Recently, SEGA dropped a new trailer for its upcoming kart racing title, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and I have to say I love it. Not just because it’s all about friendly competition, but because it feels like a throwback to the commercials of old, when Sega and Nintendo were constantly trading jabs.
Check out the video for yourself.
Remember the legendary “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” ad? This has the same energy.
What stands out is how confident SEGA seems about this game. The trailer makes it clear the company is putting real weight behind CrossWorlds and giving Sonic the marketing push he deserves. And honestly, that confidence feels earned. The game is shaping up to be fun and engaging (check out our preview), while Nintendo is simultaneously firing on all cylinders with its Switch 2 launch and Mario Kart World is selling like hotcakes. And yes, mostly because the game is included with the console as a bundle.
It’s the kind of playful smack talk that defined the 80s and 90s, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until now. Seeing SEGA lean back into that energy feels refreshing and it’s exactly the type of hype the kart racing scene needs.
It also feels like SEGA has done this before. If you’ve been in the game as long as I have, this commercial feel familiar. But where have we seen this before?
Oh… right. The good old Sega Genesis Blast Processing commercial. Sure, it was nothing but a gimmick, but back then we had no idea and all thought this was legit. Watching the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds commercial, it’s a callback of this classic commercial below.
Soon enough, you’ll get to decide for yourself whether this commercial was firing on all cylinders or just clever marketing spin.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds launches September 25, 2025, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, and PC.
