Sega noted that they expected a new Mario Kart to be released alongside the Switch 2, but emphasizes that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was not inspired by Mario Kart World in any way. Since the release of Mario Kart 8 in 2014, there have been no major new games in the series, and Team Sonic Racing was released in 2019 — so the coincidence that both racing games will appear in 2025 is quite rare.
"We didn't know Nintendo's plans. When the game was announced, the team was surprised. Usually, Nintendo releases a new kart racing game with the release of new hardware, so the developers partially expected a new Mario Kart."
Despite similar innovations: Mario Kart World introduces open maps, and CrossWorlds uses portals between tracks, both approaches connect different maps into a single game space.
"Regardless of the Mario Kart release, our goal is to create the best racing game in the Sonic universe. Mario Kart World did not affect this."
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will be released on September 25, 2025, on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch/Switch 2, and PC.