It seems like Sonic The Hedgehog will be racing against Kratos this winter, as the newly-confirmed release date for Sonic Frontiers places it a day before the arrival of God of War Ragnarok. A reveal trailer at the 2021 Game Awards led to Sonic Frontiers being compared to Kirby's latest adventure, The Forgotten Land, as well as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In the months since then, more details about Sonic Frontiers’ traversal and combat gameplay have surfaced, and while previous demo trailers have been seen by many fans as empty and somewhat boring for such a traditionally adrenaline-filled series, there is hope that it will rise above the more lukewarm Sonic entries of the past thanks to its robust combo-based combat system.

One area of Sonic Frontiers that has remained a mystery at this point is its release date. Originally, Sonic Frontiers was meant to come out last year in honor of Sonic The Hedgehog's 30th anniversary, but Sonic Team decided to hold the game back for a year to allow more time for polish. Several leaks and rumors have suggested that the game will launch in November, keeping the tradition of major 3D Sonic titles like Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic '06, Sonic Colors, and Sonic Forces to hit store shelves in time for the busy holiday shopping season. While some fans have petitioned Sega to delay Sonic Frontiers further due to the mixed reception of the aforementioned gameplay trailers, there has been no indication that the game won’t be released this year.

Related: Sonic Frontiers Director Explains How Sonic Movie Influenced The Game

Sure enough, the newest Sonic Frontiers trailer was just unveiled as part of this week’s Gamescom 2022 livestream, and it finally confirms the upcoming action title’s release date as November 8. This date was previously featured in a Japanese Sonic Frontiers ad, which in turn was shared by noted gaming news hunter Nibellion on Twitter earlier today.

Sonic Frontiers Release Date - Blue Blur Faces Kratos November 2022

This newly-confirmed Sonic Frontiers release date is an interesting and potentially challenging choice, as it so happens to fall on the day before the highly-anticipated God of War Ragnarok is set to release on PlayStation consoles. Excitement for the next installment of Kratos’s epic journey through the Nine Realms of Nordic mythology is at an all-time high as Sony ramps up its God of War Ragnarok advertising - and this could prove a challenge for Sonic Frontiers’ efforts to connect with an older gaming audience that has grown weary of modern 3D Sonic games.

On the other hand, Sonic Frontiers and God of War Ragnarok are in entirely different gameplay genres and are aimed at different audiences, so Frontiers releasing a day before Kratos' big return might not hurt its launch day sales too much. In either case, two beloved icons of the gaming industry are going head-to-head this winter, starting with the long-awaited Sonic Frontiers on November 8.

Source: Nibellion/Twitter