Sega's upcoming party game Sonic Rumble has been pushed back from its planned winter release to spring.
The free-to-play battle royale game, which pits 32 players against each other in competitive rounds similar to Fall Guys, is currently available in pre-launch across 44 countries.
Developer Rovio, best known for creating the Angry Birds series, announced the delay alongside details about the game's upcoming 1.2.0 update.
This new version will introduce several major features including a ranked competitive mode, a "Crews" feature allowing players to team up, and special abilities unique to each character.
Rovio assured fans they are focused on "delivering a memorable experience for Sonic fans with even more new game mechanics, new features, and more exciting content to look forward to."
Players who already have access to the game through pre-launch will receive an earlier 1.1.2 update that adds a Quick Rumble mode, offering single-round challenges for faster gameplay.
Sonic Rumble represents an important milestone for Rovio as their first completely new game since being acquired by Sega in 2023 for £625 million. The acquisition has allowed the Finnish developer to expand beyond their Angry Birds franchise and work with Sega's iconic characters.
Sonic franchise lead Takashi Iizuka highlighted the game's approach to monetization as particularly noteworthy. Unlike many mobile games, especially those popular in Asian markets, Sonic Rumble will not use gacha mechanics where players spend money for random chances to unlock rare characters.
Instead, the game will feature a season pass model, which aligns better with Western gaming preferences and allows for more predictable content unlocks.
The global launch, which will include the UK and US markets, is now expected in spring with the comprehensive 1.2.0 update.
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