SEGA revealed several new features about Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds during the World Championship 2026 final, which took place last Friday, the 9th, in New York. In addition to naming the game's first world champion, the company presented the update plan for the title's second year and made announcements related to the 35th anniversary of the Sonic franchise.
The Mexican competitor Exponso was crowned world champion after a competition involving over 30,000 participants in the online qualifying rounds. The final stage featured 24 finalists from various countries and was broadcast live from New York.
During the broadcast, SEGA unveiled the roadmap for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Year Two, with its official start scheduled for November 3, 2026. Among the planned additions are a new game mode, the inclusion of free characters, and paid additional content packs (DLC).
Although the company has not yet detailed all the characters or content that will be added, it was reported that new information will be made available through the company's official channels.
After the tournament, SEGA hosted the Club Chaos event at Elsewhere in New York to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the franchise. A highlight of this event was the presence of Ben Schwartz, the voice actor for Sonic in the movies, who sent a recorded message from Los Angeles, where he is involved in the production of Sonic 4.
The company also revealed the animated short Sonic The Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond, scheduled for release on November 12 on the franchise's official social media channels. In the plot, Dr. Eggman plans to turn Metal Sonic into a more powerful combat machine by using data from Sonic and the energy of the Chaos Emeralds. To thwart these schemes, Sonic and his friends will have to face Super Metal Sonic.
The celebration also included the presentation of "Moving at Light Speed," a new song by Thundercat featuring Button Masher. This track, inspired by the Sonic franchise, incorporates characteristic sounds from the games and is already available on music streaming platforms.
Kazuyuki Hoshino, creative director of the Sonic brand, announced another piece of news: his character will participate in an initiative linked to a joint space mission by JAXA and NASA to investigate Phobos, one of Mars' moons. As presented, if the mission is successful, the probe will send special messages to Earth, including an illustration of Sonic created by Hoshino.
This initiative will also feature a commemorative t-shirt displaying art by Yui Karasuno. With all these announcements, SEGA expands the celebrations of Sonic's 35 years beyond the video game universe, encompassing animation, cinema, music, and science.
