SEGA is gearing up for the launch of its exhilarating new title, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, which promises to deliver a racing experience that is refreshingly fair—drawing a playful comparison with Mario Kart World. In an insightful conversation with Games Radar, Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka spilled the details on how the development team is crafting a game that prioritizes balance and enjoyment.
“They wanted to make sure the racing itself without any items was fair and fun,” Iizuka shared. “The dev team really took things down to the base level, and wanted to have that fun, competitive racing mechanic.”
At the heart of this game’s design philosophy is the belief that vehicle and track design should come first. It wasn’t until the team was confident in the racing dynamics that they considered introducing any items to enhance gameplay.
However, even the added items were subject to rigorous testing. Iizuka revealed that extensive playtesting was vital, leading to the removal of anything that could overwhelm players or enable frequent comebacks from behind. “Anything that was very stressful for players, anything that always allowed people to come back from behind and win all the time needed to be removed from the concept,” he noted.
A big thanks to SonicGalaxy27 for the news tip!