The Mario & Sonic series is over. The IOC has other plans, including NFT and esports, meaning a piece of history ends after two decades.
The games in the “Mario & Sonic” series have been a recurring part of the Olympic Games since 2007. They were created in a long-standing partnership between Nintendo and Sega.
No new “Mario & Sonic” was developed for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. There is a simple reason for this, as is now known. The licensing has ended. The further plans are causing concern.
NFTs and esports in focus
The historic partnership between Nintendo and Sega in developing Olympic video games ended in 2020 as the event’s IOC organizers look for other opportunities.
Lee Cocker, who was instrumental in producing several Mario & Sonic Olympics titles, told Eurogamer that the International Olympic Committee let the licensing agreement expire because they wanted to “look at other partners, NFTs and esports.”
“Basically, the IOC wanted to bring it back internally and look at other partners so they could get more money,” added Cocker.
This means that with new partnerships, the accompanying games could also be released for PS5 and Co. However, after the reactions and turnarounds of the past few years, it is doubtful that a large proportion of gamers will be keen on NFTs and the like.
The opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics took place in Paris last week without Mario and Sonic appearing with a new game. They are absent for the first time since the original was released in 2007 for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Four years ago, the duo were there along with other characters in “Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020.”
In total, there were four “Mario & Sonic” titles for the Summer Olympics and two for the Winter Olympics over two decades.
Olympics Go! Paris 2024 invites sports enthusiasts
This year’s release shows where the new journey will lead. Instead of the Nintendo/Sega title, the licensed game “Olympics Go! Paris 2024” was released. It is a free title for mobile and PC that was developed by nWay. The studio previously worked on various “Power Rangers” games.
In “Olympics Go! Paris 2024,” players compete in twelve sports and unlock NFTs from the “Paris 2024 Digital Pin” collection. The title is available in Epic Store and at Google Play available. In the mobile store, the score is 4.3/5 based on more than 2,300 reviews. At Epic, it is 3.7/5 stars.
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