Reving Up the Engine – Sonic Racing CrossRoads Revealed

The Sonic series is no stranger to the racing genre. Originally going on the track on the SEGA Game Gear with Sonic Drift 1 & 2, the series explored different angles of racing across generations. From racing on foot in Sonic R on the Saturn, 2D player-vs-player races in Sonic Rivals on PSP, and even riding hoverboards in the Sonic Riders series.

Sonic and friends love racing, but SEGA’s most successful efforts have been with the Sumo Digital Sonic Racing titles. Following 2019’s Team Sonic Racing, Sonic and crew are jumping back in their rides for a cross-dimensional adventure.

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Revealed

The teaser trailer has Shadow getting his car ready, hopping in, and driving into a giant golden ring. Not much was shown but a few things caught my eye. The main thing is that Shadow kicks off the marketing campaign for this, not Sonic.

While one could assume this is merely following the ‘Fearless: Year of Shadow‘ marketing cycle that’s been happening throughout 2024, it could also indicate that the Ultimate Lifeform will have a major role in the title’s single-player campaign.

The trailer ends with Jeff commenting that he’s played the game in 2024. With no mainline Sonic game confirmed for 2024 and only rumors of a Sonic Heroes remake to ride off of, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds could be the big release for the Blue Blur in 2025.

Racing for AGES – SEGA Crossovers in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds?

Considering that this game is called ‘CrossRoads’, this potentially implies a return of SEGA characters and worlds joining the race. We haven’t seen this since Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. If so, this would be the first time Atlus characters from Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, and Metaphor: ReFantazio could be in a Sonic title.

In addition, other popular SEGA franchises getting revivals Virtua Fighter, Crazy Taxi, Shinobi, and Jet Set Radio could join the fun. This was my favorite aspect of Sonic & All-Stars Transformed and would love to see it return to the Sonic racing series.

Imagining a race track across Persona 5’s Casino Palace or hearing the legendary SEGA Sound Team take a stab at making a rock Metaphor: ReFantazio battle theme remix is quite exciting.

Sonic Across the Multiverse – Sonic Universes Could Collide

In the trailer, Shadow is driving in what looks to be the Toyko city from the Shadow Generations’ recent Sonic 3 (2024) DLC. One could argue that the assets used to make the Tokyo level will be reused for a track, and the same for other levels featured in this recent era of Sonic titles (Sonic Forces, Sonic Frontiers, Shadow Generations), the name of the game could imply something else entirely.

Lasting well over thirty years, Sonic is a franchise that spans multiple worlds. The Movie Universe from the Sonic films, the most recent cartoon in the series Sonic Prime, the comedic-focused world of Sonic Boom, and the loosely canon world of the IDW Comics. And that’s not including things like Sonic X and the Archie Comic Universe.

SEGA has been more willing to embrace all angles of the Sonic franchise if games like Shadow Generations imply anything. So taking all aspects of the Sonic universe and combining that into a crazy crossover racer? It’s a treat come true for diehard fans.

Worlds that never got adapted for the games getting a race track, characters trapped in the pages of the comics being playable racers, and even honoring all of the voice actors that graced the franchise with different iterations of Sonic and company playable; the possibles are endless.

Extreme Gear or Car? – Return of the Sonic Riders

In the trailer, Shadow’s garage didn’t just show his sick ride, but a hoverboard-looking object covered by a white cloth. Eagle-eyed Sonic fans looked into this and discovered it bears a resemblance to Jet’s board from Sonic Riders.

The idea of calling the game ‘CrossWorld’ could not only mean crossing universes together. It could imply different gameplay styles will be present.

Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity play quite differently than your typical kart racer. Sonic and friends ride hoverboards, and hoverbikes, and even use a variation of Shadow’s hover-skates to get across race tracks in style. The original Sonic Riders even had a deep trick system, directly linked to how much fuel you had for your ride. That, combined with a Sonic Heroes Speed/Flight/Power system, gave each track multiple routes to discover and kept the spirit of the platforming titles alive and well.

I don’t know if the ‘full’ gameplay systems from Sonic Riders will return in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, but even if it’s a limited iteration of the formula, it would be amazing to see it come back.

Who is Developing Sonic Racing CrossWorlds?

The past three Sonic Racing titles were developed by Sumo Digital, having a long-standing relationship with SEGA. Making OutRun games for SEGA in the early 2000s across console and PSP, they started the SEGA Superstars franchise.

Crossing over various SEGA franchises, it started with an EyeToy mini-game collection and a solid Tenis game. But they followed SEGA Superstars Tenis with Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and have handled Sonic’s racing efforts ever since.

But most surprisingly, the teaser trailer for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds did not say who was making it. Surely, Sonic Team is helping with the project, just like they did with 2019’s Team Sonic Racing.

If Sumo Digital isn’t making it, one must ask who is developing Sonic CrossRoads. One possibility is SEGA HardLight, the publisher’s top mobile developer. Currently handling various Sonic mobile projects like Sonic Forces: Speed Battle and the enjoyable Apple Arcade 3D platformer Sonic Dream Team, seeing them step up to a Sonic console title is exciting.

They did make an iOS version of Team Sonic Racing with Sonic Racing for Apple Arcade, so they aren’t strangers to the racing genre.

Closing Thoughts

I loved SEGA’s past efforts in taking the Blue Blur into the racing genre. So seeing them return with another quality racing title is exciting. More so with both Crash Team Racing and Mario Kart nowhere in sight, letting SEGA have a fantastic running start.

Are you excited about SEGA making a new racing title with Sonic and friends? Let us know in the comments below!