Epic Games used its State of Unreal showcase this week to tease a new partnership bringing Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds into the broader Fortnite ecosystem.
The partnership was presented on a slide during the event, where Epic indicated the CrossWorlds tie-in is 'coming soon' to the Epic Store and Fortnite.
The announcement coincides with Sonic's 35th anniversary year; the original Sonic the Hedgehog debuted on the Sega Genesis in 1991, marking 2026 as the franchise's 35th year.
Sega, the publisher behind Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, has separately confirmed a second year of downloadable content and live updates for the title, with additional details slated for release later in 2026.
The company has not yet provided a timeline or specifics for the Epic Store and Fortnite collaboration beyond the State of Unreal slide, but the on-stage graphic explicitly linked CrossWorlds with forthcoming content on Epic's platforms.
In journalistic terms, Epic communicated that more partners will join Fortnite in the near future, and the showcase slide listed several additional collaborators.
Those included Vampire Survivors, Control Resonant, and Phantom Blade Zero.
Epic also announced an expansion of its work with The Simpsons, adding Springfield and the franchise's characters and locations to Unreal Editor for Fortnite, enabling creators to build with official Simpsons assets.
For context, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is part of Sega's ongoing Sonic portfolio, which spans consoles, handhelds, and PC — including releases on Nintendo platforms such as the Nintendo Switch.
Epic's integration via the Epic Store and Fortnite highlights a cross-platform promotional approach that blends free-to-play social spaces and digital storefronts.
Developers and publishers often leverage such partnerships to reach broader audiences and to support live-service content schedules.
At this stage the information presented at State of Unreal is a formal tease rather than a full reveal.
Verified takeaways are the presence of CrossWorlds on the State of Unreal partner slide, Sega's announcement of a second year of DLC for CrossWorlds with more 2026 details to come, and Epic's broader partner lineup that includes Vampire Survivors, Control Resonant, Phantom Blade Zero and an expanded Simpsons integration into Unreal Editor for Fortnite.
Developers, platform holders, and players should expect official follow-ups from Epic and Sega for dates and specific content details.
The partnership was presented on a slide during the event, where Epic indicated the CrossWorlds tie-in is 'coming soon' to the Epic Store and Fortnite.
The announcement coincides with Sonic's 35th anniversary year; the original Sonic the Hedgehog debuted on the Sega Genesis in 1991, marking 2026 as the franchise's 35th year.
Sega, the publisher behind Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, has separately confirmed a second year of downloadable content and live updates for the title, with additional details slated for release later in 2026.
The company has not yet provided a timeline or specifics for the Epic Store and Fortnite collaboration beyond the State of Unreal slide, but the on-stage graphic explicitly linked CrossWorlds with forthcoming content on Epic's platforms.
In journalistic terms, Epic communicated that more partners will join Fortnite in the near future, and the showcase slide listed several additional collaborators.
Those included Vampire Survivors, Control Resonant, and Phantom Blade Zero.
Epic also announced an expansion of its work with The Simpsons, adding Springfield and the franchise's characters and locations to Unreal Editor for Fortnite, enabling creators to build with official Simpsons assets.
For context, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is part of Sega's ongoing Sonic portfolio, which spans consoles, handhelds, and PC — including releases on Nintendo platforms such as the Nintendo Switch.
Epic's integration via the Epic Store and Fortnite highlights a cross-platform promotional approach that blends free-to-play social spaces and digital storefronts.
Developers and publishers often leverage such partnerships to reach broader audiences and to support live-service content schedules.
At this stage the information presented at State of Unreal is a formal tease rather than a full reveal.
Verified takeaways are the presence of CrossWorlds on the State of Unreal partner slide, Sega's announcement of a second year of DLC for CrossWorlds with more 2026 details to come, and Epic's broader partner lineup that includes Vampire Survivors, Control Resonant, Phantom Blade Zero and an expanded Simpsons integration into Unreal Editor for Fortnite.
Developers, platform holders, and players should expect official follow-ups from Epic and Sega for dates and specific content details.