
Sega says it was somewhat expecting a new Mario Kart to be released with the Switch 2, but it also stresses that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds wasn't influenced by Mario Kart World at all.
There hasn't been a new, new Mario Kart since Mario Kart 8 came out in 2014, and likewise, it's been some six years since Team Sonic Racing launched in 2019, so it's a fairly rare coincidence that there's both a new Mario Kart and a new Sonic racing game releasing in 2025. Still, Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka told Traxion that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds' proximity to Mario Kart World is just that, a coincidence.