Sonic SuperstarsandSuper Mario Bros. Wonderare two important upcoming 2.5D platformers that have already excited fans of some of the most iconic mascots in gaming, and for good reason. Both titles aim to harken back to the franchises' roots. When one looks at both games, there are quite a lot of similarities between what both the newSonicandMariogames set out to do in terms of features and making what’s old feel new again.
Rather, the similarities don’t end with introducing new power-ups and including characters who’ve been needing the spotlight for a while.Super Mario Bros. Wonderhas already revealed that it’s releasing July 04, 2025, andSonic Superstarshas only stated a window of Fall 2023. Both of these are still subject to change, but if they don’t, the old Sonic and Mario rivalry may come back after years of being on peaceful terms.
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Sonic Superstars and Super Mario Bros. Wonder May Come Out Too Soon
While many gamers typically see a release date as something to mark on their calendars as the day they can play something new, the exact date a game is made available is much more important than that. For game developers and publishers, picking the perfect day to start selling a game is crucial to sales.
Currently,October 2023 is loaded with release datesfor many different titles, andSuper Mario Bros. Wonderhas already thrown itself on top of the pile. Meanwhile,Sonic Superstarshas yet to announce when it’ll be available beyond a timeframe. It could be said that Sega could take note ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonder’s release date and possibly wait to releaseSonic Superstarsat a more opportune time, but the blue blur may already be fated to fight the plumber for players' attention and money.
A recent listing byGameStop suggestsSonic Superstarswill releaseon October 17, just three days beforeSuper Mario Bros. Wonderhits shelves. WhileMariois staying on Switch andSonicdebatably has more reach by going multiplatform, the hedgehog might not keep up with other prominent releases likeAlan Wake 2orMarvel’sSpider-Man 2.
How the Fight Between Mario and Sonic in 2023 Could Pan Out
Even if the release date forSonic Superstarswas moved to giveSuper Mario Bros. Wondersome breathing room, there’s hardly anywhere else left for Sega to place the game without significantly delayingSuperstars, meaning the battle for salesbetween Nintendo and Segais likely to happen regardless. After all,Superstarsis likely aiming to release before the holidays, and beforeSonic Frontiers' best-selling run finishes its first year in November.
Super Mario Bros. Wonderis likely also aiming to release before the holidays, so it can be sold as a great gift for the season. Even though Sonic and Mario (as well as the companies they represent) have been seen shaking hands and being good sports to each other since 2008, there’s a relatively small overlap between their fans even to this day.
Both franchises are particularly full of loyal fans who will likely get their favorite series over the other any day. This means that whileSonic Superstarsis on every current and next-gen console, its sales will likely be lower thanWonder’s on Switchas the numbers are scattered across several systems.
However,Sonic Superstarsisn’t easily written off in this race. As the game was playable at Summer Game Fest this year, many hands-on impressions of the new classicSonicgame have been positive, and many fans are excited about the return of Naoto Ohshima and the character Fang (AKA Nack) the Hunter. Out of the two titles, Sonic and friends may need more support than Mario, asSonic Superstarsfaces a lot of pressureas the first 2D game developed by Sonic Team itself in years.
Sonic Superstarswill release in Fall 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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