The announcement of Sonic Origins was seen as Sega delivering a love letter to fans. The reissue of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles is something that fans have been requesting for a very long time, after all. That excitement has since been tinged with frustration, however. Sega has since confirmed the various launch editions of Sonic Origins, revealing a variety of unforeseen pre-order content, DLC, and further monetization.To start, Sonic Origins will be launching in two different editions, a standard edition and the Digital Deluxe Edition. Some of the differences between the standard and deluxe editions are leaving fans confused. For example, the deluxe edition of Sonic Origins features "Character Animations" both in the game's main menu and music islands. There are also "Camera Controls" over the many menu islands, additional music tracks from the MegaDrive/Genesis games, and hard missions included with the Digital Deluxe Edition. Much of this functionality seems like it should be standard, making the standard edition of Sonic Origins seem more like a stripped-down version of the game.Sega will also be offering two DLC packs for Sonic Origins, currently listed as "Coming Soon." These two DLC packs, the Premium Fun Pack and Classic Music Pack, are simply a different way of acquiring DLC offered in the Digital Deluxe Edition or as part of Sonic Origins' pre-order DLC. It's a complicated monetization scheme for, again, content that many fans feel should be included by default.
The pre-order DLC for Sonic Origins is a particular point of contention for fans, however. The Start Dash Pack, available solely by pre-ordering either edition of Sonic Origins, is the only way to acquire Mirror Mode for Sonic Origins. It doesn't appear to be available in either of the DLCs.
Also within the pre-order DLC is an extra 100 Bonus Coins, which appear to be an in-game currency used to unlock various content like Sonic music. It'll likely be earnable in-game, but the inclusion in the pre-order bonus has some thinking it'll be a monetized currency, as well. That, in turn, has many worried that Sonic Origins will have further frustrating monetization.
What's important to remember is that Sonic Origins is a premium game. The standard edition costs $39.99 and the Digital Deluxe Edition costs $44.99. It isn't clear how much of the now-revealed DLC will be accessible though in-game means, but what is clear is that Sega is monetizing the game well beyond what many see as necessary just to give Sonic fans access to five classic games.
Sonic Origins releases June 23 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
