Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Coming Sep. 25, 2025

I feel like the fact that the extreme gear are so much smaller than whole ass cars would make for a lot of balancing issues. Isn't that why they took away shadow's motorcycle in the all stars games? Trying to balance a racer where some characters are 3-4 times bigger than others sounds like a nightmare.

 

I mean in general, not calling out anyone in particular. I do wish people just said "I want this" but people do use Mario Kart existing as an excuse to say "they should make what I want because it will finally make Sonic outsell Mario" and it's just lol.

 

I don't think saying "I want Sonic to have a clear niche distinct from Mario and other platform racers" means "I want exactly this one thing so Sonic can outsell Mario".

 

Who says little Timmy won't ask for both games?

 

While there are definitely people who will get both games, and parents that are able/willing to buy both games, you can't pretend that the overlap between the games and the potentially similar release timing won't cannibalize the other's sales. I mean, I feel like Sonic Superstars is the best example of this. A pretty decent, good-looking, good-feeling classic Sonic game that in all rights, should have at least sold comparably to other similar entries in the series, is considered a 'failure' by Corporate SEGA. And I bet it would have done much better had it not released so close to Wonder, a much more content-packed, higher-quality, and more novel experience that was similar in some ways.

Also, a lot of parents have a budget these days, and can only really afford a few luxuries for themselves, let alone their kids.

There's also the fact that objectively speaking, everyone knows Sonic games will, after a month or so, receive decent discounts. Nintendo games seldom go on sale due to their perceived value as a brand. So people are going to prioritize the game that they know their kid is probably more excited for, is of a perceived higher quality, and won't have deep discounts sooner than later.

 

You all assuming they will release the same day or month when it seems very unlikely, thinking months gaps will still affect them is unreasonable.

Seems like switch 2 will release in June with a mario kart launch title, Sonic seems likely to be a holiday release so we looking for 4-5 months gap

i would worry more about GTA6 actually releasing on time Fall 2025

 

Given that a lot of kids will ask for/get a Switch 2 for Christmas despite the console releasing in June means that Mario Kart 9 will still be very relevant competition, even months later.

Crossworlds has to do something really unique or it's gonna get stomped by MK9 in 2025.

 

Plot twist, Crossworlds is synergy with a Sonic Prime successor all about Sonic characters racing cars.




Wait fuck no please don't be true people will have a field day with that

 

At that point it won't be a competition, it's just a part of the package with switch 2, and like MK8DX had -and still has- some very strong legs -it's the 12th best selling game in Europe in 2024 for example- , so what now, sonic shouldn't release any racing game ever as long as there is Mario kart games getting sold? cause that's silly.

We are not even accounting for the part where it will be a multiplatform release too, surly it won't compete MK in Steam or Playstation no?

 

Did TSR even sell that bad? I know people keep saying it was "DESTROYED BY CTR" but like, no post-launch support was pretty normal for Sonic at the time and the series has never been known for its online multiplayer being super-active. What are we actually worried about here.

 

Everything but GTA6 is going to get stomped by Mario Kart. This comparison is foolish. The only thing NYT CrossWord needs to do is be better than the last game.

Not to downplay the UK performance but May 2019 was pretty abysmal. The #2 game on that list was a game from April. RDR2 and Fifa 19 came out in 2018. Eveything else is holdovers. The biggest game that month was RAGE 2 and that flopped (that also charted at #1 on its release week, but it was a far cry from RAGE's numbers).

I'd look at the actual number increases in their FY 2020 reports rather than the FY 2021 report. There were no major games released during that period so they're just listening the last major games. I'd check myself but I'm sleep deprived.
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Looking at the NPD May 2019 numbers, TSR cracked the top 20 at #19, but was not in the Top 10 on any of the individual platforms. Not even Switch. It dropped off the top 20 the following month.
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It just occurred to me that there was a "major" 2020 release. It was the TSR and Sonic Mania Double Pack release. I don't even know how to even track that.

 

Or years later. The release window doesn't matter that much, given the insane legs that Mario Kart has (or this most recent entry has had, at least). For the nearly five years I've had my Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe seems to have consistently been near the top of the eShop's best sellers list. It's at the #7 spot right now, despite coming out nearly 8 years ago, and despite its original version coming out nearly 11 years ago.

Like, I'm sure Sonic Kart will sell better if it releases in a different window than Mario Kart does, but that's only going to help it out so much.

 

Comparing two mascot kart racers coming out in the same year is not foolish, what are you even talking about?

You're acting like I'm comparing apples to oranges. These two games are 100% competing in the same space.

Of-course GTA6 and MK9 are going to sell more copies than CrossWorlds, but GTA6 is targeting a totally difference audience for a totally different experience. It has its own space. MK9 and CrossWorlds are in the same space.

Sonic racing games need to do something different to create their own space, otherwise, to the general audience, they're just 2nd rate Mario Kart games you buy between actual Mario Kart releases.

This year, for this release, there's no "between".

(and this is coming from someone who thinks S&ASRT is better mechanically than MK8)

Unless Mario Kart 9 is a huge flop, it's absolutely going to suck all of the kart racing oxygen out of this room this holiday season. And this holiday season is likely when CrossWorlds is set to release.

The first wholly new MK game in 11 years on a new highly-anticipated console. Doesn't matter what month it'll release, it's dominating the holiday season and many people aren't going to buy 2 kart racers in November/December.

 

It is foolish. You're doing a surface level comparison of just Kart and Mascot = Viable comp. Mario and Mario Kart are on a completely different class. I wouldn't pit my 1995 Toyota RAV 4 (miss you) against a Formula 1. They both got 4 wheels and they both move but I wouldn't put them on the same track.

And it's already been mentioned twice, CrossPuzzle has its own space already in the multiplatform world.

 

That is true, "Mario Kart At Home, available for the PlayStation and Xbox!" is its own niche, in a way.

 

Yeah, on Nintendo. That doesn't mean the other 3 platforms will suffer unless the game is as dookie as TSR. Hell, TSR's online didn't even work a majority of the time on PC. Not to mention for a game called Team Sonic Racing, the PC version had no way to squad up with friends in any online mode. TSR's quick death was due to it just not being a compelling game. It was a regression in every way of the game that came before it.

 

Yeah it was baffling how busted TSRs online was. Every time we tried to play it in our friend group it would desync and start kicking people out of matches several races in, it was impossible to play a GP online with friends or anyone on PC and it was never fixed.

 

Exactly.

Right... those are different vehicles built for different purposes. This is GTA6 vs CrossWorlds, not Mario Kart vs CrossWorlds.

Better analogy is weather you'd buy a Ferrari or a Mustang if they were both the same price.