Expand the Chaos – Potential Sonic X Shadow Generations DLC and Future Updates

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a major success for SEGA, selling over 1 million units before the game’s standard edition launch. So with high sales like that, one would imagine this latest Sonic release would get future updates and DLC.

Sonic games aren’t strangers to this, with Sonic Frontiers having major updates across 2023 following its successful 2022 release. So today, we’ll discuss potential DLC and updates for SEGA’s latest Sonic and Shadow adventure.

Sonic Movie 3 DLC

Before we discuss DLC and updates that could come to Sonic X Shadow Generations, let’s touch on one already set for December 2024.

SEGA confirmed that a DLC pack celebrating Shadow’s appearance in Sonic 3 is coming to the game next month. It features Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves and taking on his Movie appearance, running through Sonic 3’s Tokyo. The level seemingly takes inspiration from Shadow the Hedgehog 2005’s Westopolis level, with the gameplay reveal featuring that as the background music.

Considering a proper level from Shadow’s own game never got included in base Shadow Generations, this could be SEGA’s way of including that while promoting a major movie. Regarding what the level could offer, I imagine it would feature two acts, not unlike zones in the main game.

The 3D Act 1 would match the footage shown at the reveal, with Act 2 potentially leaning more on elements featured in the other films. Or potentially, the movie version of Team Sonic going after Shadow, confusing him for the Movie version of the character.

Additional challenge acts could be a nice inclusion as well. However, the Zone could also function similarly to Radical Highway in Shadow Generations, featuring two acts but no optional challenge acts to complete.

A New Frontier – Year of Shadow Continues into 2025

Following the release of Sonic Frontiers, the game received major updates throughout 2023, capping off with a major expansion adding five/six hours of story content to the game. Similarly, I could see Shadow Generations receiving something similar to this.

The first update could feature additional challenge acts for the base game Zones, alongside Hard Mode versions of Act 1 and 2 for each Zone.

The second of these updates would be more substantial, adding new gameplay mechanics for Shadow, possibly giving him the Sonic Frontier’s Spin Dash, and adding new wrinkles to the speed-running metagame.

But the biggest of these possible updates would be a ‘Final Horizons’ campaign being added to Shadow Generations. In the base game, Sonic and Shadow’s White Spaces are connected by a long bridge, revealed in the final moments of Shadow’s adventure. Something could happen that causes Sonic to investigate Shadow’s White Space while his edgy friend is off fighting Black Doom.

This would allow Sonic, potentially having a moveset similar to Sonic Frontiers, to explore a modified White Space with new takes on Shadow’s levels. Sonic Team could add additional levels to the experience, letting Sonic run through locations featured in Sonic Mania, Sonic Superstars, Sonic Forces, and Sonic Frontiers.

Capping it all off with both Super Sonic and Super Shadow teaming up to fight a fused Black Doom and Time Eater hybrid? Sounds like a fantastic bonus campaign for Sonic X Shadow Generations.

Fighting Onward – Community Content Added to Sonic Generations

Additional DLC, featuring new zones to run through, was something the community requested for the 2011 release of Sonic Generations. Many iconic zones are included in the base game, but room for more was always welcomed with open arms.

With Sonic X Shadow Generations, SEGA doesn’t even have to make the levels, as the community themselves crafted amazing zones for Modern Sonic over the years. One includes a full recreation of Shadow the Hedgehog’s Sky Troops level, a canyon level where Shadow stormed through Eggman’s battleships while fighting his forces.

But the most famous one has to be the Unleashed Project.

This community-driven project added most of Sonic Unleashed’s Day Levels into Sonic Generations and it’s amazing. Finally playing through this with my gaming laptop, it smartly adapted Sonic Unleashed-based gimmicks with what’s included in Sonic Generations.

Part of me hopes this gets added to the Sonic Generations portion of the Sonic X Shadow Generations experience at some point. Sonic Unleashed is completely inaccessible for PlayStation and Nintendo Switch owners, so this being DLC would be amazing for those communities.

Closing Thoughts

While I think the overall package of Sonic X Shadow Generations is amazing in its own right, I welcome additional content with open arms. This is an evergreen game for DLC just for its concept of revisiting Sonic and Shadow’s history alone.

What levels would you like to see get added in the future? Or even additional playable characters? Let us know in the comments below!