From the initial premise, the “CrossWorlds” subtitle ofSonic Racing: CrossWorldsseemingly referred only to the game mechanic of the same name, transporting players to different worlds mid-race. However, thanks to recent leaks and the Summer Game Fest trailer, the tagline is more than just a mechanic, referencing thatSonic Racing: CrossWorldswill feature characters from franchises beyondSonic the Hedgehog.
As Summer Game Fest revealed thatPersona,Yakuza,Minecraft, and Hatsune Miku would be represented, there may be more franchises thatSonic Racing: CrossWorldscould add. There are currently some characters missing that have appeared in theSonicracing games prior, but other collaborations could make their debut. The crossovers currently known are makingSonic Racing: CrossWorldsseem like it could be theSuper Smash Bros.of the racing genre, and the inclusion of some other properties could elevate it to this level.
Sega Crossovers That Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is Missing
DespiteSonic Racing: CrossWorldsdropping the “Sega All-Stars” branding that its predecessors had, the Summer Game Fest trailer showed it isn’t afraid to dip into Sega’s other IPs for crossovers, and it had teased prior that it would reference other Sega games: amongSonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ many coursesis a track based on Velteor fromGalaxy Force, a classic Sega arcade rail shooter. As it is apparent that Sega is willing to include its other properties, there are more which would be great additions toSonic Racing CrossWorlds.
Jet Set Radio
Sonic Racing: CrossWorldsis set to release in 2025, but this year also celebrates 25 years of theJet Set Radioseries. In anticipation of thenextJet Set Radiogame, Sega has been featuring its characters across other franchises as a crossover. Most recently, Beat’s redesign in the upcoming follow-up was playable inSuper Monkey Ball Banana Rumble. To continue the celebration of the series’ 25th anniversary, characters and courses based on the world ofJet Set Radiowould be a great way to keep the festivities going.
The most likely contenders for characters would be Beat and Gum, both of which have become the face of theJet Set Radioseries. This pair has appeared in other Sega crossovers before, likeSega Superstars TennisandSega Heroes. Adding them both toSonic Racing: CrossWorldswouldn’t be unprecedented, especially since they both also appeared inSonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. With his newfound focus in theJet Set Radioreboot, Combo could also be added to the roster.
BothSonic & Sega All-Stars RacingandSonic & All-Stars Racing Transformedcalled back toJet Set Radioin their courses too. The Shibuya Downtown track appeared in both games, but Rokkaku Hill, Highway Zero, and Graffiti City also represented theJet Set Radioseries. IfSonic Racing: CrossWorldsis taking inspiration from the previous racing games, it could include a familiarJet Set Radiotrack, or possibly introduce a new one based on the upcoming reboot.
NiGHTS
NiGHTSis also closely linked with theSonicseries, with its titular character appearing multiple times throughout the mainlineSonicgames. As well as their cameos on a pinball table inSonic Adventureand as a costume for theavatar inSonic Forces, they have also featured alongside Sonic in his past racing outings. Being another Sonic Team property, their inclusion inSonic Racing: CrossWorldswould feel like a perfect fit, and a great way to acknowledge fans of the series who have been waiting for more representation of the Nightmaren.
From leaks, it has been shown thatNiGHTSwill be represented inSonic Racing: CrossWorlds, but so far, this has only been confirmed as an in-game Festival event. These Festivals are seemingly similar toSplatoon’s Splatfests, where players choose a team based on a certain topic. While this alone is a nice nod to the series, representation in the form of a racer, vehicle, or track is what the series deserves.
NiGHTS and Reala’s appearances inSonic & All-Stars Racing Transformedhad both of the characters transform into vehicles piloted by a Nightopian and Goodle respectively. While this idea could carry over toSonic Racing: CrossWorlds, fans of the series may want NiGHTS and Reala to be playable drivers themselves.Vehicles inSonic Racing: CrossWorldsare no longer restricted to specific racers, allowing players to mix and match as they like. With this new addition, it’s possible that theNiGHTS-inspired karts from the previous games could be included alongside NiGHTS and Reala as unique racers, switching the driver out with a Nightopian or Goodle if the kart matches the driver.
Third-Party Crossovers That Should Be CrossWorlds DLC
The inclusion ofMinecraft and Nickelodeon content inSonic Racing: CrossWorldswas leaked from a trustworthy source ahead of Summer Game Fest, and from that point, fans have been eager to hear about the other third-party properties that may cross over with the game. Sonic has collaborated with many different IPs in recent years, so there is a chance that these could also make an appearance in the upcoming racing title.
DC’s Justice League
Recently, Sega and DC collaborated to create a series of comics combining the universes ofSonic the Hedgehogand the Justice League. TheDC X Sonic the Hedgehogcrossover could continue into the games by adding collab content intoSonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Though it is unconfirmed ifSonic Racing: CrossWorldswill feature character skins, it would be great to see Sonic as the Flash or Shadow as Batman represented in-game.
Otherwise, a crossover could feature the actual Justice League in some way instead. This could be the characters themselves racing alongside theSoniccast, or could instead be represented by vehicles. TheBatmobile has appeared in many video gamesbefore, and there are plenty of other DC vehicles that are just as iconic, like Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet and Lobo’s Spacehog.
There are also plenty of locations in the DC universe that could be added toSonic Racing: CrossWorldsas tracks. Many of the courses included in the game already draw from the bright and colorful zones in theSonicseries, so DC-based tracks could stand in contrast to this and give the game some more variety. Metropolis would fit the tone of the game well, but thecrime-filled streets of some DC citiescould diversify the choices available.
Transformers
Another franchise that has recently crossed over with theSonic the Hedgehogseries isTransformers. So far, the collab has yielded twoTransformerstoys based on Sonic and Tails. Tails transforms into the series staple Tornado, whereas Sonic’s vehicle mode resembles the Speed Star, Sonic’s vehicle of choice from past racing titles. TheTransformersandSoniccollab might be able to be reversed, adding some notable Autobots and Decepticons toSonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
With their abilities to transform, these characters could be included both as a character and a vehicle. The logistics of this may be difficult, but it would give fans of the series the best of both worlds. What is more likely, however, is that theTransformerscharacters would be vehicles that the rest of the roster would be able to drive. SinceSonic Racing: CrossWorldsmaintainsSonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed’s transformation mechanics, it could be possible that aTransformerscharacter would be similar to AGES from that game. For a character based on the Decepticons, the vehicle’s land form could resembleMegatron’s Cybertronian Tankbefore being switched out with Starscream when in flight mode.
LEGO
LEGO is another possible crossover to be added toSonic Racing: CrossWorlds. A brick-built Sonic has been available in playable and physical minifigure form since the release of theSonic the HedgehogLevel Pack forLego Dimensions, which also included Sonic’s vehicle fromSonic & All-Stars Racing Transformedin LEGO form. This collaboration has continued into new sets and games. Its inclusion in the upcoming racing game could be a great way to extend this partnership further.
Some of the mainSoniccharacters have had their recent LEGO minifigure variants converted into playable skins in a game. One of thecharacter skin DLCs forSonic Superstarsincluded a LEGO version of the blue hedgehog and Eggman and was released alongside the LEGO Fun Pack, which gave Tails, Knuckles, and Amy a similar LEGO makeover. SinceSonic Racing: CrossWorldsis keeping the vehicle transformation present isSonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, LEGO’s emphasis on creating and rebuilding could be the perfect fit.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorldsandMario Kart Worldreleasing so closely to one another has led to a lot of comparison between the two, but including a LEGO crossover could be Sega beating Nintendo to the punch in one way. In the same year that these two kart racers release, LEGO also releasedLEGO sets themed aroundMario Kart. If LEGO were to cross over with theSonicseries once again inSonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sega’s kart racer could include LEGO minifigs and karts based on its characters before the real-worldMario Kartsets feature in a game.
The crossover characters that players already know will be inSonic Racing: CrossWorldsalready generate a lot of excitement, but with there still being many slots available on the Season Pass, there are likely many more collaborations to come. SinceMario Kart Worldhas expanded its roster by including standard enemies as drivers,Sonic Racing: CrossWorldsmay be able to compete with Nintendowith its unexpected crossovers.
