When we think Sega, we think Sonic the Hedgehog, but there was a brief moment in the early 2000s where Sega tried something new. What the Sonic team came up with was Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, an action platformer where you play as a kid named Billy who tries to hatch chicken eggs in order to defeat evil crows.
If that brief description isn’t exactly selling Billy Hatcher for you, you’re not alone. Billy Hatcher received mixed reviews and was a commercial bomb when it was released back in 2003 on the GameCube. Which is a shame since it certainly wasn’t all bad. The idea of hatching over 70 unique eggs to get power-ups and little animal helpers was certainly unique, and there was some pretty sweet level design in Billy Hatcher, too.
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is still remembered fondly by its director, Shun Nakamura (via Nintendo Life), who tweeted a reply to another account posting screenshots of the nearly two-decades-old game. "Someday I would like to make his new adventure," he said, "if possible."
Nakamura first posted on the 27th and was surprised to find over 7,000 likes and tons of positive replies from fans just a day later. "I'm very happy to hear everyone's voice," he wrote, offering a sketch of Billy Hatcher's Giant Palace level and a message of "happy holidays."
Although the odds of a Billy Hatcher revival seem rather long, one bombed game didn't entirely remove Billy from Sega's roster. He made cameo appearances in several games, including Sega Superstars, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. A game might be out of the question, but an easter egg here and there would be a loving nod to fans.
Part of the reason why Billy Hatcher is unlikely to make a comeback is that Sega is running out of Billy advocates. Producer Yuji Naka worked on the 2003 title and helped create Sonic the Hedgehog, but has since been indicted for insider trading. It's alleged he bought Square Enix shares prior to a game announcement that saw the shares rise in price by millions of yen.
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