The “Plus” Part of Sonic Origins is Digital

Why do companies keep splitting their games across physical and digital elements? Of course, that was a rhetorical question. The physical version of Jedi Survivor required a hefty download, so I went with the digital version. At least Sonic Frontiers was complete on a single Blu-Ray.  The DLC will obviously be digital.

Sonic Origins was originally released in 2022, and contained the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games. These included Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD. The compilation also included twelve Sonic Game Gear games.

Apparently, boxes appearing in retail outlets mention that a download is required for the “Plus” portion of the game. This Twitter user was nice enough to tell us:

Sonic the Hedgehog has been a series that I have loved since I was a young teen. I still have my Sega Genesis cartridges. While I enjoy playing them on an Analog Mega Sg, I do prefer playing games on a modern console, especially these compilations.

I already have Sonic Origins on Steam, but I would buy the collection on a console, if the price was right.

Sonic Origins Plus is due out on June 23, 2023. The release will cost $39.99 on all major platform. If you already own Sonic Origins, you can upgrade for $9.99.

Theories

Sega probably printed these already and a code is a quick way to add content with minimal expense. Another possibility would be the time constraints they put upon themselves.

Whatever the reason, it is a modern trend, that I am not a fan of.