Sonic Mania finally scheduled for physical release
Updated edition will add new modes and characters as Sega tries to build on retro hit's success
Sega has announced Sonic Mania will arrive on store shelves this summer, having made its debut digitally back in August.
The publisher announced a new version of the game - Sonic Mania Plus - during this year's SXSW event in Texas, VG247 reports. The boxed release will not only include the original game, but also additional content.
The main attraction this time around is an Encore Mode, which mixes up the vanilla version's levels, and a four-player Competition Mode. There will also be two new playable characters: Mighty The Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, both from the Japanese arcade game SegaSonic The Hedgehog.
Those who purchased the game digitally will be upgraded automatically to the new version, granting them access to the added content.
Download games getting a belated boxed release is nothing new, but Sonic Mania is of particular interest given how well the original version fared. GamesIndustry.biz revealed last year that the game would have been UK No.1 in its opening week if the charts included digital sales.
Given the critical acclaim and widespread popularity for the title, it's likely this would have applied to multiple markets around the world. The game achieved the highest Metacritic score of any Sonic game released in the past 15 years, and helped to bolster Sega's financials for the first half of the current financial year.
Sonic Mania Plus will be released this summer for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Sega also took the opportunity to tease a new Sonic & All-Stars Racing game, although no official announcement was made. It's highly likely this will be unveiled around E3 2018 in June.