Mario and Sonic Crossover Series: End of an Era

The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series has officially ended, as confirmed by former developer Lee Cocker in an interview. This series, which began in 2007, involved the iconic characters from Nintendo and SEGA competing in various sports at the Summer Olympics and included two Winter Olympic titles.

The collaboration came to a close after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to pursue different directions, focusing more on NFTs and esports for future Olympic video game initiatives, though the IOC has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. This shift aligns with the IOC‘s announcement of the inaugural Olympic eSports Games set for 2025 in Saudi Arabia. While the Mario & Sonic series has concluded, both franchises continue to release new titles, with Mario launching Super Mario Bros Wonder and SEGA announcing Sonic x Shadows Generations, a remaster of Sonic Generations. The series remains a memorable crossover in gaming history.

For the people that are asking there will be no @MarioSonicGames for @Paris2024 the franchise finished with #MarioAndSonic at the #OlympicGames @Tokyo2020 I know because I worked on all the games in the franchise. #Olympics #PARIS2024 #videogames #gaming #esports #Nintendo #Sega pic.twitter.com/o5OPEksF5G

— Lee Cocker (@leecocker) July 25, 2024