Why did Sega decide to jettison the design/persona of "Classic Sonic" for the 3D era? and other Q's

This guy restored the classic look Sonic had on SA. I can see why they ended up changing the design, but I think it made the character less appealing in the long run.

 

wow I'm dumb. this would explain why I found nothing while trying to find scans of it.

but seriously, it's almost there. he already has the noodly fingers. I could've sworn I saw one that was even closer though, by Uekawa, that had him smiling with fangs in it. The pose was even re-used for an Adventure-style artwork. It might be buried in the gigantic rare art topic.

I definitely prefer that Tyson one. It's flexible but also cute.

I also really, really like the sorta-kinda Toei-ish style Sonic had in the Mania Adventures shorts. It's a shame we likely won't get it.