Ahead of its global launch on May 8th, Sega’s Sonic Rumble has rolled out its first-ever crossover event—Crossover Event 0: SEGA Stars—exclusively for players in soft launch regions.

Running from April 11th to May 7th, the limited-time event features iconic characters from Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble, Fantasy Zone, and Altered Beast, offering early access to nostalgic content just before the game goes live worldwide.

Soft launch perks with lasting rewardsParticipants in the pre-launch event will retain any unlocked crossover characters after the global release. While Altered Beast’s Weredragon and Fantasy Zone’s Opa-Opa are gated behind the premium SEGA Stars Event Pass, players can unlock Altered Beast’s Werewolf for free. Additional characters—including Upa-Upa, Werebear, AiAi, and MeeMee—are available via the in-game Ring Shop and Red Ring Shop.

This crossover was hinted at in an earlier interview with Rovio’s Veli Kiviaho, who teased pre-launch IP integrations featuring characters "not seen lately in other games"—a likely nod to retro franchises like Altered Beast and Fantasy Zone, both of which predate Sonic.

While all featured IPs so far come from Sega’s own library, it’s still unclear if future crossovers will follow suit. Three additional crossover events have already been teased post-launch, but details remain under wraps.

Watch the event trailer here.