The International Olympics Committee has reportedly ended its partnership with Nintendo and SEGA on the popular Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series. According to Lee Cocker, a veteran behind the series, the IOC chose not to renew its license with SEGA and Nintendo, letting it lapse back in 2020. “Basically the IOC wanted to bring it back to themselves internally and look at other partners so they would get more money,” stated Cocker.
The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series has been running since 2008, with six mainline games covering the regular and Winter Olympics. Players could control various characters from both the golden franchises and compete in Olympic sporting events.
NFTs are a part of this year’s Paris 2024 Olympics, with Olympics Go! Paris 2024, a mobile tie-in game, offering a commemorative Paris 2024 NFT Digital Pin collection. As for esports, Saudi Arabia will be hosting the Olympic Esports Games in 2025. The partnership with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia is set to last for the next 12 years and should see regular events. IOC president Thomas Bach stated, “By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, with regard to the game titles on the programme, the promotion of gender equality and engagement with the young audience.”
In other news, someone has claimed they are suing Bandai Namco because Elden Ring is too hard
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