Our latest show:
As the real-world Olympics are currently ongoing, gamers noticed that there wasn't a new Mario & Sonic title to serve as a companion to the event. As many would discover, the crossover sports series has effectively come to an end.
This information has been relayed through Eurogamer, who spoke with a former developer of the Mario & Sonic games. The developer - Lee Cocker - states that the International Olympic Committee decided against renewing their partnership with Nintendo and Sega during the last Olympic Games. The IOC reportedly decided to focus on other projects - such as non-fungible tokens. As this choice was seemingly made back in 2020, the venture hasn't made a lasting impression beyond the initial investment. However, incorporating Esports into the Olympics was another idea that only came into fruition recently - with the Inaugural Esports Olympic Games set to occur next year in Saudi Arabia.
Mario & Sonic's Olympic Dreams Are Over
The first Mario & Sonic game was released back in 2007, licensed in advance of the then-upcoming Summer Olympics in Beijing. A commercial success, the title benefited from the interactivity of the Nintendo Wii Console and the collaboration of two of the most iconic video game characters of all time - preceding Sonic's introduction to the Super Smash Bros. series by a few months. This led to future entries that all coincided with the following Olympic events, including both the Summer and Winter games. The exception was the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea, where the rights were held by Ubisoft. Ubisoft used these rights to create an Olympic-themed expansion for their snowboarding title Steep - the content of which is no longer available to purchase or access in any capacity.
However, Mario & Sonic would return for one last run together in 2020. Coincidentally, the 2020 Olympics occurred in Japan, the home of both Nintendo and Sega. In hindsight, it made for a fitting end to the series, as it introduced 2D mini-games that featured characters in their old sprites. This made the game feel more in tune with the franchise's original idea, which was finding a way for these two icons to meet. The Olympics were an eye-grabbing, recognizable setting that saw use through three generations on consoles - but perhaps this conclusion was inevitable. While the series introduced new sporting events as different mini-games in each title, a common criticism of the series was that the games didn't evolve in any significant way.
The end of a series can be disheartening for fans - especially if the reasons for it ending are due to other projects taking priority. However, this could grant leeway to see Mario and Sonic star together in an entirely new series somewhere down the line. The idea has proven its merit, but it may take some time before inspiration strikes the developers at Nintendo and Sega again.
Source: Eurogamer
コメント