Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed has more Sega surprises in store, no human-hedgehog romance

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed interview with Sumo Digital's executive producer.

Sonic the Hedgehog and friends will once again race around impossible tracks in cartoony cars – and boats and planes – in Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed, Sega's new racing game that spans land, sea and air.

At E3, Polygon caught up with Sumo Digital's Joe Neate, executive producer on Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed, to learn a bit more about the Sonic the Hedgehog-headlining racer after our hands-on preview with the game. We touch on the game's new engine, new controls, "true boating" physics, and venture into unannounced detail territory.

Neate says Sumo's attaching an extra level of Sega "IP-ness" to the racing game, venturing further into the obscure with tracks that draw on Panzer Dragoon and Golden Axe, and including characters from Skies of Arcadia and Shinobi. Non-Sega franchise characters, like real life racer Danica Patrick, will be featured as well as still to be announced guest stars.

We also got answers to mysteries such as: What's changed mechanically? Why did Sega drop the "Sega" from the title? Why is Gillius Thunderhead riding around on statues come to life? And will Sonic the Hedgehog and Danica Patrick be romantically involved in some disturbing way?

Watch our E3 interview for the reassuring answers!

Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed will be out later this year for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and PC.