 | Digital Release | Xbox 360 September 09, 2009 (AU, EU, JP, NA) Nintendo Wii October 07, 2009 (JP) February 12, 2010 (AU, EU) February 15, 2010 (NA) Steam (as Sonic 3 & Knuckles) January 26, 2011 |
| Delisting | No later than January 30, 2019 - Nintendo Wii May 20, 2022 - Xbox 360, Xbox One (AU, EU, NA), Steam May 2022 - Xbox 360, Xbox One (JP) |
|
| Developer | Backbone Entertainment - Xbox 360, Xbox One Sega - Nintendo Wii, Steam |
|
| Publisher | Sega | |
| Available On | Digital Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One (in Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Classics) Retail Original Hardware and Compilation Releases |
|
| Links | Sonic the Hedgehog series homepage SteamDB page Nintendo.com page [Archive] |
Delisting
Sonic & Knuckles was initially delisted on Nintendo Wii no later than January 30th, 2019 when the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel and Virtual Console services were shut down.
Sega PR confirmed to Twitter user @Tracker_TD on April 26th, 2022 that several standalone Sonic titles would be delisted from digital stores on May 20th leading up to the June release of Sonic Origins. Sega Japan released their own official statement on April 27th confirming the news and providing a few more details.
Starting as early as May 19th, some users reported that they were unable to buy or had issues downloading the titles on Xbox 360. Throughout the day of May 20th various versions of the game began disappearing as promised and by the morning of May 21st only two titles remained. As of mid-day May 23rd, the original Sonic the Hedgehog was also delisted on Xbox 360 (AU, EU, NA) leaving Sonic CD as the only title available, exclusively on PlayStation 3 in North America.
Sega had earlier confirmed that the releases of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch would remain available. As of this writing the free-to-play versions of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, and Sonic CD also remain available on mobile devices. The 2018 console release of Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Classics also remains available digitally as of this writing and includes Sonic 1, Sonic 2, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
As Sega explained themselves, the delistings were made ahead of the release of Sonic Origins, a new compilation including the delisted titles with various additions and tweaks. However, some have noted that the Sonic Origins versions of the games are not identical to the older releases. In particular, some of the Steam versions were able to be modified with user created content and patches.
About the Game
Sonic and Knuckles join forces to defeat rotten Dr. Robotnik’s Death Egg invasion! Play Sonic & Knuckles by itself or Lock-on with other Sonic games. This game’s revolutionary Lock-on technology adds all new features to your other Sonic games for ultimate replays!
Play as Sonic and let loose on Robotnik with amazing new powers. Play as Knuckles and tackle Robotnik and Metal Sonic with bare-fisted attacks, high-speed glides and wall-climbing power! Lock-on with Sonic 3 and transform Floating Island into a huge 34 meg Sonic-epic loaded with new secrets! Play as Sonic, Knuckles, and even Tails – with Game Save! Lock-on with Sonic 2 and play as Knuckles with all his signature moves!