SEGA’s latest Sonic racing game dives deep into crossovers with beloved Nickelodeon franchises – but looming license expirations and Denuvo DRM raise tough questions about long-term accessibility.

SEGA has officially announced new downloadable content for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, featuring collaborations with several Nickelodeon properties. SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Avatar: Legends will all be featured in the game. A new trailer reveals SpongeBob and his crew racing alongside Sonic and his friends, showcasing a new SpongeBob-themed track and vehicle. The trailer debuted during the Kids’ Choice Awards.

The content will be available through the Season Pass, included with the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game. In addition to the franchises listed above, the pass will also offer access to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem content, Avatar: Legends (arriving July 22), previously revealed Minecraft characters, vehicles, and tracks, as well as cast members from Netflix’s Sonic Prime. Two more collaborations are reportedly in the pipeline but have yet to be announced.

SEGA’s push for collaborations is evident, but it comes with some potential pitfalls. Once certain licenses expire, the respective DLCs may disappear from storefronts entirely. Worse, the base game itself could become unavailable. This is especially concerning for PC players, as Denuvo DRM will be implemented. If the DRM is not removed in the future, the game could become unplayable – a serious issue for a single-player experience, even if it might be expected in an MMO environment.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is set to release on September 25. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. While Nintendo Switch 2 is not listed, a port is currently in development and will be released at an unspecified later date.

Source: Gematsu