Following the success of the ‘Fearless: Year of Shadow’ initiative, SEGA and the Sonic franchise celebrate another. Called ‘Racing Around the World’, SEGA will have Sonic and friends celebrate the speedy nature of Sonic with mobile tie-ins, merch, and more leading up to the launch of Sonic Racing CrossRoads.
Join yours truly as we break down all the announcements and plans SEGA announced for this initiative.
Gotta Race Fast – What is ‘Racing Around the World’
Following an exciting trailer, SEGA shared the following comments via the official ‘Racing Around the World’ website:
Join us in 2025 for an exciting celebration of Racing Around the World, dedicated to fans everywhere! Together, we’ll set the pace, fuel our passion for speed, and accelerate the competition. It’s a thrilling, high-octane ride filled with countless adventures and electrifying moments throughout the year.
Breaking down the trailer, the background music is a remix of ‘White Cave’ from Sonic Riders, with a recent gameplay clip for Sonic Racing CrossRoads confirming the tracks’ return. In addition, it showed off new animation work for classic characters like Knuckles, Rouge, and Shadow.
Partnering with RedBull, they gave a fast set of wings to stunt driver Brandon Semenuk, who said the following about being part of this exciting reveal trailer:
“Before I ever sat in a real race car, I was playing Sonic the Hedgehog, racing games, really anything with speed. That was my intro to racing. It all started with pixels and a controller, but the obsession with going fast was real from day one. Getting to work with SEGA on this project was full circle–bringing racing into more people’s hands the same way it started for me.”
Getting people who love the series to celebrate it in style continues to be the mantra of SEGA and Sonic Team. It’s amazing to see that continue.
Escaping the City – Mobile Games & Crossovers
But it’s not a mere trailer to hype up the event, as SEGA also reveals various partnerships to celebrate ‘Racing Around the World’.
Gameloft is the first partnership, with Asphalt Legends getting a major Sonic collaboration with music, decals, and more coming to the title for a limited-time event. In addition, SEGA’s partnership with Roblox continues with the ‘Racing Around the World’ website, hinting at an upcoming update for Sonic Speed Simulator.
Kicking Up the Board – Sonic Racing CrossRoad
Being the cornerstone of this movement is the upcoming Sonic Racing CrossRoads. SEGA reminded fans of the exciting racing title with a light refresher on the series’ long history of racing games.
The video spans every major race Sonic and pals experienced, alongside teasing surprises for SEGA die-hards and Sonic Riders fans.
Gearing Up for the Track – Merch for Racing Around the World
If you want to get decked out with merch to celebrate Sonic’s latest event, go grab a shirt or mug featuring Sonic and friends, ready for the big races this year.
As someone who got various merch for Fearless: Year of Shadow, I can confirm these are high-quality shirts and cups.
Lord Sonic’s Impressions on the Closed Network Test
But I have to ask, how was it racing across the CrossRoads? Going hands-on with the Closed Network Test a few months back, I walked away largely positive.
As seen from my gameplay, it is a return to the high-speed action seen from Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed, but with additional chaos and depth, with new mechanics. While some things need fine-tuning, specifically item balance and ring management, it was enjoyable.
New Tracks Revealed
Speaking of exciting tracks, SEGA has revealed several tracks for the upcoming racing game. The first was Windmill Asle from Sonic Unleashed, a proper course. It melds set pieces from Act 2 of that adventure and has a fight sequence.
The next track is a CrossRoad, being Cool Edge Night from Sonic Unleashed. Featuring a beautiful Aurora Borealis, a killer remix of the Night theme, and a mixture of land, sea, and flight paths, it’s an exciting CrossRoad to race across.
Following that reveal, is another CrossRoad! This is the White Cave from Sonic Riders. This track looks faithful to the original course, highlighted by having Jet the Hawk use his Extreme Gear during the gameplay clip.
Finally, the most recent reveal was Galactic Parade from Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed returning as a CrossRoad. It looks faithful to the original track, based on Starlight Carnival from Sonic Colors. Sonic Racing CrossRoads running in Unreal Engine 5 makes the track look stunning with bright colors and additional graphical effects.
Closing Thoughts on ‘Racing Around the World’
As a die-hard fan of the series, I’m happy to see SEGA make yearly celebrations for the Blue Blur. There’s a ton happening for the franchise now, and SEGA pushing the power of Sonic not only as a gaming icon but as a brand is important.
Stay tuned for additional news & updates on everything Sonic, here at Lords of Gaming.
