The IOC has decided to sever its partnership with both Nintendo and Sega. This means the "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" series will no longer be in business. The ruling came from the IOC itself, in search of new partner deals that would help them delve into NFTs and further expand its newly formed esports front. Lee Cocker, one of the key individuals behind the establishment of this franchise, attested to the news after having made a social media post.
(Photo : Sega Sports R&D Department / Screenshot taken from Nintendo.)
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Reasons Behind the Decision
The IOC decided to pull out of the partnership because other business opportunities opened up in the gaming and digital space. Cocker revealed that the committee is now considering higher value sponsorship deals. To this regard, they are more attracted to relatively new trends like NFT and esports, which would be able to offer new ways of engagement and profit.
Cocker, having worked on every game in this series, shared his thoughts on the series' conclusion. This was because the last game of that series was associated with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and a new title would not make its way during the Paris 2024 Games. That marks a dramatic change in perspective for fans of the Mario & Sonic series, which has been attached to Olympic-themed video games for years.
Future of Olympic Video Games
This now leaves the future of Olympic video games up in the air with this partnership coming to an end. Cocker stated that fans may not see another character-based game like Mario & Sonic anytime soon. The Olympic video game license is held by nWay, which just published "Olympics GO!" on mobile. It marks the first time there isn't a console game associated with the Summer Olympics in 30 years.
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