Sonic Team boss was “surprised” by Mario Kart World

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, the first new Sonic Racing game in over five years, is hitting the track on PC and consoles next month, with a Switch 2 version set to arrive later this year. On Nintendo’s new console, it will be attempting to steal the crown from Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World.

With Mario and Sonic’s rivalry spanning decades, it promises to be an exciting duel. It’s the racing game equivalent of Battlefield 6 taking on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 this year.  

Mario Kart World “won’t have any influence” on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an enhanced port of Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, Mario Kart World marks the first new entry in over a decade. Speaking to Traxion at Gamescom, Sonic Series Producer Takashi Iizuka admits that , Mario Kart World’s reveal took Sega’s Sonic Team by surprise after such a long gap between the last two entries.  

“Of course, we don’t know the road map of Mario Kart titles. So, when it was announced, the dev team was surprised about it,” Iizuka tells Traxion in a translated interview.

“However, typically when Nintendo releases new hardware, it’s pretty common that they also release a new karting title. So, the dev team was somewhat expecting a new Mario Kart to be released soon.

“Whether or not Mario Kart was going to be released, our goal was to develop the best kind of Sonic racing title. That hasn’t changed – Mario Kart World won’t have any influence.”

In 2012, Sega released Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed around a year after Mario Kart 7. Transforming vehicles was a theme in both games, sparking comparisons.

Sega’s kart racer allowed you to switch between karts, boats and planes – a mechanic that’s set to return in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds in response to fan requests. In Mario Kart 7, hang-gliders and propellers would deploy when navigating air and underwater sections.

This time, however, Sega is confident that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will set itself apart from its main rival.

“We needed one big new feature that dramatically changed the gameplay of Sonic Racing,” Iizuka explains. That big new feature is Travel Rings.

Travel Rings were “one of the unique features we thought other companies wouldn’t copy before us”

“During the planning phase around four years ago, Travel Rings were one of the unique features we thought other companies wouldn’t copy before us. We were confident that this would continue to be our key selling point that differentiates us,” says Iizuka.

Even though both games have “World” in their titles, Mario Kart World and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds are taking different approaches.

Whereas Mario Kart World features free-roaming elements for the first time in the series, the Travel Rings in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds seamlessly transport you to new locations mid-race. After completing the first lap, the player in pole position can choose the CrossWorld location. 

According to Iizuka, Inspiration for the Travel Rings came from the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. “Sonic uses the ring to travel through various worlds [in the movie]”, he says. “That idea was really fun in the movie.” However, the basic concept can be traced back to the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, where you could warp into special stages through giant rings.

Travel Rings also led to Sega adding crossover characters from franchises beyond Sonic, including the iconic Pac-Man, resulting in an eclectic roster. Conversely, Mario Kart World currently only includes characters from the Super Mario universe.

“We were thinking about other ways we could surprise players,” says Iizuka. “So we thought, why don’t we have characters from other IPs as well?” 

This will include “not only video game characters, but characters from other media,” like SpongeBob SquarePants. Across six downloadable packs, a Season Pass will add more characters, vehicles and tracks.    

“Even though Mario Kart World was announced, it didn’t influence our development plans”

Sega is keenly of Sonic: Racing CrossWorlds’ other advantage over Mario Kart: it’s multi-platform, with cross-play multiplayer support across PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.    

“I think cross-play is one of the key features,” says Iizuka. “Being able to play with users worldwide on all platforms is one of the key things we’ve put a lot of effort into.

“Another differentiating factor [to Mario Kart] is the gadget system,” Iizuka adds. Mario Kart World removed customisation, but Sonic: Racing CrossWorlds embraces it. Every vehicle is fully customisable with swappable parts and offensive or defensive gadgets, which can be mixed and matched.  

“This adds depth to the racing and is something other kart racers aren’t doing,” Iizuka asserts. “Even though Mario Kart World was announced, it didn’t influence our development plans.”

For more on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, check out our hands-on preview.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is set to release on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on 25th September 2025, with early access starting on 22nd September for those who pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition. A Switch 2 version is planned for later this year.