At today’s Summer Game Fest showcase, Sega showed off Sonic Racing: Crossworlds. The kart racer is a big ol’ crossover event between the blue blur and other Sega characters. After previous leaks claimed Minecraft and Spongebob characters would join the racer’s roster, Sega revealed that several of its own heroes are joining. Joker from Persona 5, Hatsune Miku, and Ichiban Kasuga from Yakuza will all be off to the races, as well as Steve from Minecraft, who was hinted at in the leaks. That’s all well and good, but one of the funnier moments of the showcase was Sonic producer Takashi Iizuka taking the stage right after and throwing some light shade at Nintendo and Mario Kart World.
Iizuka made what was seemingly a dig at Mario Kart World during his presentation. He never says the game by name, but says that, “unlike another kart racing game,” Crossworlds has cross-platform multiplayer across PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
It’s a bold jab to make at the Switch 2 kart racer while everyone is hootin’ and hollerin’ about it just after the system’s launch this week. But it also feels like a fun wink and nod toward the companies’ old rivalry. Back when Sega was making its own consoles and competing directly with Nintendo, the company wasn’t afraid to throw a punch in its marketing. The Sega Genesis tagline “Sega does what Nintendon’t” is still iconic, though it didn’t really pan out for Sega in the long run, given the company is no longer in the console-making business.
Either way, Sonic Racing: Crossworlds does have that cross-platform flex over Mario Kart, which is a Switch 2 exclusive. Sonic and friends are racing on just about every platform, so it will be more widely accessible. That being said, Mario Kart World is probably going to have an unheard of attach rate, given it’s the system seller for the Switch 2 right now. Sega probably knows that and is just having some light fun.
Sonic Racing: Crossworlds launches on September 25.