UPDATE: 2023/03/23 13:13 EST BY MATTHEW SCHOMER
Xbox's YouTube channel has confirmed the release
Around noon Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, the official Xbox channel on YouTube added a video confirming the release of the 16-game collection for June 23.
The previously all-but-confirmed re-release of last year's 2D Sonic game collection, Sonic Origins Plus, will reportedly be available to purchase as soon as June.
The report originally came from website ComicBook.com before being delisted, and was subsequently picked up on by GoNintendo. It will reportedly include 12 total additional games, as well as giving players the option to play as Amy Rose in the first three Sonic the Hedgehog games and Sonic CD, and previously released DLC for Sonic Origins.
Despite first debuting in Sonic CD, Amy didn't become a playable character in any Sonic games prior to the often poorly received Sonic the Fighters, which would release a few years later in 1996, and it wasn't until a couple of years later with 1998's Sonic Adventure that she was playable in a Sonic platformer. Additionally, players will also be able to opt for Knuckles in Sonic CD for the first time.
The 12 previously mentioned additional titles cover each of the iconic hedgehog's Game Gear installments:
- Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
- Sonic Blast
- Sonic Chaos
- Sonic Drift
- Sonic Drift 2
- Sonic Labyrinth
- Sonic Spinball
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble
- Tails Adventure
- Tails' Skypatrol
Sonic Origins Plus will release for $39.99 USD alongside the original version, or as a much cheaper $9.99 upgrade for those who already own the game. Additionally, both versions of Origins will be available as a physical bundle, with a small 20-page art book being thrown in as a free bonus.
The existence of Sonic Origins Plus was first reported last month by gaming publication Gemastu, which spotted the game's popping up on The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea.
DualShockers awarded Sonic Origins an 8 out of 10 score when it launched last year, stating that it's a "great collection of some of Sonic's finest outings", despite some criticisms such as its DLC practices. The game would later be followed by larger controversies surrounding the likes of its DLC, as well as one of the developers putting the title under blast on Twitter for being different from the version they submitted, among other technical issues.
Sonic Origins is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.