On November 7, 2024, Sega announced that it was delisting over 70 of its classic games across the Xbox, Steam, PlayStation, and Nintendo storefronts, including a few entries from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. While the majority of these titles were old ports of retro games like Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle, Golden Axe, Shining Force 2, and Ecco the Dolphin, one of them was the Sega Genesis Classics Collection, which only came to consoles about 6 years ago. Sega didn’t provide any explanation as to why these games were being removed from sale, but many speculated that the Sonic the Hedgehog publisher might have plans to release a new Sega Classics collection in the future.
At the time of the announcement, Sega confirmed that three Sonic games would be delisted: the Steam versions of Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Spinball, and the Xbox version of Sonic the Fighters. However, a few days later, some fans noticed that two other Sonic games were also marked for delisting, but only in certain territories. The games in question were Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2. According to the official Sega Classics FAQ page, they will be removed from sale on both Xbox and Steam in Italy and Germany, alongside the other 70+ retro titles, on December 7.
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Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 Are Being Delisted on December 7, But Only in Germany and Italy
The Sonic Adventure Games Were Some of the Best Platformers on the Dreamcast
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 may not have aged the best compared to their contemporaries, but they’re widely regarded as some of the best entries in the Sonic franchise. The first entry in the duology came out in December 1998, and it was one of the earliest exclusives on the Sega Dreamcast. As the first fully 3D Sonic game ever made, Sonic Adventure was intended to be a system seller for the ill-fated console. Although it wasn’t able to save the Dreamcast from being a commercial failure, the game still sold quite well and received near-universal acclaim from critics.
Sonic Adventure 2 was released for the Sega Dreamcast in June 2001, around two-and-a-half years after the release of its predecessor. The game, which introduced the fan-favorite character Shadow the Hedgehog, garnered widespread positive reception, but it wasn’t able to sell as well as the original Sonic Adventure because the Dreamcast was discontinued shortly before its launch. Sonic Adventure 2 was the last Sonic game to ever be released on a Sega console. Eventually, the Sonic Adventure games were ported to the Nintendo GameCube, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC throughout the 2000s.
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 Are Not Widely Accessible on Modern Systems
When it comes to modern platforms, Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are only playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S (via Xbox 360 backwards compatibility), in addition to Windows PC. The games have yet to be remastered or ported to current-gen consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch. In other words, they’re not as accessible as other mainline Sonic titles, like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic Generations, which makes their impending removal from the Xbox and Steam storefronts in Italy and Germany all the more disappointing.
Gamers in Germany and Italy Will Still Be Able to Purchase the Sonic Adventure Games Via a New Bundle
It’s not exactly clear why the Sonic Adventure games are only being delisted in Germany and Italy, and not any other countries, but it may have to do with some unspecified licensing deals in those regions. At the very least, German and Italian players will technically still be able to purchase the two platformers after December 7, but only via the “Sonic the Hedgehog Legacy Bundle” on Xbox and Steam. This collection, which includes Sonic Adventure DX, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Generations, Sonic 4, and a couple of other Sonic the Hedgehog games, costs an eyewatering €59.99, so it certainly isn’t cheap.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog is a prolific game franchise that started life on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Covering both 2D and 3D iterations through the generations, Sonic is known for speedy movements and interesting platforming mechanics.