Sonic the Hedgehog's list of furry friends may be expanding in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, as purported box art for the Xbox 360 version of the Sega game shows Rare's Banjo and Kazooie.
Fan site Sonic Stadium spotted the box art—with a little help from Spindash.de—at designer Chris Lewis' personal web site, a site which has since been stripped of just about everything. While the box art could be nothing more than a mock up, the inclusion of other mascots fits in with another Sega-based rumor.
You may remember that an internal Sega document outlined the publisher's plans for including mascot characters in Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing. That document specifically mentioned "characters from Rare or Fable universes" even though it was apparently culled from a meeting with Sony.
The inclusion of Banjo and Kazooie—and what appears to be a vehicle from the recent Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts—makes a lot of sense. Whether it makes fact remains to be seen, but we're reaching out to Sega to verify.
Update: TSSZ News has comment from developers Sumo Digital's Steve Lycett who casts doubt upon the inclusion of Banjo and Kazooie in the Sega racer. There's no denial, mind you, but best to treat any guest appearances as rumor for now.
Format Exclusive Characters In ASR And DLC Confirmed [Sonic Stadium]