introducing an over-the-shoulder viewpoint. Temple Run
1127-606: The Nintendo 3DS . According to studio manager Sion Lenton, Hardlight employed 21 employees at this time, in addition to contracted staff, and had a goal of remaining small for the moment. By September 2012, Hardlight had completed a port of Viking: Battle for Asgard for PC. Sega would make the decision to focus more on mobile games in the west, having had success in Japan. Hardlight was asked to shift its focus to developing games for iOS and Android systems. Their first project
1176-401: The bottom of the screen or hitting an obstacle. It was to pave the way for even more popular titles. The prototypical endless runner, building on Doodle Jump 's success, was Canabalt (August 2009), an indie game developed by Adam Saltsman in which the player flees from a city being destroyed by giant robots that is procedurally generated and infinite. Cannabalt used distance gained as
1225-407: The concept of free-to-play for a company like Sega was a hot topic for discussion." An Android version was released on November 26, 2013, and a Windows Phone and PC release occurred on December 3, 2014. According to Southall in a November 2017 interview, Hardlight was continuing to work on updates for Sonic Dash . In a February 2020 interview, new Hardlight studio manager Neall Jones expressed
1274-465: The earliest true endless runner and was inspired by the 1980 Atari 2600 cartridge Skiing . The player skis down an endless slope with procedurally generated obstacles, pursued by large indestructible yetis . Score is based on distance traveled. Battletoads (1991) has several forced scrolling areas where the player is required to avoid hazards and obstacles. In Genji Tsuushin Agedama (1991)
1323-491: The forced-scrolling and jumping gameplay of Moon Patrol . The idea of being chased relentlessly by an indestructible obstacle, monster, or boss to enforce forward progression was greatly influenced by the boulder scene from the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark . This theme appeared in games like Draconian (1984) in which the player must avoid obstacles while being pursued by an invincible giant dragon. This would become
1372-401: The game "a lot of fun to play, though it's probably best off experienced in short bursts". Speed Battle had been downloaded over 100 million times. Endless runner Endless runners can be side-scrolling , as in the genre's early titles, top-down, or 3D, but the player is placed in a neverending level in which the character automatically moves forward. The player's only form of control
1421-608: The game had to occur internally because the game could not be soft launched for Apple Arcade. Twynholm acknowledged a desire to bring back Sega franchises in future Hardlight releases. By June 2015, Sonic Dash had been downloaded over 100 million times across multiple different platforms, and had 14 million players per month. By November 2017, Sonic Dash 's download count was over 300 million. Within its first five days of release , Sonic Forces Speed Battle had been downloaded 1.3 million times, and reached 2 million downloads within its first two weeks. According to Southall in
1470-505: The game. The game features several playable characters from the Sonic universe . Characters are unlocked by purchasing them with Red Star Rings or real-world currency. After the game's release, further updates added additional characters and new features. On October 31, 2013, an update was released that included a boss battle against Zazz, a member of the Deadly Six from Sonic Lost World . A similar boss battle against Doctor Eggman
1519-781: The iOS version, the game included compatibility with the Apple Watch via a companion app. Like the original game, Sonic Dash 2 has received "mixed or average reviews" according to Metacritic . A mobile tie-in to Sonic Forces , Sonic Forces: Speed Battle , was released in 2017. It features similar gameplay to Sonic Dash , but is based on competitive online multiplayer. Within its first five days of release , Sonic Forces: Speed Battle had been downloaded 1.3 million times, and reached 2 million downloads within its first two weeks. By April 21, 2020, Sonic Forces: Speed Battle had been downloaded over 50 million times and reached US$ 4.2 million in revenue. Ric Cowley of Pocket Gamer called
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1568-492: The main scoring system. These were both common elements of subsequent runners. The 2D scroller limited movement to leaping and dodging obstacles simply by touching the screen, overcoming control limitation of touchscreen devices. Adult Swim Games soon asked Saltsman for permission to adapt Canabalt 's design into their own title, and released Robot Unicorn Attack (2010). It became an internet meme due to Adult Swim's larger audience and its quirky themes. Within just months,
1617-433: The modern Temple Run clone. It also includes levels where Crash must constantly stay ahead of a large boulder or pursuing dinosaur. The emergence of the touchscreen on smart phones and tablets paved the way for the type of simplistic game controls which gave birth to the modern genre. Doodle Jump (April 2009), a vertical scroller, was one of the first mobile titles to be endless, with game only ending when falling to
1666-430: The notable titles: Pitfall! (2012), Rayman Jungle Run (2012), Rayman Fiesta Run , Sonic Dash and Pac-Man Dash! (2013), Crossy Road (2014), Lara Croft: Relic Run and Pac-Man 256 (2015). Original titles were often lost in the sea of generic titles, rare exceptions were Race The Sun (2013) and Alto's Adventure (2015) which received positive reviews. Google 's Dinosaur Game (2014)
1715-498: The player is constantly running in a forced scrolled environment. The pinball machine Doctor Who (1992) includes a video mode with forced running and avoiding obstacles. SFCave (1996) is a Windows 3.1 game that involves flying through an endless cave without hitting the walls. The 3D platform game Crash Bandicoot (1996) focuses on forward movement within corridors primarily in third person perspective, including obstacles and hazards that prevent backward motion, very similar to
1764-400: The repetitiveness and in-app purchases that ranged from "not needed" to "pretty damn annoying". He described the leaderboard system as " pay-to-win ... you can literally pay your way to the top of these leaderboards if you’re willing to spend enough premium red rings". Rich Stanton of Eurogamer felt that the in-app purchases were motivated by greed. Edge said the level design "feels like it
1813-559: The same announcement, Sega emphasized that Hardlight would continue its focus on mobile games. Neall Jones, formerly of Codemasters, Traveller's Tales , and Eidos Interactive was announced to be the studio's new director; Southall and operations head Harinder Sangha departed for Sumo Digital . Jones anticipated that the studio's staff will double over time. He also expressed a belief in more intellectual property for PCs and consoles will see more releases for mobile devices. Hardlight developed ChuChu Rocket! Universe and Sonic Racing—
1862-655: The studio's surprise at the longevity of Sonic Dash , having been downloaded more than 350 million times and earned more than US $ 10.1 million . He spoke on the implementation of new features to keep the game interesting, as well as additions from the Sonic the Hedgehog film . Sonic Dash Extreme is an arcade port of Sonic Dash . It was announced at the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, Florida, USA in November 2015, and it uses traditional controls instead of touch screen controls. Sonic Dash+
1911-483: The tilt-based ones typical of the endless runner genre. Edge praised the smoothness of the gameplay and quality of the graphics, but criticized the "cruel" placement of the enemies behind obstacles. Justin Davis of IGN praised the snappy, responsive controls but criticized the enemy placement. Harry Slater of Pocket Gamer said the game's speed makes it more challenging than other endless runners. Carter criticized
1960-425: The upcoming 2017 release of Sonic Forces . While development of the game began with a small team of three or four developers, up to 28 were involved with the project as the game closed in on its release. In April 2019, Hardlight was integrated more closely into Sega Europe, structuring it as one of five "pillars" alongside Creative Assembly , Sports Interactive , Relic Entertainment , and Amplitude Studios . In
2009-555: Was Crazy Taxi: City Rush . The concept for developing a mobile Crazy Taxi game came from the original Sega AM3 producer, Kenji Kanno. Hardlight worked with Kanno on design aspects for the game. Subsequently, Hardlight released Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom and Sonic Jump Fever . After these releases, all of which were casual games, Hardlight began looking at developing a more strategy-oriented game involving multiplayer. After some discussions with Sonic Team , Hardlight began working on Sonic Forces Speed Battle , to tie in with
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2058-501: Was a remake of Sonic Jump , which had originally been developed for the T-Mobile Sidekick and released in 2005. Southall called development of the remake "an interesting learning process". Hardlight relocated its studio around that time to Leamington Spa , a town with a community of video game developers in the area. By the time of Sonic Jump 's launch in October 2012, the studio was working on developing titles in
2107-615: Was added in a later update. Several characters from other non-Sega franchises have been added to the game as part of temporary cross-promotional events, available to unlock only during a limited time period. These include the Angry Birds characters Red, Chuck and Bomb during June 2015; the Sanrio characters Hello Kitty , My Melody , Chococat and Badtz-Maru during December 2016; Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man in February 2018, and Bongo
2156-412: Was announced as an exclusive for mobile phones, with iOS the only platform explicitly mentioned, stating that it would be available on the App Store "soon". Although the game was initially released as a paid application, it was made free-to-play a month later. According to Southall, the decision to make the app free took significant internal discussion. He stated, "Coming from a long console history,
2205-560: Was followed by numerous clones and 3D innovations. Among the more popular third person 3D titles were Subway Surfers and Agent Dash (2012). Subway Surfers went on to become the most popular game of the 2010s, the first game to reach 1 billion downloads and with a total of 2.7 billion downloads achieved revenues of over $ 80 million through monetization. During the 2010s, numerous large franchises adapted their gameplay into endless runner mobile spin-offs . The 2010s these included reboots of classic video games as endless runners including
2254-430: Was initially released as a paid application, but was made free-to-play a month after its iOS release. The goal of Sonic Dash is to avoid obstacles and enemies while collecting rings. In mission mode, players must complete objectives. Players can compete for higher positions on leaderboards. Rings, which can be earned through gameplay or purchased in app , allow access to upgrades and additional characters. Hardlight,
2303-454: Was made with in-app Continue purchases specifically in mind". A review for MacLife said Sonic Dash "fumbles the fundamentals and aggravates with heavy-handed in-app purchases". In March 2013, the game received more than 22.6 million downloads. By June 2015, Sonic Dash had been downloaded over 100 million times across multiple different platforms, and had 14 million players per month. By November 2017, Sonic Dash 's download count
2352-533: Was over 300 million, and was over 350 million by March 2020. As of April 2020, the game reached 400 million downloads. In September 2021, the download count surpassed 500 million. A sequel based on the Sonic Boom TV series, Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom , was soft-launched on Android devices in Canada on July 1, 2015, and received a full iOS launch in October, along with a later full Android launch. For
2401-443: Was released at the height of the endless running craze with developers in September 2018 revealling that it had been played approximately 270 million times monthly. Microsoft was later to do the same with Surf (2020). Post 2010s the format has been criticised for being uninspired, particularly the adapted franchises, and a genre lacking ongoing innovation. Hardlight Hardlight (stylised as HARDlight )
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