Sonic Superstars Players Get Holiday Freebie

With the holiday season upon us, Sega is getting in on the festivities with some free content for Sonic Superstars. Starting today, players can receive free DLC of Sonic wearing a Santa inspired outfit, complete with a red and white hat and jacket. The design is similar to the one that Sega released last year for Sonic Frontiers. It's nothing too significant (especially for those that have already completed the game), but it's a very nice extra for those still spending time with the game, or those expecting to receive it as a gift this holiday season. 

An image of the Sonic Holiday Costume DLC can be found in the Tweet embedded below. 

Suit up and spread cheer to the Northstar Islands this holiday season with the free Sonic Holiday Costume DLC in Sonic Superstars today! pic.twitter.com/n4ayHAKH50

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) December 11, 2023

Sonic Superstars Sales

Sonic Superstars released in October on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The 2D Sonic game received mostly positive reception, but happened to arrive the same week as Super Mario Bros. Wonder. It's impossible to say what impact that might have had, but in Sega's recent financial results briefing (via Video Games Chronicle), the company stated that Superstars was off to "a slightly weaker start than we had anticipated." However, the company expressed confidence that sales for the game will pick up in the November and December months. 

That actually does seem possible, as Sonic Superstars has been seeing significant discounts over the last few weeks! The game launched at a price of $59.99, but retailers like Best Buy and Amazon have been offering Sonic Superstars for $39.99 or even less. That could help to spur holiday sales for the game, with both longtime Sonic fans as well as younger players introduced to the characters through the movies and cartoons. 

The Future of Sonic

Sonic Superstars marked the first new 2D game in the series since 2017. That year saw the release of Sonic Mania, which is widely considered one of the very best games in the series. That game used a pixel art style inspired by the original Genesis games, but Sega went with 3D graphics for Sonic Superstars. In an interview with GamesRadar+, Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuki shared his belief that pixel art won't be "a viable art style or presentation" 10-20 years in the future. Those comments were met with a lot of frustration from Sonic fans, as the original art style still holds a lot of appeal. 

Regardless of where things go, Sega sees both 3D and 2D Sonic games as "fundamental pillars" in the character's success. That means we should continue to see 3D games like Sonic Frontiers as well as 2D games like Sonic Mania and Sonic Superstars. At this time, Sega has not announced any details about the next Sonic game in the series, but given how important the franchise has been for the company, it likely won't be too long before we learn more. 

Do you plan on checking out this free DLC for Sonic Superstars? Have you checked out the game yet? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!