Summary
Segarecently reacted to theMario Kart Worldannouncement by promoting its own upcoming mascot racing game,Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. A newMario Kartgame was teased when the Nintendo Switch 2 was first shown off back in January, but it wouldn’t be until this week’s Nintendo Direct that gamers got to see whatMario Kart Worldhas to offer.
Mario Kart Worldis adding an open-world format to the long-running kart racer series, featuring massive courses with alternate routes and a new Free Roam mode that lets players explore the game’s colorful environments at their leisure. Mario’s longtime platforming mascot Sonic the Hedgehog also has a new kart racer on the way, withSonic Racing: CrossWorldsset to launch on multiple platformsat some point in 2025. LikeMario Kart Worlds,Sonic Racing CrossWorldshas a few new gimmicks of its own, namely the special portals that allow players to explore different routes while racing.
The recentunveiling ofMario Kart Worldhas triggered a massive response from gamers all around the world, and even Sega has decided to weigh in onSonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ biggest competition. A new post on the officialSonic the HedgehogTwitter account describes April 2 as “a big day for worldly racing games” and tells fans to get ready for “the ONLY upcoming kart racer you may play with your friends around the world across all your favorite platforms” inSonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
Sega Pokes Fun at Mario Kart World Reveal in New Social Media Post
This comment is a subtle dig at howMario Kart Worldsisexclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2, whileSonic Racing CrossWorldswill be available on all current gaming systems. Limited platform availability might not be the only roadblock forMario Kart Worldeither, as the announcement of the game’s hefty $80 price tag quickly sparked backlash after it was initially shown during this week’s Nintendo Switch 2-centric Nintendo Direct, with much of the controversy fueled by concerns that these high prices could become an industry standard.
In any case,Mario Kart Worldwill launch alongside theNintendo Switch 2 console itself on June 5, while there is still no exact release date forSonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Another Nintendo Direct is scheduled for April 17 which will shed even more light onMario Kart World. In the meantime, it appears that the classic rivalry between Nintendo and Sega has been reignited in the form of new kart-racing games featuring their respective flagship characters, and only time will tell which upcoming game will take the lead later this year.
