The head of Sonic Team has an interesting in-universe explanation for a long-standing question.
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Sonic the Hedgehog is fast. That’s been the character’s defining characteristic for nearly 35 years, and it’s been the case since his first appearance on the Sega Genesis. Not only is Sonic fast, but we recently learned that the character can even hold his own against the Flash, the Justice League’s own “Fastest Man Alive.” All of the 2D and 3D mainline Sonic games focus on the titular character using his fancy footwork to avoid Doctor Eggman’s many machines. However, Sega has also produced a number of spin-offs over the years, and those can often feature vastly different gameplay.
Since 1994’s Sonic Drift, Sega’s mascot has been appearing in kart racing games that echo the Mario Kart series. For years, this has led to questions about why a being of Sonic’s speed would feel the need to jump behind the wheel of his trademark Speed Star car (which got its own Transformers collaboration toy this year). Ahead of the release of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka offered Shacknews some explanation regarding Sonic’s passion for racing.
“So yes, Sonic likes actually having fun. That competitive spirit and having fun with his friends competitively is one element that Sonic really enjoys. If we were just running flat out, Sonic is going to be faster than everyone. It’s not so much fun and it’d be really more enjoyable to Sonic to be in a car, to be racing, and have that fun competitive edge with his friends. So, that’s why he’s racing,” said Iizuka.
This explanation lines up closely with what Sega has said in the past. In the inaugural episode of the TailsTube video series back in 2022, Sonic the Hedgehog himself was posed a similar question. When asked why the blue blur is often seen behind the wheel of a race car, Sonic seemed baffled by the question. The character simply replied “cuz it’s cool!” It actually does make some degree of sense that a character so passionate about speed would look for other ways to enjoy racing, especially since he has a pretty big advantage on foot. By participating in races that are strictly limited to vehicles, it does give his friends a sporting chance.
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Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is set to be released on September 25th. The Sega racing game marks the first time Sonic has gotten behind the wheel since 2019’s Team Sonic Racing. It remains to be seen how the new game will fare, but impressions have been largely positive thus far. Up until now, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has largely been held up by fans as the best racing game to feature the blue blur. It remains to be seen whether Sega can deliver a superior experience, but fans of the franchise won’t have to wait much longer to see how the game is shaping up.
Do you think this explanation makes sense for the Sonic racing games? Are you looking forward to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: Nintendo Everything]
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