NFTs and esports killed the Mario & Sonic Olympic Games series

SEGA and Nintendo’s long running Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series has come to an end. Speaking with Eurogamer, series veteran Lee Cocker explained that the International Olympics Committee left the partnership with SEGA and Nintendo in favor of new partners that focused on NFTs and esports. Believe it or not, there IS a game based on the 2024 Summer Olympic Games out right now. You just wouldn’t know it because it isn’t really being marketed and it looks like crap. Olympics Go! from developer nWay released to smart phone stores and the Epic Games Store and it features microtransactions and officially licensed “commemorative” NFTs. Whee.

While the Mario & Sonic games never reached the heights of what a true crossover could be, the series was a welcome addition to the Olympic festivities and some titles stood out with unique party game gimmicks and throwbacks to the pixel eras of the Mario and Sonic franchises. Personally, I enjoyed the London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 entries in the series. It’s sad the series has ended, but it is also perhaps fitting that it ended in Mario and Sonic’s homeland of Japan. Given the rocky release of the last game following a global pandemic delaying the actual games, perhaps it is for the best that the series concludes and both companies move on to partnerships that don’t rely on third party sporting committees. Maybe we can finally get that Mario and Sonic platformer?

[Source: Eurogamer]

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5 responses to “NFTs and esports killed the Mario & Sonic Olympic Games series

  1. DCGX says:

    Sounds about right for the IOC.

  2. Defender says:

    Sega’s “normal” game for the 2020 Tokyo games is also pretty good and worth checking out.

    But yeah, fitting that it ends there and they go out with two nice games for Tokyo.

    • Miles and Cosmo says:

      I agree. It does fit. Poetic even. Hopefully sega and nintendo will still collaborate on future projects. like an Rpg, a platform game, a mario party style game, etc. (But seriously? NF Frickin Ts? aren’t they practically useless now? talk about b.s. it’s like the ioc doesn’t want money or something 😒)

    • DCGX says:

      It’s more like the IOC chases where they think there’s money. Russian NFTs here we come!

    • Ren says:

      There is money in Russian NFTs?! Nice.

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