Sonic Superstars’ likely release date has been leaked by GameStop, with its recently published store page saying that Sega’s forthcoming platformer will be available on October 17. The listing was discovered shortly after the Japanese developer acknowledged that Sonic Superstars’ multiplayer features are severely limited.
The new Sonic the Hedgehog co-op game was first shown in early June at the 2023 Summer Game Fest. After showing some gameplay footage, the announcement film concluded with the revelation that Sonic Superstars will be released in the autumn of 2023.
The October 17 launch date claimed by GameStop fits that official time frame, and while it could easily be a placeholder, it doesn’t appear to be a typical tentative date used by retailers; distributors usually play it safe with placeholders by choosing the last day of whatever month or quarter a given game is officially targeting. Sonic Superstars is set to be released on December 31, 2023, according to Target, Walmart, and Canadian VGP.
In comparison to those conservative projections, GameStop’s street date for Sonic Superstars appears to be rather solid, though that’s not to say it should be taken at face value, not least because retail listings have historically been an unreliable source of game release date leaks.
Another factor casting doubt on GameStop’s listing is the fact that Sega held Sonic Central 2023t, an annual event dedicated to Sonic the Hedgehog news that would have been an ideal opportunity for the company to confirm that Sonic Superstars will be released in less than four months. Moreover, even though the game was showcased during the 30-minute live webcast, the developer only restated its fall 2023 launch timeframe at the event.
While some fans anticipated that a local co-op game in the style of the upcoming platformer would be reasonably priced, Sega has already announced that Sonic Superstars is rather pricey, with the base version starting at $59.99. The fact that GameStop’s predicted release date of October 17 occurs just three days before Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder are on sale is another factor that might prevent its launch
