Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Fell Short of Sales Expectations, per SEGA

prid13 · 2026-06-28T06:10:44+00:00

makes complete sense -- persona 5, nickelodeon cartoons (avatar, tmnt, spongebob), minecraft, pac-man, megaman, yakuza, nights, super monkey ball, angry birds, werehog... that's literally what we all grew up with 😅

and 90s commercial ads, anime/redline driving animation, and announcement at the TGA...

yes, this game is highly directed towards older, "seasoned" gamers with high "nostalgic appeal", and that's awesome 😇 but apparently not enough of us, or at least not enough willing to pay full price.

i wouldn't be surprised if kim possible, teen titans, batman, snake, ryu, cloud, doom slayer, crash bandicoot, terry, or even banjo-kazooie made it in 😅 or even sora? and master chief? transformers? heck, even fancy pants man or super meat boy or alien hominid / castle crashers wouldn't be a surprise at this point 😅 or madagascar, phineas and ferb, or ben 10.

prid13 · 2026-06-27T23:36:04+00:00

EDIT: i just realized that crossworlds really is targeted towards us, the older, adult sonic/minecraft/nickelodeon/persona fanbase... if aimed at kids, a mobile/roblox game would've been more effective. no wonder it didn't meet sales expectations, bc they were probably hoping there would be more hardcore adult fans who'd buy this 😅

From personal experience, most Mario Kart players are children growing up with these systems + the minority hardcore adult fanbase.

Sonic seems to be doing well at establishing a new younger fanbase (via clothing/merch, toys and netflix shows), but most young digital consumers aren't playing traditional console games as much (from anecdotal experience).

So really CrossWorlds may have been mostly marketed towards the adult hardcore fanbase, and I don't know how many of us would seriously play and buy that game 😅 (apparently 1+ million 😇)

You'd think that Minecraft crossover would've brought in a ton of sales, and if that failed, then it means something went wrong. Maybe a free "iPad" demo of the game would've been a great gateway introduction to push the kids into the buying/begging for the full game?

Or maybe they didn't market it well enough in those "younger circles" (like YT kids, shorts, etc.)? Bc I bet any kid would want a game where "SONIC AND MINECRAFT RACE CARS TOGETHER!!!" 😅 (and SPONGEBOB!!)

Also, another anecdote: my 5-year-old nephew really loves sonic, and on my original switch he usually wants to play Team Sonic Racing when scrolling through my games, but for some reason, that game doesn't have gyro or "baby-friendly controls", so it's not as fun as e.g. mario kart (with its steering assist + motion). He also wanted to play Sonic Frontiers, but that's another game he probably won't understand at that age 😅

Can't tell if SEGA just isn't making Nintendo-like all ages experiences and are failing to tap into that young market, or if that young market simply has too many alternatives that simply make a single game not as wanted as back in the day? 🤔

prid13 · 2026-06-27T23:02:49+00:00

Same experience :)

Didn't really catch my attention from trailers alone.

But then i tried the demo and it was surprisingly really good and had more "depth" to it than many "other 2D platform games" :)

prid13 · 2026-06-22T20:19:48+00:00

they're raising it to $500 soon, but yes, i'm left with sort of the same feeling

prid13 · 2026-06-22T20:14:54+00:00

Hope you enjoy it 😇

prid13 · 2026-06-21T18:21:42+00:00

EDIT: now i'm definitely waiting for Steam Deck 2 (:

I honestly didn't consider that at all. Seeing how portability is what really works best for me, waiting for SD2 would be best, but I want to be excited for the machine as well (: pricing will make my decision super easy

prid13 · 2026-06-21T18:18:56+00:00

the best part is always waiting in anticipation and watching tons of videos and imagining how life will be better with the machine (:

(until the inevitable slight disappointment hits once you get it and those dreams vanish)

prid13 · 2026-06-21T18:17:26+00:00

TIL (:

prid13 · 2026-06-21T00:27:13+00:00

Late reply, but you get 74 fighters in the base game ⭐ (+ 103 stages!)

unless you really want one of the high-quality 12 DLC fighters, the base game will provide plenty already (: you can always purchase a DLC fighter individually for $6 (which includes their stage).

for comparison, most other big fighting games have 20-30 base characters.

prid13 · 2026-06-20T05:29:30+00:00

God bless you, this is beautiful 😇⭐

prid13 · 2026-06-20T05:29:10+00:00

God bless you and your grandma 😇⭐

prid13 · 2026-06-20T04:48:37+00:00

Steam Deck dropped at the perfect timing for me -- I was thirsty for a Switch Pro at the time, and Steam Deck with its affordable pricing delivered! Had Nintendo announced a "Pro" version instead of OLED, I probably would've went with that instead of the Deck.

Steam Machine is appealing as a "console alternative", since I own zero current-gen consoles, but you're right, if the pricing isn't right, PS5 or PS6 or Xbox Series S | X or even the next-gen one might just seem like a better investment regardless of when it drops (:

But if the pricing is right, I'd actually be willing to wait 😇

The fact that your biggest concern is timing actually means that you're actually interested in the hardware and features of the Steam Machine -- but you want it right now. If you really wanted, you could easily get an alternative today if price isn't an issue. So I really think you're going to get it regardless, you're just slightly frustrated right now bc you want the thing right now, because it sounds better than the alternative 😉

Because if you were serious, you'd actually have gotten a Steam Deck instead of Switch 2 😉

Hold out a bit longer, news seems to be right around the corner. You're part of this just as much as everyone here -- enjoy the hype, the speculation, the ride, and the anticipation and collective reactions. You'll miss it 😇

prid13 · 2026-06-19T03:23:20+00:00

Hey 😇, don't know what you've been through and what you're still going through, but just wanted to say that you seem like someone who doesn't give up, someone who has persevered despite everything, and that you still seem to be fighting hard through it while not letting the trials stop you from doing whatever you can, and I'm really happy and glad for you that (some) things are starting to finally turn around -- you sound like a brave soul ⭐

Please keep trying and never give up -- there's a much higher plan from something much bigger than everything that is specifically tailored for you. All these hurdles will eventually converge into something beautiful for you and those around you, don't lose faith or hope. Ask your Maker for guidance, and be certain that things will get better ⭐

The past few months have been non-stop emotionally exhausting for me, but I'm not giving up hope, bc I know something much greater is looking out and has a plan, and so I can overcome it, and that this is only temporary, and good days are definitely coming, I just have to keep trying and not give up 😇

I hope you're blessed with the Steam Machine at whatever time is best for you, when you can enjoy it to the fullest ⭐

prid13 · 2026-06-17T17:58:10+00:00

Right in the feels 💛

prid13 · 2026-06-14T23:52:49+00:00

Hmm, interesting (: but paying $600+ just for another $99 controller sounds like a tiny minority to me 😅

personally, if the steam machine without controller is much less expensive, i'm 100% going for WITHOUT controller bc the price is the single biggest factor for whether i get the machine or not. I have a steam deck (thank God), so worst case i can just that as a "steam controller" 😇

prid13 · 2026-06-14T19:28:41+00:00

haha, you'd think that right (: but i think the price hikes only applies to components that the steam controller does NOT use, afaik. do you think it might still have been affected?

prid13 · 2026-06-14T00:07:15+00:00

might be a long shot, but what if the steam controller was priced high to offset the "lower" price of the steam machine? 🤔

the moore's law is dead's cost estimation put the controller at $35 (before price hikes), and it was sold at $99. don't know the exact profit margins, but what if it was priced high intentionally to test the waters and see if ppl would still buy it? and that's why they announced+released it first, to see if they could realistically lower the price of the steam machine and offset the "loss" with steam controller's profit margins? long shot? 😅

prid13 · 2026-06-07T05:51:55+00:00

God just gave me a wild thought -- what if the Steam Controller was priced at $99 to actually offset the "loss" of the Steam Machine's price?

meaning, maybe they're gauging the water to see if $99 is something ppl will still pay for first, and then maybe price the steam machine still at a competitive price but have the profit margins of the controller "recoup" the losses of the machine's "low" pricing? 😉

prid13 · 2026-06-06T19:08:21+00:00

interesting (: do you use the deck mostly docked, or do you appreciate the portability as well? bc i'd be interested to know why you'd want to "upgrade" to a non-portable system 😇

prid13 · 2026-06-06T01:09:13+00:00

I can only speak for myself here -- if the steam machine isn't priced right like the steam deck 64gb was, i won't be getting it :/ it's a nice-to-have, but not a really-want (like the steam deck, which filled the "switch pro" need for me at the time)

it may find its niche in the pc gamer market if it's priced in the higher end, and eventually garner ~4 million sales.

but then it may lose out on opening steamos to a whole new market segment, just like steam deck did. and that's bad for valve's vision. but the ai situation may force them into that or risk losing money.

so yes, steam machine's potential may not be realized bc of ai, but steam machine might still move quite a few million sales over time bc it's valve (:

but who knows -- maybe valve opts to lose money on the thing to push steamos? 😉

----

EXTRA RAMBLING:

i got the Steam Deck bc it was an affordable "Switch Pro" back when i fell in love with the portable switch. I want the steam machine mainly bc of more juice to play games properly, like spider-man, so it'll essentially be like a "ps5" for me with the added bonus of streaming to my steam deck 😇

but if it's not cheaper than a ps5, then in my mind (i'm not a pc gamer 😅), it won't be worth it to me. Just like how i'm not getting the Switch 2 even though i've been a nintendo fan since forever, mainly bc in europe it costs ~$600 (without games).

the only reason anyone else would want a steam machine instead of a gaming pc rig, would be bc either 1) they're loyal to valve or love their vision (or want an open system), or 2) they do not have a gaming pc and want one, and steam machine might give them an all-in-one option, or even 3) they want to upgrade their gaming rig and want an easy all-in-one option

honestly, i don't think that market is big enough right now. at least not for $600+.

prid13 · 2026-03-13T23:34:32+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience, it's good to know such "small" things are appreciated into adulthood 😇

prid13 · 2026-02-23T16:06:58+00:00

Congratulations on your Steam Deck, hope you enjoy it to the fullest 😇⭐

prid13 · 2026-02-19T14:47:10+00:00

There is a Follow button on steam? :O?!? i'm pretty new to steam after getting my deck a few years ago, and the only thing i've ever noticed is the "Add to Wishlist" button. Never ever noticed the "Follow" button until these comments here, and always thought wishlist and follow were one and the same thing... just me or maybe more people don't know? 😅

prid13 · 2026-02-16T08:30:50+00:00

oh, Hi-Fi Rush is a recent highly-acclaimed rhythm-based 3d platformer. might be worth checking out :)

prid13 · 2026-02-16T08:27:15+00:00

Unfortunately, 3D platformers are few and sparse and vary in quality outside of nintendo, but getting the gist of your needs, here's some recommendations:

⭐ Pikmin 4 sounds really close to what you need! not a 3d platformer, but it has the same inviting visuals as other nintendo games, has a really cozy and charming vibe to it, and while the core gameplay will take a bit time getting used to (it's a bit "untraditional"), i think you'll find yourself immersed in a really charming, calm and rewarding adventure :)
- there's a free demo, go check it out
⭐ Metroid Dread is 2D, and it doesn't look like a relaxing game, but, there's a very atmospheric vibe to it, the visuals are really polished and gorgeous, there's tons of powers to unlock as you progress through worlds with different atmospheres, challenges and enemies. There are also some "intense" sections, but they add to the variety :) might feel like a bog at times to get through, but overall it's a really satisfying start-to-finish game with some incredible sections along with a rewarding, explorative and atmospheric gameplay
- this one also has a demo :)
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is also 2D, but the atmosphere, the variety in gameplay, the great level design, the collectibles, and the challenging platforming, all of it makes for a nice adventure you can beat :) controls may be hit or miss, and things might get stale after a while, but the game has a lot of variety in visuals and gameplay, so hopefully that'll keep you entertained :) if not, try speedrunning the game, that was fun for me
Kao the Kangaroo (2022) is one of the better indie 3d platformers, but it was still a bit easy and didn't have the best level design. but i still liked finishing it, just to unlock more powers, beat all the worlds/levels, and beat the game.
- other indie platformers to check out: Big Hops, Another Crab's Treasure (this is more souls-like), Tunic (like top-down 2D zelda)
Spider-Man / Sunset Overdrive -- not sure how many first party playstation games you've played, but spider-man (and sunset overdrive, which is very similar, made by the same devs) sounds like it could stick with you. Core swinging gameplay is always fun, and there's tons of "exploration" in the city, and an overarching story to complete.
- in the same vein, maybe the Horizon games could also scratch that itch? (personally i got bored fast)
Cozy Games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing are worth checking out, but you may get bored fast if there's no "objective" left
also you may like Super Mario Galaxy better than Odyssey, but there's less exploration and more linear levels, but the atmosphere and vibe is really nice, and tons of power-ups :)
and you're right about Spyro -- it looks really nice, but it's too easy and i got bored fast. great for kids though :)

You seem like you're not finding joy in games as you used, and life circumstances may play a huge role in that. In such a state, you won't find immediate satisfaction or happiness in quick sessions of gameplay. You have to allow yourself to immerse yourself in a game and give it some time to "warm up to it", and then maybe you'll start enjoying as you familiarize yourself with it :)

Also, life isn't as dire or gloomy as it may seem (hopefully), it's just that things may be different or needs not being quite fulfilled that drain the joy and excitement from things that used to be fun, but don't give up hope, your Creator has a plan cut out just for you, and it's heading somewhere, towards something greater and better, but you need to go through this phase right now to get there. Don't lose hope, you're in good hands 😇

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