Sonic's classic games are set to be delisted from the Microsoft Store on May 20th, which will make upcoming compilation Sonic Origins the only way to purchase Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic CD on Xbox.
Many of us probably saw this coming, but it looks like Sonic Origins will soon be the sole home of these retro classics (outside of other compilations), as the Sega mascot's 16-bit favourites are being removed from sale on all digital storefronts next month.
It seems like the move will affect all games included in Sonic Origins, meaning that the following titles will no longer be available for purchase after May 20th:
Sonic the Hedgehog delistings
All Xbox 360 Marketplace links provided are for US region. For other regions, simply swap out 'en-us' near the start of the url for your own country code to be taken to the local store page.
Several of these are already only available via the Xbox 360 marketplace, despite all being fully backwards compatible on newer Xbox consoles. Sega does mention a couple of exceptions to this blanket removal (both affecting just select Switch versions), but on Xbox, other existing retro compilations such as Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Classics (which just includes the first two games) will be the only way to pick them up outside of Origins.
Sonic Origins was announced last week, with its spicy price tag and questionable preorder plan attracting a fair bit of attention. The new collection, coming June 23rd, will offer both classic and remastered versions of the vintage Sonic games, although fans who want to own the games individually will now need to grab them in the next few weeks before they are removed from sale.
Disappointed by this news? Plan on adding these to your library before they are lost to time? Let us know!