I still remember that when “Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds” was released last year, Sega repeatedly compared it with “Mario Kart World”, and even emphasized that its game has cross-platform connections, more interactive characters, and a traditional track design that is different from the open world. At one time, many players felt that Sega was really preparing to compete head-on with Nintendo this time.
However, according to GamesRadar reports, although “Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds” has received many positive reviews, its sales performance has not yet met Sega’s internal expectations. If compared with the market size of “Mario Kart World”, the gap is quite obvious.
The reputation is good, but the market reality is cruel!
In fact, the reviews of “Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds” after its release were not bad. The game once received an overwhelming 98% positive reviews on Steam, with many players praising its rich character lineup, cross-platform connection capabilities, and the ever-changing CrossWorld system. The problem is that the racing game market has been dominated by the “Mario Kart” series for a long time. For many family players, as soon as Nintendo launches a new generation of “Mario Kart”, it will almost become the first choice. Even if “Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds” has a lot of innovative content, it is difficult to really shake this super IP that has been in operation for more than ten years.
Good games may not necessarily win over brand power
More realistically, what “Mario Kart” sells is not just the racing gameplay, but the Nintendo ecosystem, console sales, and brand influence accumulated over the years. Looking back at “Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds”, even though many media consider it to be one of the most competitive challengers to “Mario Kart” in recent years, it still cannot escape the fate of sales comparison.
To some extent, this is also a problem encountered by many game manufacturers. When your competitor is “Mario Kart”, players often don’t ask who is more fun first, but first ask “Why don’t I just buy “Mario Kart”?” And this question is obviously more difficult to answer than designing a track.