Sega has confirmed that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will continue to add characters for free as it enters its second year. Bayonetta will be the first new racer to appear in Year 2, continuing the game's tradition of free character updates from its first year.
Since the launch of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sega has consistently expanded the game through paid crossover packs and free character additions. Paid crossover packs typically include characters, vehicles, and tracks from other franchises, while free updates mainly feature guest racers from Sega's own titles, generally maintaining a pace of one new character per month.
Sega stated that a total of 13 free racers were added during the game's first year, including Joker from Persona, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima from Yakuza, AiAi from Super Monkey Ball, as well as Classic Sonic, Axel from Crazy Taxi, and Amigo from Samba de Amigo.
Five of the six paid crossover packs planned for the first year have already been released, introducing content from Minecraft, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pac-Man, Mega Man, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The sixth crossover pack, themed around the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, is scheduled to launch in October.
In addition to free character updates, Sega has announced a Year 2 Season Pass featuring six crossovers. The first two confirmed collaborations are with Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion, while the remaining crossover content has not yet been disclosed.
The specific release date for Bayonetta has not yet been announced. According to the current schedule, she will kick off the free character updates for Year 2 of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, while the paid Season Pass will continue to expand the game's content through six collaborations.