Unless you demand it! Even then, the inclusion of Genesis-era mascots Toe Jam and Earl in the upcoming Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing sounds unlikely, according to word attributed to developer Sumo Digital.
A very concerned Toe Jam and Earl fan writes on the official Sega forums that he received word from the creators of Sega Superstars Tennis and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, casting doubt on the funky duo making an appearance in the kart racing game—but not for a lack of wanting.
"ToeJam and Earl were characters we did want to include in Sega Superstars Tennis," according to "Steve," a representative from Sumo Digital. "Sega had looked into it, but it transpires that the rights to the characters actually belong to someone else. I know Sega tried to resolve this so we could include them – but this wasn't successful."
The same is unfortunately true for Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing "at this stage," news that may induce a serious panic on Funkotron.
A follow up from Sega Forum member and Kotaku tipster NinMicroSega indicates that the current rights to the Toe Jam and Earl IP belong to one half of the creative team, Greg Johnson. We're guessing that Johnson could be persuaded to license said rights to the characters for the upcoming racer, given the necessary amount of compensation and vocal fan support.
Would you voice your support for such a thing? What if the addition of TJ&E in the 2010 Sega racer was a... pre-order exclusive?!
Toejam and earl fans, unite!! [Sega Forum]