Sonic Mania, the new 2D Sonic adventure, launched earlier this year but it was strictly a digital-only title. Even those who purchased a physical collector’s edition received a download code for the game with all of their physical goodies. For those physical-only buyers, it was hard to not bite the bullet and pick this game since it reviewed well and relied heavily on nostalgia.
While the Sonic Team and Sega haven’t come out and announced this news, the ESRB Twitter page actually spilled the beans. The ESRB tweeted yesteday that Sonic Mania for the Switch was rated “E for Everyone” which caused one curious fan to ask why this was just now being tweeted. The ESRB confirmed that the new rating was indeed for a physical release.
@JoeG_LTE @sonic_hedgehog @SEGA Physical release, friend.
Sonic Mania has been long thought to be digital-only title and this might end up being a tough pill to swallow for fans if they ended up buying it and are now forced to double-dip for a physical title. While the ESRB has just confirmed a Nintendo Switch physical copy, it’d be a little weird to not see Xbox One and PS4 follow in its footsteps.
For what it’s worth, the ESRB has a tendency to reveal things before the publishers announce them. The same thing happened when the Rise of the Necromancer pack for Diablo 3 was bundled with the game on consoles in what is called Diablo 3: Eternal Collection. If you want a chance at finding out things before others find them out, just make sure to check in with the ESRB website and Twitter page every now and then. You can find the full list of recently rated games right here.
It seems like it is becoming a trend lately with digital-only titles later receiving physical releases. Stardew Valley, Sonic Mania, Undertale and Friday the 13th: The Game all come to mind as recent games that once were deemed digital-only but managed to find their way to store shelves.
No price or release date has been given for a physical release of Sonic Mania so stay tuned for that. The digital version costs $15 so we’re going to have to assume it’ll cost a little more than that for a physical release. Something along the lines of $20-$30 seems reasonable for us but we’ll see. The team might even end up packing in some extra bonuses with a physical copy to help offset the higher cost.
If 2D Sonic games aren’t your thing, make sure you stay tuned to the upcoming Sonic Forces.
