The console wars may not involve blast processing anymore, but Sega’s out there taking shots anyway
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It’s 2025, and the marketing for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds would like to remind you that Sega does what Nintendon’t. The latest commercial for the blue blur’s racer uses what appears to be pixelated footage of Mario Kart World, and it does so to argue that Nintendo’s take on the genre doesn’t really take advantage of its open-world design.
“We all know that kart racing game, it’s great, we don’t need to show it to you,” the ad begins. “But what if you could blast through and race on another level?” The clip then goes on to highlight many of CrossWorlds‘ features, like the ability to fully customize your vehicle and cross-platform multiplayer support.
“Or, uh, what if you want to roam around on the open road?” the announcer asks, full of skepticism.
While this isn’t the first time the makers of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds have called out Mario Kart World, it’s definitely the most explicit they’ve been about the rivalry between the two games. The spot also recreates an old-school commercial for the Sega Genesis that informs viewers of the console’s “blast processing” powers. At the time, Sega emphasized the superiority of its console by depicting a race car blazing around a track. Near the end, it compared the Super Nintendo to an old Winnebago that had Super Mario Kart playing on a CRT latched on the back of the car with a rope.
CrossWorlds is out next week on Sept. 25 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, but people who pre-order the game can play it early… unless they’re on Nintendo Switch. Welp.
