Summary
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is set for a 2025 release, developed by an elite team of racing game devs.
- Speculation suggests Sega AM2 members with racing game experience are behind the new Sonic kart racer.
- Theories point to multi-vehicle gameplay including land, sea, air, and space.
Statements from Sega have revealed that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is being developed by an “elite” team of racing game developers. The developer of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is currently unknown, as the game was recently revealed at The Game Awards 2024 earlier this December. Discerning fans believe the upcoming racing game is being developed in Japan by members of Sega AM2 who have experience in the genre.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a new racing game by Sega set to release in 2025, based on a comment from Geoff Keigley at The Game Awards. The game will be a kart racer, similar to Mario Kart, as revealed in the brief teaser trailer at The Game Awards. In this trailer, Shadow the Hedgehog is seen driving his car through a realistic city, going through a dimensional portal created by a Warp Ring. While the trailer was bereft of gameplay, this didn’t stop fans from speculating on what to expect. Some recent comments from Sega have added fuel to the fire about the speculation, with many fans commenting on the possible developer behind this upcoming title.
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As detailed in a post by Jasonvsfreddyvs on the r/GamingLeaksAndRumors subreddit, they went over various tweets that have been posted by the official Japanese Sega and Sonic the Hedgehog accounts since the reveal of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, with one mentioning how the game was being created by “the elite team of Sega’s racing games.” At first, they believed that Sega HARDlight, developer of Sonic Dream Team, was developing the game, but that appears less likely now. Sumo Digital, the developer of Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, doesn’t appear to be the developer either, based on a celebratory tweet from the studio about the movie that didn’t mention Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ Potential Developers and Gameplay Theories, Explained
As such, the running theory is that Sega is developing the game in Japan, created by an elite team of developers with experience in racing games. Many of Sega’s classic racing games such as OutRun, Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Crazy Taxi were originally developed by Sega AM2 and AM3. As such, former members of both subsidiary studios could potentially be working on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
There’s also speculation about Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds‘ potential multi-vehicle gameplay. Data from Sega itself indicates how the game will have players racing across “land, sea, air, space and time,” similar to the transforming vehicles of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Jasonvsfreddyvs’ post also discusses the theory about Extreme Gear from the Sonic Riders spin-offs being in the game, pointing out how a reflection of Sonic’s sunglasses from the series can supposedly be seen in the teaser trailer. Time will tell if Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, its development team, and its features align with these theories.
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.