It’s 2024, which makes it an Olympic year. All the world’s best athletes are in Paris for this event right now, but there is one glaring absence: This time, there’s no Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Even when the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed because of COVID-19, there was still a tie-in game featuring gaming’s two most iconic characters. Unfortunately, that’s not the case this time.
Why Mario and Sonic Aren’t at the Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has been a popular video game franchise since 2007 when it was released in anticipation of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Fast forward all the way to 2024 and the franchise is officially being canned.
This shouldn’t come as a major shock since the Olympics are here and there’s no accompanying game. Ordinarily, it would have come out long before. Additionally, there was no Winter Olympics game released in 2022.
However, the news is now official: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is gone and it’s not coming back. This is because the IOC (International Olympic Committee) opted not to renew the license with Sega or Nintendo. They let it lapse in 2020, and they’re moving on to different pursuits.
According to a report from IGN, they’re moving into NFTs and Esports as other partners. This comes on the back of the news that there will literally be Olympic Esports for gamers to compete in as well.
Lee Cocker, the series producer, said, “Basically the IOC wanted to bring [it] back to themselves internally and look at other partners so they would get more money.” That effectively marked the end of the iconic franchise, and it doesn’t look like a comeback is in store, either.
Technically, Sega and Nintendo could unite Mario and Sonic for an athletic game, but it wouldn’t have the same allure as the original franchise. Truth be told, the most recent entry from 2019 didn’t have the same allure, either. They might have been running on fumes, though a poor rendition of this franchise is still quality fun.
Nintendo’s History of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games originally debuted in 2007 on the Nintendo Wii. Characters like the titular ones as well as Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser, Knuckles, Tails, and Shadow came together to compete in track, field, and other athletic events. Being the original, it was the debut of the fan-favorite dream events that put an arcade-like spin on classic Olympic events.
The first Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games was released in 2009 for the Nintendo DS. A few new characters joined the roster, including Bowser Jr., Donkey Kong, Silver, and Metal Sonic. Naturally, the events this time included winter sporting events like snowboarding, curling, and bobsled.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games returned in 2011, this time denoting that it was in London for the 2012 Games. It was released for the Wii and the Nintendo 3DS as well. Classic summer events returned and there weren’t any new playable characters.
In 2013, the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi got the Mario and Sonic treatment. This time, the game was created for the Wii U. Waluigi and Vector joined the cast of characters for this video game.
The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U got the next game: Mario & Sonic at the 2016 Olympic Games. A ton of new characters were added for this one:
- Birdo
- Dry Bones
- Ludwig
- Diddy Kong
- Dry Bowser
- Rosalina
- Nabbit
- Wendy
- Larry
- Roy
- Espio
- Cream
- Omega
- Eggman Nega
- Sticks
- Jet
- Wave
- Zazz
- Zavok
- Rouge
They skipped the winter edition this time, as mentioned. Finally, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 proved to be the final game in the series. No new characters were added, but there were some new dream events.
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