Indie Dimps revealed as Sonic 4 developer

Sega has placed faith in an external indie developer to build on its treasured Sonic franchise.

Osaka-based Dimps – developers of Capcom’s Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD – were hired last year to build the new episodic Sonic game.

Dimps’ experience with digitally-distributed titles is a key factor for the lucrative deal; Street Fighter HD saw the studio build a game with high-res assets yet packaged efficiently enough to be an XBLA title.

Kotaku spotted the Dimps deal from Microsoft’s official Xbox page. The publication also points out that Dimps had previously worked on two Sonic games – Sonic Rush and Sonic Advance.

Sega, and Sonic Team itself, has over the last ten years been subjected to a wave of criticism concerning the treatment of the Sonic franchise.

A string of disappointing Sonic games has even been the inspiration of a ridiculing flow-chart.