July 30th 2024.
Mario and Sonic's relationship has come to an end. It may come as a surprise to know that it wasn't Sega who decided to cancel this year's Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games tie-in, but rather the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It seems that the committee may not fully understand the world of video games, as evidenced by their recent announcement of the first ever Olympic Esports Games in 2025, which will only feature non-violent games that are not well-known.
But the reason for the absence of a Mario & Sonic tie-in for the 2024 Paris Olympics is even more nonsensical. It turns out that Sega no longer holds the license for the games, and instead it has been given to a lesser-known developer called nWay, which specializes in Web3 and NFT technology. This is quite a blow, as the first Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games was released back in 2007 for the Wii, and there has been a new game for every Olympics since then.
While the games have always been exclusive to Nintendo consoles, they were developed and published by Sega, who had held the license for almost 2 decades. The occasional realistic tie-in, such as Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game, was also released. However, it seems that this will be the last traditional console game for the foreseeable future, as nWay has already released a mobile game, Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022, and this year's Olympics GO! Paris 2024, which is also available on PC, though only on the Epic Games Store.
It's important to note that Sega did not give up the license; rather, the IOC chose not to renew their agreement in order to explore other partnerships, including those involving NFTs and esports. This information was revealed by Lee Cocker, who previously worked at a sports marketing firm and helped manage the Olympics license for video games. He shared his experience on social media and confirmed to Eurogamer that the IOC wanted to bring the license back in-house and explore other partnerships in order to increase profits.
It remains to be seen how this will play out, especially considering the lack of marketing and the fact that the PC version is not available on Steam. In addition, the IOC is also selling a "commemorative Paris 2024 NFT Digital Pin collection," despite the fact that many companies have moved on from NFTs due to their negative reputation. This decision by the IOC is eerily similar to FIFA's approach to video games after EA refused to pay for the FIFA license anymore. FIFA then announced that they would be making their own games, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
As for Mario and Sonic, it's uncertain if and when they will team up again. Sonic has also made appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, but there has never been any indication of a crossover in other games. It's a sad thought that this may be the last Olympics game on console, but only time will tell. To stay updated on all the latest gaming news and releases, be sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter. As always, you can also submit letters and features to us via email or directly through our website. Thank you for your continued support!
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