Nintendo Switch 2 owners looking to pick up Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds this fall may be in for a disappointment, as a well-known leaker claims physical copies of the game for that console may be released via Game Key-Card. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is set to deliver some serious racing game competition for Mario Kart World, but a lot of fans seem like they would be disappointed without the release of the physical game on an actual cartridge.
Initially announced at The Game Awards 2024 via a brief trailer, fans were instantly excited at the prospect of the first new game in the kart-racing series since Team Sonic Racing in 2019. The game is currently scheduled for release on September 25 for multiple platforms, including PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, and Nintendo Switch. While Switch 2 owners will be able to play the original Switch version on their new consoles, an upgraded Switch 2 version is planned for release at a later date.
Related Sonic Producer Reveals Why Some Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Items Were Cut During Development
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds' development team cut a lot of potentially powerful items from the game in playtesting for very good reasons.
PostsSonic Team may have been dealt an early blow in its Nintendo rivalry, though, as leaker Wario64 revealed on social media that customers who buy a copy of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds for Nintendo Switch 2 may not be getting the actual game on a cartridge. He delivered the information from one of his followers, who had shared a reported image of a conversation with Sega customer support stating that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds for Switch 2 would actually arrive via Nintendo's controversial Game Key-Cards — bright red Switch 2 cartridge casings that contain not the game data itself, but a key for downloading it. Sega has not officially confirmed this information either way, though alleged images of the Switch 2 version's box art released earlier this week did not indicate that it would be included on a Game Key-Card.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds' Game Key-Card Status on Switch 2 is Still Unclear
Nintendo introduced the Game Key-Card system as a way for Switch 2 owners who value physical game cases to still have something to put on a shelf, as the limited storage space of its cartridges would otherwise restrict many games to digital download-only situations. However, the company has also stated that its first-party-developed games will not use Game Key-Cards, which has led some to criticize Nintendo for perceived double standards.
CloseMany have compared Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds to Mario Kart World, which released alongside the Switch 2 on June 5. However, Sega's Takashi Iizuka expects the two games to provide completely different experiences for players, as he has stated that his team's game will be a purer competitive racer as opposed to Mario Kart World being more of a racing action game.
