The Year of Shadow the Hedgehog continues with the new Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Shadow the Hedgehog will be the star of yet another entry in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, since Sega just announced a brand-new racing video game titled Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds during The Game Awards 2024.

This reveal trailer is very brief, and it doesn’t such very much, aside from the fact that Shadow will get to drive a beautiful new black & red car that perfectly fits his aesthetic. The graphics of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds look very polished and, based on the title, it seems like this is going to be a sequel to 2019’s Team Sonic Racing.

However, many fans think this game will be similar to the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing series, as the intriguing subtitle CrossWorlds may hint that Shadow the Hedgehog will cross over with characters from other Sega properties. There’s also a possibility that he will meet versions of beloved Sonic characters from other forms of entertainment, like the animated shows or the Live Action movies, similarly to the new Sonic X Shadows Generations DLC. This is only speculation so far, as Sega has only said that the game is “Coming Soon” and didn’t reveal much more information about it.

Looking back at 2024: The Year of Shadow the Hedgehog

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the latest entry in the Sonic franchise to put Shadow the Hedgehog at the forefront. It’s very evident that Sega focused on making 2024 his year, since it announced and released multiple projects starring the Ultimate Lifeform during it. For starters, the company launched Sonic X Shadow Generations back in October, a modern remaster of Sonic Generations with a completely new story campaign focused on Shadow the Hedgehog. Fortunately, this game received very positive reviews from both fans and critics alike.

Aside from that, there’s the brand-new collaboration between Sonic the Hedgehog and DC, which the companies first revealed on Batman Day with an excellent animated video of Shadow dressed up as the Caped Crusader. But of course, the main event of the Year of Shadow the Hedgehog is Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the third entry in the Live Action movie series, which will heavily feature Shadow (Voiced by Keanu Reeves) as one of its main characters. It makes sense that Sega keeps featuring Shadow on so many things, seeing as this film comes out in theaters very soon, on December 20.

Many fans were sure that Sonic 3 was going to be the grand finale of the Year of Shadow the Hedgehog, but the announcement of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds confirms that this celebration is going to continue in 2025 and beyond. Especially if the third movie is a critical and commercial success and thus, it kickstarts a new wave of movies and TV shows starring Shadow. It seems Sega and Paramount is already planning on doing that anyway.