Sega and Rovio announce pre-registration for upcoming party game Sonic Rumble

I might alienate a large population of gamers right now but it has to be said; I was never the biggest Sonic fan. The Mega Drive games were alright, but I would have much rather been playing the likes of Shining Force. Still, I recognise it is an iconic brand and one that is set to grow with Sonic Rumble.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly where Sonic stands right now as a franchise. Thanks to the movies, it has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence, but the latest games have been hit-and-miss. Sonic X Shadow Generations is building the buzz, as is the third Sonic movie, so it's a good time for Sega to cash in with a game in a solid genre.

Sonic Rumble is the upcoming multiplayer battle royale, in the vein of Stumble Guys and Fall Guys. Sonic Rumble will feature 32-player challenges, which will no doubt leave people struggling to name 32 characters from the series. I am up to around ten, and I might have invented two of these. It will also feature cross-platform play between mobile and PC.

You will face off against your fellow competitors in fast-paced, wild-action challenges devised by the notorious Dr. Eggman. To succeed you can collect Rings and use power-ups to get the upper hand. There will also be a few racing courses, because no matter what the genre, Sonics’ gotta go fast.

Pre-ordering Sonic Rumble will put you in with a chance to earn a plethora of bonuses. 200k signatories will get everyone 5,000 Rings to spend on in-game items. Future milestones will bring a Chao sticker emote, the Crystal Chao companion, a Gernet Knuckles Skin, and a Movie Sonic skin based on Sonic 3. Sega and Rovio haven’t announced the thresholds for the rest of these gifts, which is a pretty weird move.

Sonic Rumble is available to pre-register on the App Store and Google Play, with the former offering an expected release date of February 25th, 2025.