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"Mario Kart World won't have any influence" on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, but like everyone else, Sega was "somewhat expecting a new Mario Kart to be released soon" even before its reveal
There hasn't been a new, new Mario Kart since Mario Kart 8 came out in 2014, and likewise, it's been some six years since Team Sonic Racing launched in 2019, so it's a fairly rare coincidence that there's both a new Mario Kart and a new Sonic racing game releasing in 2025. Still, Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka told Traxion that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds' proximity to Mario Kart World is just that, a coincidence.
"Of course, we don't know the road map of Mario Kart titles," said Iizuka. "So, when it was announced, the dev team was surprised about it.
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"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."
Release timing aside, it's even more of a coincidence that Mario Kart World and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds both innovate on series formula with a fluidity between maps that manifests in open-world sections in the former and straight-up portals to other maps in the latter. They're different gimmicks, sure, but they both have a way of connecting different maps into more of a cohesive whole.
And yet, "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."
After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.
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