In addition to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds revealing its release date during Summer Game Fest 2025, it was also announced that the game will feature crossovers. Officially, alongside SEGA characters arriving via free updates, players can expect characters from other franchises, starting with Minecraft.
However, prior to the official reveal, a leak emerged indicating SpongeBob, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more would appear. The website VGC questioned Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka about this:
This is just a general response, not specific to this game, but from a publishing perspective, the publisher is always trying to control, plan, organize and present information and surprises so people get maximum enjoyment, maximum attention, and get as excited as possible.
Many people who leak such information ruin that experience. They undermine the plans people put in place. In cases involving licensed content, leaks can sometimes destroy a deal—now you can’t do certain things because someone leaked information.
We know people are really eager to know about all these great, fun things immediately, but ultimately, leaking ruins plans and potentially destroys content. We’d like people to consider that and perhaps refrain from such negative actions.
Iizuka also revealed that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is being developed by SEGA’s arcade racing team, specifically the Initial D developers.
The Sonic Team head also commented on the rivalry with Mario Kart:
[…] this isn’t a fight between SEGA and Nintendo, but when people talk about kart racers, Mario Kart World just launched. Mario Kart has long been the king of kart racing—I think everyone acknowledges that.
Our development focus is on creating unique content. What can we offer players that’s different, fun, and appealing enough to compete in terms of sheer enjoyment?
That’s our priority. One key advantage is delivering a multiplatform SKU accessible across all systems.
Finally, Iizuka stated he took feedback about Team Sonic Racing’s lack of SEGA characters seriously:
When Team Sonic Racing launched, many All-Star Racing fans asked: ‘Why no collaborations? We really wanted that’. We took that feedback to heart.
Below, check out gameplay snippets and the game’s opening cinematic, featuring an apparent vocal track by NateWantsToBattle.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds launches September 25th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC.
